Sydney Kings will take the unprecedented step of donating revenue from their scheduled ANBL clash on Friday back to the homeless NZ Breakers.
The Auckland team have been based across the Tasman since mid-December, as the Aussie basketball league operates under strict COVID-19 protocols. NZ border restrictions mean the Breakers are unlikely to host home games any time soon, cutting deeply into their income-generating ability.
But the Kings have offered to contribute all tickets sales for their Qudos Bank Arena supporter bays to the competition nomads.
"A lot of teams are in a similar boat as the Breakers, with having long stints on the road, but they've definitely got it far worse than anyone else," says Kings chairman and owner Paul Smith.
"From my perspective, I just felt that we needed to do something here in Sydney. We've got a big New Zealand population here and they need some help right now.
"It may not be in our best interest to have a whole bunch of New Zealand fans coming out to support them in our house, but we are more than happy to see the financial support go to their club, because they're not hosting home games for the foreseeable future.
"I see this as my responsibility as an owner to help out another owner and I hope this sets the premise for what we should all be doing to support each other."
The Breakers arrive in Sydney with just one win to show from four outings, while the Kings take a two-win, three-loss record into their first meeting of the season.
"This is a challenging year for everyone navigating a COVID world and our guys are doing it particularly hard, being away from home," says Breakers owner Matt Walsh.
"While the Breakers are fierce competitors with the Kings on the court, we are in this together off it and their support for us is so incredibly generous."
