According to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), basketball has grown to a sport played by 450 million people worldwide. The NBA in the United States reigns supreme, and its popularity is evident in the fact that it is broadcast on TV in more than 200 countries and in over 40 languages. However, even with the global popularity of basketball, the environment and culture of basketball in each country varies. In this “GlobasketUnited” series, Mie Kajikawa, Founder and Representative Director of Next Big Pivot and FIBA Foundation Advisory Committee Member, visits Embassies of basketball countries in Tokyo to discover cultural background and popularity of baskteball of each country, as well as to listen to their opinions of the power of baskteball for social change, with the following four perspectives.
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1st Quarter : Popularity of Basketball
2nd Quarter : Sports Policy
3rd Quarter : Power of Basketball for Social Good
4th Quarter : Views on Basketball in Japan
Australia is emerging as a rising force in basketball. Not only does the country have a growing presence in the NBA, but many of its elite players are now competing in professional leagues around the world—including Japan’s B.League.
“Australia is using sport to achieve diplomatic objectives,” says Ms. Bec Allen, Counsellor for Public Affairs at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo. Australia was the first country to launch a dedicated sports diplomacy strategy in 2015. Today, the government plays a prominent role in global sports, and the strategy is widely embraced by sports-loving Australians for its positive impact.
Mie sat down with Ms. Allen and Mr. Cody Williams, Public Diplomacy Assistant at the embassy, to uncover the secret behind Australia’s basketball success.
1st Quarter : Popularity of Basketball – Accessibility, Community, and National Pride
— How popular the basketball is in your country? I did some pieces of research and saw that your national team won a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics—congratulations! I also noticed that your national team has participated in almost every Olympic Games in the past. So, I’m curious—just how popular the basketball is in your country?
Ms. Bec Allen: Basketball is among the top five most popular sports in Australia, and its popularity is steadily growing—especially among young people. It’s actually one of the fastest-growing sports in the country.
Australia’s population is increasing due to immigration, which means we have a younger and more diverse population. This has led to more people wanting to play basketball—both recreationally and professionally. The sport is played everywhere: on the streets, in schools, in community clubs, as well as in national leagues and on the international stages.
There’s a really strong pipeline for those who want to pursue basketball as a career, and the sport also enjoys a growing fanbase. We have professional leagues—the NBL for men and the WNBL for women—which are becoming more and more popular.
Our national teams, the Boomers (men) and the Opals (women), have performed brilliantly in recent Olympic Games. We love to name our teams. As you mentioned, they won a bronze medal at Tokyo 2020, and Australia has a long history of Olympic basketball participation. As you say, they’ve had really fantastic competitions at recent Olympics.
One of the great legacies of the Olympics is that it always boosts participation at the grassroots level—and we’ve especially seen that with basketball, in both the men’s and women’s games.
At the community level, we have a program called Aussie Hoops, which introduces young children to the fun of basketball and the many health and social benefits of sports participation. It’s an inclusive, community-based initiative, run by local clubs, volunteers, and parents. The program helps make basketball a part of everyday life for Australian children, particularly in primary and lower secondary school.
— Do they have any after-school club activity, like Japanese Bukatsu at school?
Ms. Bec Allen: It’s mostly not associated with schools, but rather with community clubs. So it operates more at the town or local levels. For example, if the town is called Blue Harbor, it would be the Blue Harbor Basketball Club. It’s very much community-based.
But basketball is also played at the school level, with inter-school competitions—similar to those that are done in Japan. These competitions start locally, then progress to regional, state, and eventually national levels.
So there’s a clear pathway within the school system, where teams can advance through zones and regions, all the way to competing as the top school team in the country.
— I see. So there are many ways to get involved, and since basketball is a part of your peple’s daily life, it’s easy to start playing, watching, and enjoying the game.
Ms. Bec Allen: Exactly. It’s very accessible. In most towns—even small rural towns across Australia—you’ll find basketball facilities. Not all sports are that widely available, but basketball is one of the few that’s fairly and evenly spread across the country.
— That’s amazing. You can see a lot of basketball courts and hoops even in towns.
Ms. Bec Allen: Absolutely. Kids often play on the street—especially in smaller country towns. There are usually multi-purpose courts with basketball lines, tennis markings, and netball rings all in one space. These shared facilities support a variety of sports. Netball, which is quite similar to basketball, is also very popular—especially among women.
— Okay. So it it’s sort of a part of a park.
Ms. Bec Allen: Yes! Usually, there’s a grassy area for running and playing soccer—we call it an oval. Next to that, you’ll typically find the courts, which might include basketball, tennis, and sometimes volleyball. If your school’s really cool, there might even be a skate park—but more often, there’s definitely a basketball court.
— Oh, lovely. By the way, do both of you play basketball?
Mr. Cody Williams: Just for fun. I played during PE classes at school—it was one of the sports we did. I wasn’t in a club or anything, but basketball was definitely part of my childhood.
—I see. So, most students in Australia get the chance to play basketball at school?
Ms. Bec Allen: Yes, if they want to, they can.
— It’s the same in Japan.
Ms. Bec Allen: Although I was never quite tall enough!
— But you have school system where students can play basketball at PE classes of school while you have club system in the community based ones. And different competitions.
Ms. Bec Allen: And then the professional league, so WNBL, NBL. which is uh city teams like…
— Sydney Kings!
Ms. Bec Allen: Yes! We have teams in cities like Sydney, Adelaide, and Melbourne. But also in outer metropolitan areas—like Western Sydney or Geelong, which is a satellite city of Melbourne. The players for our national teams—the Boomers and the Opals—are drawn from these national league teams.
— By the way, your season for Basketball is from October to April.
Ms. Bec Allen: Yes. Our professional season is in the summer.
Many of our top elite players also compete here in Japan or in Taiwan, and some play in the NBA as well.
— How many Australian players currently play in the NBA?
Ms. Bec Allen: At the moment, I think we have around 7 to 10 men and maybe about five women playing in the U.S. It changes from season to season. I know the draft or player selection just took place recently, but I don’t have the latest stats yet. As far as I know, there are currently three Australian players competing in Japan’s B.League.
Because we’re in the Southern Hemisphere and most other leagues are in the Northern Hemisphere, it actually works out well—players can compete in both. It’s a great opportunity to play at an elite level year-round.
— So they can play in both leagues?
Ms. Bec Allen: Yes, they can try to play in both seasons within the same year. For example, if they’re injured during one season, they might still be able to join another league once they recover—all within the same year.
Well, it also depends on whether it’s an Olympic year or a World Cup year. If it is, the players are very busy—you know how it is. It’s the same for all of our national teams across many sports: the key is getting enough game time at the elite level.
Although we have a national framework, the number of teams is limited, so athletes need as much time on the field or court as possible. That’s why many of our elite players also compete in other leagues.
— Do many people in Australia watch professional basketball games? Do they go to the arena?
Ms. Bec Allen: Yes, definitely. People enjoy going to the games, and they’re also broadcast on TV. Both the WNBL and NBL games are usually shown on free-to-air television. Plus, tickets are quite affordable, so it’s accessible for families and fans.
— What’s the typical capacity of the arenas?
Ms. Bec Allen: It varies, but some, like the Sydney Kings’ arena, can hold more than 10,000 people.
Australians love watching sports on TV, and many follow their favorite players closely—especially those who play in the U.S. Someone like Patty Mills, for example, is a huge national figure and very well loved. Lots of Aussies watch every game he plays in the U.S. Patty is the captain of the Boomers, our national men’s Olympic basketball team.
I’d say he’s the most recognizable basketball figure in Australia right now. Patty’s really focused on winning a gold medal—we’ve never achieved gold in men’s basketball. Earning bronze in Tokyo was a huge milestone; it was the first time ever.
Next up, we have the Olympics in LA, and then after that, it’s in Brisbane. If Patty can stay healthy and keep his body in shape, I think he has a real shot—especially with the hometown advantage in Brisbane. He’s from Queensland and is an Islander, so competing on home soil would be incredibly meaningful. I really think they can do it.
2nd Quarter : Sports Policy – Government Strategy, Elite Training, and Community Engagement
— Next question is about the sports governance system in your country. In Japan, we have a sports agency under the Ministry of Education. What is it like in your country?
Ms. Bec Allen: We have the Office for Sport, which is similar to Japan’s Sports Agency, but here it’s called the Office for Sport (OFS). It actually just moved to a different government department this week because we had an election last week. Previously, it was under the Health portfolio, but now it’s part of the Communications and Infrastructure portfolio.
The Office for Sport is the federal agency responsible for sports policy, funding, and programming. Under the OFS, we have Sport Australia and the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), which are more hands-on agencies managing sports promotion and community engagement.
The Office for Sport follows a guiding document called Sport 2030, which is our national domestic sports strategy—essentially our five-year plan for sport development in Australia, similar to the SDGs.
There’s also a sister strategy called Sports Diplomacy 2032+, which is our international sports diplomacy plan. In fact, Australia was the first country in the world to launch a sports diplomacy strategy back in 2015.
So, it’s a specific sports diplomacy strategy—using sport to achieve diplomatic objectives. That’s actually what we do here at our embassy. These two strategies really guide the Australian government’s strategic goals for sport, both domestically and internationally.
Underneath these strategies, there are many programs. Specifically, training and competing at an elite level happens through the AIS—the Australian Institute of Sport.
The AIS is a large, elite training institution that supports about 20 different sports. They train Olympians and Paralympians, so it’s focused on elite athletes.
But, as I mentioned before, there are also programs like Aussie Hoops, which aim to get kids involved at the grassroots, community level.
The AIS is a statutory body—government-funded—and it trains the very best athletes. It’s similar to how we have specialized schools for drama, circus arts, or sports. The AIS is the institution that trains the best of the best in sport.
— So, it’s really centralized by the government to promote your culture?
Ms. Bec Allen: And sport. Each sport has its own peak body—a national association or organization led by a board with representatives from across the country. But when it comes to training at the elite level, it’s centralized. That’s the best way to make the most of the resources we have.
— That sounds ideal.
Continued in Second Half
