Time for All-Star game return?

Now is the “perfect time” to bring back the All-Star game according to a two-time MVP of the showcase event.

Derek Rucker, one of the most recognisable All-Stars from the ’90s, says fans are ready after a decade-long absence.

“It was always a shining weekend when I was a player. And we were quite disappointed as players when it went away,” he said on NBL Now.

“But now that we’re in a space where fan engagement and [the] diversity of that engagement is so essential to the growth of our League - I think it’s the perfect time to bring it back.”

READ MORE: Latest NBL news and whispers ahead of round 5 of the 2024-25 season

“So if you look at the Blitz, HoopsFest, the All-Star Game, all these types of events that continue to add reasons for current fans to stay engaged or new fans to take note of what’s happening with the NBL, I think they’re all positives.

“We need to continue to come up with initiatives from a League perspective that keep us at the front edge of basketball, not only domestically or in Australasia, but right throughout the globe.”

Historically, the NBL All-Star game has had a variety of formats in regard to the selection of teams. From East vs West, North vs South, “Aussies” vs World and more, and Rucker has strong views on what it should look like.

“I think we need to go with locals versus imports,” he said.

“I think fans would be highly interested in watching essentially the Australians take on the internationals.”