NBAxNBL Preview: All the key talking points

Pete Hooley for NBL.com.au.

It's history in the making as the New Orleans Pelicans head to Melbourne, Australia, to take on Melbourne United and the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

Ahead of two must-watch games and an incredible four days of events, here's our preview of the NBAxNBL Series.

>> CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS TO ALL EVENTS

The schedule and how to watch

New Orleans Pelicans vs Melbourne United
Friday, October 3, 2025 – 7.30pm AEST
How to watch: Live on Amazon Prime Video, 10 Drama and NBA League Pass

New Orleans Pelicans vs South East Melbourne Phoenix
Sunday, October 5, 2025 – 2pm AEDT
How to watch: Live on Amazon Prime Video, 10 and NBA League Pass

History

For the first time ever, an NBA team will step onto Australian soil to compete against NBL opponents. While the NBLxNBA games have become a staple over the last few seasons, it has always been local teams heading over to the United States to play pre-season exhibition games against NBA opponents, until now.

Seven NBL teams in total have been part of the series, including 24 total pre-season games, as the connection between the leagues continues to grow.

Last NBA season featured a record-tying 125 international players, including 13 from Australia, which ranked third behind Canada (21) and France (14).

New Orleans training camp roster

11 – Bryce McGowens* Guard 6'6 197 lbs Nebraska (USA) 3 years
42 – Christian Shumate Forward 6'6 213 lbs McNeese State (USA) Rookie
5 – Dejounte Murray Guard 6'5 181 lbs Washington (USA) 8 years
22 – Derik Queen Forward/Centre 6'10 248 lbs Maryland (USA) Rookie
8 – Garrison Brooks Centre 6'10 240 lbs Mississippi State (USA) Rookie
2 – Herb Jones Guard/Forward 6'7 212 lbs Alabama (USA) 4 years
4 – Hunter Dickinson* Centre 7'1 271 lbs Kansas (USA) Rookie
9 – Jaden Springer Guard 6'4 225 lbs Tennessee (USA) 4 years
00 – Jalen McDaniels Forward 6'9 196 lbs San Diego State (USA) 6 years
0 – Jeremiah Fears Guard 6'4 183 lbs Oklahoma (USA) Rookie
24 – Jordan Hawkins Guard 6'5 185 lbs Connecticut (USA) 2 years
3 – Jordan Poole Guard 6'4 200 lbs Michigan (USA) 6 years
17 – Karlo Matković Forward/Centre 6'11 260 lbs Cedevita Olimpija (Croatia) 1 year
55 – Kevon Looney Centre/Forward 6'9 249 lbs UCLA (USA) 10 years
14 – Micah Peavy Forward 6'7 225 lbs Georgetown (USA) Rookie
41 – Saddiq Bey Forward 6'7 215 lbs Villanova (USA) 4 years
23 – Trey Alexander* Guard 6'4 187 lbs Creighton (USA) 1 year
25 – Trey Murphy III Forward 6'8 217 lbs Virginia (USA) 4 years
15 – Jose Alvarado Guard 6'0 182 lbs Georgia Tech (USA) 4 years
21 – Yves Missi Centre 6'11 236 lbs Baylor (Cameroon) 1 year
1 – Zion Williamson Forward 6'6 284 lbs Duke (USA) 5 years

Players to watch

Zion Williamson
The Pelicans' franchise player looks completely transformed after a back injury limited him to just 52 games last season. Williamson has been front and centre of all the Pelicans' media and practice availability since arriving in Australia and is ready to put on a show.

Jordan Poole
Recently acquired from Washington, Poole provides a much needed backcourt spark for the Pelicans, who are still waiting for Dejounte Murray to return from a torn Achilles. Poole looks to find his feet in his new home and help the Pelicans improve on their 21-61 record from last season.

Jeremiah Fears
Expect the Pelicans' lottery pick to play a lot of minutes in these exhibition games. Fears was picked seventh out of Oklahoma, where he was selected to the All-Freshman team. The lightning quick guard had a strong showing at the recent NBA Summer League as he looks to solidify himself in Willie Green’s rotation this year.

Trey Murphy III
Outside of Williamson and Poole, Murphy III is the leading offensive weapon on this Pelicans team and is able to fill it up from anywhere. Limited to just 29 games last season with a shoulder injury, he is back healthy and could see some opportunity in these games.

What we can expect from the Pelicans

Pelicans head coach Willie Green said that his team is still figuring out rotations and minutes as the team competes against another team for the first time this pre-season. Expect to see the superstars play early in both games and potentially up until half-time, as they ease into what will be a long 82-game season.

On the local front, Next Star Dash Daniels will get his first chance to impress NBA eyes and the team that drafted his brother Dyson. Daniels is someone who Dean Vickerman will likely give extended opportunity to, as they also look to get through these games unscathed.

For the Phoenix, defensive menace John Brown III will have the direct matchup on Williamson, which will be worth the price of admission alone.

What's being said

Zion Williamson (Pelicans star)
“I’ve watched film on a lot of these guys, and both teams are competitors. I know we’re having a good time joking up here, but I know once we step on the court both teams are going to try to go at each other and try to make something happen. So, if I’m going up the middle of the lane, I don’t expect anybody to move out of the way.”

Josh King (South East Melbourne Phoenix coach)
"I don't think we're necessarily going to be able to put a game plan together to stop him (Williamson). We're just going to play our game and work on some things that we need to improve upon and just have fun with it. Hopefully both teams stay injury-free."

Dean Vickerman (Melbourne United coach)
"We may get called for illegal defence. We might try to build a wall there to try and stop him (Williamson) etting to the rim, but our guys are looking forward to it. In scout they were talking about matching up on him and how we try to slow him down or contain him in any way. It's a great challenge."

Milton Doyle (Melbourne United player)
"Just like any other game. Going in scouting and understanding who you’re playing. Trying to figure out who's going to win. So just taking it the same as the rest of the NBL games, and knowing that there's a lot of talent in that team and we have a chance to beat them."

Willie Green (Pelicans head coach)
"I'm excited about the competition and fan engagement and interacting with them, as I've heard there's a buzz [in Australia] which is a credit to the NBA making our game truly global. But also to Australia, who have produced amazing players like Dyson [Daniels], Patty [Mills], the list goes on, who continue to help grow our game. It's a blessing [to have this opportunity] and we're going to make the most of it."

Events

‍- NBAxNBL Fan Zone (Bounce Nation) - Thursday, October 2 to Sunday, October 5 at Rod Laver Arena.
‍- NBAxNBL Fan Night – Saturday, October 4, 2025, 6pm AEST: A showcase event with player performances, basketball challenges, live entertainment and more.
‍- Southern Tip-Off Louisiana Luncheon – Sunday, October 5 AEDT: An exclusive lunch at Centrepiece, while listening to two-time NBA Champion and ten-time All-Star Ray Allen, 15-time All-Star Kevin Garnett, six-time NBL MVP Andrew Gaze, and Olympic silver medallist Michele Timms.

The games

- Game 1 – New Orleans Pelicans vs Melbourne United - Friday, October 3, 2025 - 7.30pm AEST
- Game 2 – New Orleans Pelicans vs South East Melbourne Phoenix - Sunday, October 5, 2025 - 2pm AEDT

>> CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS TO ALL EVENTS