Basketball: AIS Arena fix locked in, but Canberra Cannons' NBL return faces competition

It was confirmed by the NBL that earlier this year they applied further classes to their 2020 trademark of the Cannons name, as Canberra is considered by the league to be a "legitimate expansion option". However that promising update came with an asterisk.

When the federal Labor government promised $15 million last month to help get the AIS Arena back and operating to an appropriate standard again, basketball fans dreaming of a certain Canberra Cannons NBL return would have been cheering. It's not as much of a sure thing as Canberrans might hope it is though.

NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger said that they remain "ready and willing to partner with the ACT government to bring AIS Arena up to the contemporary standard expected by sports fans and patrons".

However Loeliger hinted that "very interesting proposals" from other NBL bids could delay a Canberra team being swiftly greenlit for a return to the league upon the completion of the AIS Arena work.

"If the venue can be brought up to a standard consistent with the expectations of our fans, and the requirements of our teams, in a timely fashion then we are absolutely prepared to bring an NBL team back to Canberra, whether that be as the Canberra Cannons, or perhaps a new brand, chosen in collaboration with the people of the ACT," Loeliger told The Canberra Times.

"But we will not wait and let other sustainable, sensible opportunities pass us by if they present themselves in the meantime.

"We need government support to make this happen if Canberra is to get the nod ahead of a number of other very interesting proposals."

Before Labor won the federal election in May, Labor senator Katy Gallagher estimated that the AIS Arena improvements - which included upgrades to things such as fire safety, seating, lighting, and toilets - would be completed within 18 months.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said last week that the federal government had already set aside the $15 million funding for the AIS Arena - which has been closed since 2020 - but "a broader discussion on the future of the precinct" is ongoing.

Last month NBL chief executive Larry Kestelman pushed further, calling for $50 million in total government funding to bring the AIS Arena to a standard appropriate and sustainable for a new franchise in the NBL.

Kestelman compared such a move to the $66 million worth of work that was done on Tasmania's MyState Bank Arena which helped seal the JackJumpers a licence.

The new Tasmanian franchise famously reached the NBL finals in just their second year of existence.

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