By BACT Media Unit – 4 July 2024

With the annual Mitsubishi Motors NBL1 First Nations Round set to hit basketball courts across the country this weekend, our Canberra Gunners and Canberra Nationals will be taking a little bit of our local Indigenous community into their final regular season home game against Sydney Comets at Belconnen Basketball Stadium.

Calling on their creativity, cultural identity and love of basketball, participants of Basketball ACT’s Indigenous Game Development Program (IGDP) came together to contribute to the debut First Nations Round uniform design for the NBL1 competition.

Basketball ACT’s Participation Manager, Elijah Duke said about the project, “It was a really exciting and fun opportunity for our participants to build their skills, cultural understanding and team-work, by coming together to design and craft the NBL1 East uniform in 2024.”

“To capture each participants cultural identity and love of basketball in the design was really important to us all. And to share our story with the Gunners and Nationals, has been amazing.”

The generous support of key sponsor, Burbirra Group, saw the design come to life. When asked about the opportunity to support the 2024 NBL1 First Nations Round, Dr Karen Demmery from Burbirra said “There is magic in bringing together our love for basketball and our deep cultural connections. Basketball isn’t just a sport for us; it’s a way to bridge communities, foster understanding, and celebrate our identity. The First Nations Round is more than just a sponsorship for us at Burbirra — it’s a celebration of resilience, unity, and pride. We are honoured to stand alongside the Gunners and the Nationals, sharing stories, traditions, and the vibrant spirit of our people. So for Burbirra to sponsor the First Nations Round is a natural fit for us.”

Basketball ACT would like to thank our IGDP participants, Burbirra Group and Athlead for their support in conceptualising, designing, sponsoring and supplying our 2024 NBL1 First Nations Round uniforms.

The 2024 NBL1 Canberra Gunners and Canberra Nationals First Nations Round uniforms are available to order from Athlead. You can place your order by clicking the below:

Athlead – NBL1 East First Nations Round Singlet

Tickets to 2024 Mitsubishi Motors NBL1 East, presented by National Storage, First Nations Round are SELLING FAST – you can grab your tickets via INTIX, by clicking below:

INTIX – NBL1 East First Nations Round Tickets