A Trump acolyte, a rival billionaire and a power struggle: how civil war erupted in Australian basketball | Jack Snape

Soon-to-be US ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa Jared Novelly is leading NBL clubs in a messy dispute that could reshape the sportDonald Trump’s appointment as the next ambassador for New Zealand and Samoa, who is also a Republican political donor and the son of a St Louis oil baron, has emerged as the catalyst in the battle for control of one of the world’s top basketball leagues.It is a story of international athletic A-listers, a controversial property development and high-net-worth individuals with pockets billions of dollars deep. But most of all it is about whether professional basketball in Australia can be viable, and whose vision may prove it so. Continue reading...

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