The chairman of the Illawarra Hawks’ ownership group has been barred from attending a key NBL meeting, reigniting a simmering feud with league boss Larry Kestelman.
This masthead can reveal that the league’s chief executive Dave Stevenson told Terry Egger, the chairman of the Hawks, that he cannot attend an annual, two-day growth conference in Sydney, but could send a different representative, citing an ownership technicality for the decision.
The Hawks are owned by Crest Sports and Entertainment, which has US billionaire Jared Novelly as its chairman and principal. However, as Novelly is now Donald Trump’s US ambassador to New Zealand, Egger, a former American media executive who spent nearly 30 years as CEO and publisher of major newspapers like The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, has shifted from vice-chairman to the top role.
While Egger has previously attended all NBL conferences, the league now argues that as Egger is chairman of Crest Sports, and not technically the club itself, he cannot attend the growth conference because he is not an “authorised” official.
The conference will begin on Wednesday at the offices of Sydney Kings majority owner and Tesla chair and billionaire, Robyn Denholm. It will involve in-depth discussions about the future of the 10-team league, including expansion and governance.
Egger told this masthead he was shocked to be informed he could not attend the meeting, despite maintaining he had “long been encouraged” to by Denholm.
“In what I can only describe as a clear case of retaliation, I was shocked to be informed by Dave Stevenson, the CEO of the NBL, that I suddenly now am not allowed to attend the upcoming owners growth conference,” Egger said.
“This is a meeting of the club owners and I currently serve as chairman of Crest Sports and Entertainment, the parent company that owns the Hawks. Historically, I have always participated in all the NBL/club owners meetings, but now suddenly I am not allowed to be involved because I’m not the authorised representative of the club? What’s changed?”
A NBL spokesman said the Hawks could send another representative.
“The growth conference is a confidential meeting of NBL clubs. Every club has been asked to confirm the people attending are authorised to represent that club. The Illawarra Hawks have not been excluded,” the spokesman said.
“The club is welcome to send a director or any other authorised representative, and a place at the conference remains open. The NBL doesn’t comment on private correspondence with clubs.”
As this masthead has previously reported, Crest has spent $5 million challenging the league for years over governance and financial matters, joined by the majority owners of South East Melbourne Phoenix, US businessman Romie Chaudhari, and Perth Wildcats majority owner Mark Arena.
Their decision to challenge the league whether privately, in mediation, through the NSW Supreme Court or by establishing an independent Professional Basketball Club Owners Association has drawn the ire of the wealthy Kestelman and his staff. Under Kestelman, the NBL has transformed into a growing sporting powerhouse in a crowded local market.
Amid the off-court battle, the NBL has taken its case against Crest to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
In August, after questioning from this masthead, Basketball Australia finally released findings from a secret report into the governance of the NBL, conceding that Kestelman made “mistakes”, allowing him a year to make changes and rebuild trust.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Professional Basketball Club Owners Association said Kestelman needed to continue to be challenged over financial issues.
“The Professional Basketball Club Owners Association welcomes the opportunity presented by the NBL growth conference to have a serious and constructive discussion about the future of the league,” the statement said.
“The NBL has significant potential, but sustainable growth will require clubs to be treated as genuine partners in the competition’s governance, commercial direction and remediation process.”
The NBL, which is enjoying record early season attendance and broadcast figures, has made changes over the past year, one key move being the appointment of Professor Graeme Samuel, a governance and leadership expert and former AFL commissioner, to the board this year.
The league has also established governance and finance committees, led respectively by Denholm and the Tasmania JackJumpers majority owner, Ben Harrison of Altor Capital, who support Kestelman. Entrepreneur Chaudhari, arguably the best equipped to work on league finance, was overlooked for the role.
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Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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