Despite having LaMelo Ball and eyes across the world focused on them last season, the future of the Illawarra Hawks appears to be in serious doubt. With the current ownership group collapsing and the staff and front office uncertain of the future, as reported by the Illawarra Mercury, the NBL looks poised to step in and take control of the franchise.
On Tuesday, the league released a statement on the status of the franchise.
“The NBL is working closely with key stakeholders to ensure the ongoing viability of foundation club, the Illawarra Hawks.
“We are in ongoing discussions with the owners of the Hawks and the Australian Basketball Players’ Association (ABPA) and working together with them in what are challenging times for all sport and business right now.
“We are committed to the club remaining in the NBL and the league will step in and operate the licence should a resolution not be found in the short term. However, as is the case with many clubs across different sports, staff may be stood down as we work through this period.”
This season, Illawarra experienced a huge uptick in relevance and popularity with Ball on the roster. The team was involved in both the most-viewed and most-attended basketball games in the league’s history during the 2019-20 season.
However, that appears to have no been enough to keep the Hawks afloat sans Ball. As the season has come to a close, the future of the Hawks’ ownership group has come into more and more doubt.
In recent years, the NBL ran the Brisbane Bullets franchise before an American-led ownership group featuring former NBA guard Kevin Martin. As it stands, it appears the Hawks may soon follow suit.
