Costs kept secret as Melbourne gets set to host NBA and NFL

The cash-strapped Allan government has refused to confirm the cost of bringing NFL and NBA games to Victoria, after the NSW government was told to expect a “ballpark” figure of $15 million a game for the rights to the American football matches.

A day after the Victorian government confirmed it had pulled off a coup to stage the first regular-season NFL game featuring the Los Angeles Rams in Australia next year at the MCG, another major announcement appears imminent with the NBA, NBL and the Victorian government finalising a deal to bring at least one NBA team to Australia in October to play multiple exhibition games.

Josh Giddey, of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, and NFL player Tyler Higbee, of the Los Angeles Rams. Both sports leagues are coming to Melbourne. Credit: AP/Getty, art by Michael Howard

The matches are likely to be between an NBA team and an NBL side. The deal is likely to be for one year, and only in Melbourne, although the NBL and the government would like it to become a semi-regular event.

NBL chief executive David Stevenson said the league was working closely with the NBA.

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