NBL 2023-24
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Bardoc lines up investors for shot at NZ Breakers
Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Aug 20, 2023 – 6.42pmThe New Zealand Breakers – the privately owned, Auckland-based club – appears to be on the radar of investors as the team goes toe-to-toe with the Sydney Kings for the top spot in the National Basketball League.
Street Talk understands a handful of local investors have fielded recent approaches from Bardoc Group, a United Kingdom-based firm. Bardoc has been gauging their appetite to buy a stake in the NZ Breakers, sources said.
It is not clear if Bardoc was working for a NZ Breakers shareholder looking for an exit, or simply testing buyer appetite to then try and shake out a deal. Its outreach comes after Tesla chair Robyn Denholm bought a stake in the Kings this year. The Kings finished the last financial year at top of the league tables, tailed by NZ Breakers on the second rank. Naturally, the M&A interest in the best club has spilled over to the second-best.
When reached for a comment, the Breakers’ majority shareholder, Matthew Walsh – an NBA player turned sports investor – said he was unaware of anyone on the register appointing Bardoc. “Like any good sports owner, I have a duty to myself and to my shareholders to be commercial. But I love owning the Breakers and, given the amazing growth of the NBL, I am looking forward to the next five years of ownership,” Walsh said.
The Breakers have been around since 2003 and is the only team outside of Australia to play in the NBL. Walsh put together a consortium to buy the team in 2018 from the Paul and Liz Blackwell, who made their money in supermarkets.
For the past five years, the club has been tightly held. Sources said it was set up as a partnership, with Walsh as the general partner holding the first right of refusal from fellow shareholders who are limited partners. Sources said the business could be worth as much as $US30 million ($47 million) to $US45 million – but that is yet to be tested pending a sell-down.
It’s an interesting time to be an NBL investor. While clearly a second-tier league that is dwarfed by the bright lights of the National Basket Association in the United States, the NBL is a popular destination for investors. That’s because it’s a much smaller equity cheque than the NBA, still in the English-speaking world and a springboard for players globally.
Phoenix Suns sold for $US4 billion last year, while Michael Jordan last month chipped off his majority stake in Charlotte Hornets for $US3 billion.
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The dumbest basketball I’ve seen for some time
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The great escape!
Good solid overtime by the Tall Blacks, but man I still can’t get over those fouls on Hollis-Jefferson. So dumb.
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The great escape!
Good solid overtime by the Tall Blacks, but man I still can’t get over those fouls on Hollis-Jefferson. So dumb.
@ACT-Crusader said in NBL 2023-24:
The great escape!
Good solid overtime by the Tall Blacks, but man I still can’t get over those fouls on Hollis-Jefferson. So dumb.
Is it being played on NZ TV?
Edit: the internet says Duke
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@ACT-Crusader said in NBL 2023-24:
The great escape!
Good solid overtime by the Tall Blacks, but man I still can’t get over those fouls on Hollis-Jefferson. So dumb.
Is it being played on NZ TV?
Edit: the internet says Duke
@canefan said in NBL 2023-24:
@ACT-Crusader said in NBL 2023-24:
The great escape!
Good solid overtime by the Tall Blacks, but man I still can’t get over those fouls on Hollis-Jefferson. So dumb.
Is it being played on NZ TV?
Edit: the internet says Duke
Being shown on ESPN here in West Island.
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We are clamps down D. Playing really well.
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Scoring dried up big time
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The Cairns Taipans and New Zealand Breakers will travel to the United States as part of the fifth edition of NBLxNBA preseason, the NBL announced on Thursday. The Taipans, who will be making their NBA preseason debut, will face the Wizards on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at Capital One Arena, before they then take on the Raptors on Monday, Oct. 16 at Scotiabank Arena.
2023 NBL runners-up, the Breakers, will meanwhile battle the Trail Blazers on Oct. 11 at Moda Center and then the Jazz on Oct. 17 at Vivint Arena. -
Argghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Far out we missed a layup with seconds remaining to tie the game in the Asian Cup U16 Championship final against the Aussies.
We ran the perfect play too.
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well, the NBA games didn't go well
Taipans got beat by 60. Definitely not helped by both our bigs being ruled out before the game. At least we didn't let Cooks score all over us
Then the Breakers, who i thought might do better with a bit more experience in the lineup, got beat by 40
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And the Taipans round out the tour by getting bet by the Raptors by 40. We ran out of players though, and had to draft in a replacement player for the day.
Terrible tour, smacked twice, picked up injuries, destroyed any momentum we might have had after a couple of wins the other weekend -
And the Breakers lose by 20 to the Jazz. Take out the horror 1st Q they are competitive based on the Box Score.
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Watching the NZB for the first time this season, vs Melbourne. We started slow but hit the lead at the end of the half. It's early in the 3rd, but we look fast and athletic. The new import PG looks like an upgrade from Brown and Cheatham looks very aggressive
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Washington cut Xavier Cooks.
I would imagine a couple of the richer struggling clubs will be sniffing around. Okay Perth, i mean Perth.
But Sydney may not be totally happy with their roster yet either
