You won't be getting another one after the Illawarra Hawks opted against bringing a second NBL game to Canberra this season.

The ACT government has chosen to spend its money elsewhere, meaning the prospect of shifting another home game away from Wollongong was not financially viable for the Hawks.

Illawarra's clash with an NBL powerhouse in the Perth Wildcats was pencilled in for the AIS Arena on January 10.

It would have given Canberra basketball fans another glimpse of NBA draft hopeful LaMelo Ball in the midst of his staggering emergence as a global superstar.

But the government provided adequate funding for just one game, which was played against Brisbane in front of 3808 fans on November 3.

The decision to take the Wildcats game back to Wollongong was no big surprise - Hawks general manager Mat Campbell expected as much five weeks ago.

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Yet Campbell admits he is disappointed the club is unable to bring another game to Canberra as he looks to forge a connection with the region.

"We considered taking the game back to Canberra without the funding agreement in place, however in the end, we ultimately decided we wanted to give the game back to our local fans," Campbell said.

"We have dramatically lowered the cost of this game for our members.

"With a game against Perth, we know this was a big draw card for the Illawarra with attracting visitors to the region and that ultimately helped in the decision to keep the game here.

"We will also continue to work with the NBL and ACT government for further opportunities to play in Canberra in future seasons."

The Hawks will offer club members discounted tickets for the January 10 clash with Perth because it falls outside of their 12-game membership package.

The game was left off the season ticket package for Illawarra-based members because the club was committed to bringing it to Canberra.

The Hawks are pushing to establish a long-term presence in the capital but negotiations with the government have drawn out.

The government is eight years into a $23 million, 10-year deal to host three of the GWS Giants' AFL regular season matches and one pre-season game in the capital each year.

Illawarra officials are pushing to secure a small piece of the pie but Campbell admits a lack of a lengthy agreement has made it difficult for the Hawks to secure members and sponsors in the region.

That in turn raises questions about the merit of bringing more matches to the ACT.

However the Illawarra great is determined to build a nest in the capital in search of "the next Patty Mills" to bring into an NBL system via the Hawks.