The Illawarra Hawks may not have seen much success on the court this season, but the same can’t be said about them off-court. Thanks to LaMelo Ball’s off-court impact, the club, according to head coach Matt Flinn, broke even financially.
“If you take it from my appointment in the 12 months we’ve been here it’s probably the first time in history to club’s going to close to break even. For us that’s huge because everyone knows our story and that was part of the objective when I first got the gig. It’s not about splashing the cash to get the talent [next season], you’ve got to do your homework.”
Part of the desire to bring in Ball for Illawarra was off-court as much as it would be on-court. The Hawks were apart of many broken records this season. First, the team set a high mark for streaming viewership, drawing in one million streams on Facebook.
The Hawks were also involved in the most-viewed game in NBL history, drawing in nearly two million viewers against Brisbane. And against the Sydney Kings this season, the Hawks help set the all-time attendance mark.
The common denominator amongst all three of those games was Ball. While he only lasted half the season, his impact was felt off the court. While Flinn had other remarks about Ball’s time with the franchise, overall, it was a positive experience for both sides.
