40 NBA reps descend on Gold Coast for NBL Blitz

A total of 40 representatives across 25 NBA teams will be on the Gold Coast for the 2023 NBL Blitz, league commissioner Jeremy Loeliger told ESPN.

The 25 NBA teams — with potential for the number to grow — set to descend on Queensland’s famous coastal city will be the most any NBL event has ever hosted, with this coming season’s eight Next Stars the big drawcard.

“We’re expecting that number to increase in the coming week,’ Loeliger told ESPN, on the 25 NBA teams currently registered to attend.

“This is testament to the quality of the talent on the floor, the credibility of the league as a pathway to the NBA, and that the word is well and truly out that you have to see these guys in person for yourself.”

The Blitz — the NBL’s annual preseason tournament — will be held from September 16-22 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.

“The fact that NBA personnel are travelling from the other side of the globe to watch these guys play is all the more reason why we’re encouraging our local fans to get out and see them for themselves while they can,” Loeliger said.

“At the Blitz alone, there are at least 16 players who are potential NBA draft prospects.”

Alex Toohey (Sydney), Trentyn Flowers (Adelaide), Bobi Klintman (Cairns), Mantas Rubstavicius (New Zealand), AJ Johnson (Illawarra), Alexandre Sarr (Perth), and Ariel Hukporti (Melbourne), and Rocco Zikarsky (Brisbane) are all signed as Next Stars for the 2023-24 NBL season, exhibiting a mixture of Australian, American, and international talent across multiple draft classes. Zikarsky is draft-eligible in 2025.

The likes of Taran Armstrong (Cairns), Lachlan Olbrich (Illawarra), Josh Bannan (Brisbane), David Okwera (Perth), and Dontae Russo-Nance (Perth) are draft-eligible in 2024.

There’s also a wide array of local and import talent that NBA teams are expected to keep a close eye on during the Blitz. D.J. Hogg, Luke Travers (draft rights held by the Cleveland Cavaliers), Denzel Valentine, Will McDowell-White, and Gary Clark are among those who have the potential to help themselves in a significant way with an impressive showing in front of NBA teams.

Each of the NBL’s 10 teams will play three games each across the tournament, with the winner awarded the Loggins-Bruton Cup, while the tournament’s most outstanding player will walk away with the Ray Borner Award. Three points are awarded to the winning team of each game, while one point is given to the side that wins each quarter.