HARDWOOD HEROES

ZOOM OUT. Let’s focus on the National Basketball League and, more specifically, a player about to debut for the Illawarra Hawks – who have played at Wollongong’s Entertainment Centre since 1998 and have never staged a match attended by more than 5,839 people.

We will begin outside David Yurman’s celebrity jewellers on Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles, California. A TMZ reporter rushes up to NBA star Trae Young – the Atlanta Hawks’ franchise shooter who doubles as Steph Curry’s basketball doppelganger – with a microphone and a full-court press. The topic at hand? Illawarra’s newest point-guard, LaMelo Ball, and whether he can go No.1 in the NBA draft. “Possibly, yeah, for sure,” Young says. “He’ll be No.1 or No.2 [pick] in the league, regardless. He’s a good player.” When the reporter asks if teams should tank to improve their chances of securing Ball’s services, Young gives the company line: “No teams should tank.”