By BACT Media Unit – 1 August 2022

With NAIDOC Week being celebrated across Australia from 2-10 July, Basketball ACT joined local efforts with a big week of activities.

A junior Indigenous Round was held on 1-3 July, with the Senior Premier League Indigenous Round held on Wednesday 6 July.  All games were played at Belconnen Basketball Stadium, with a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony performed prior to tip-off by Ngunnawal elder Warren Daley.  To get the event underway, a ceremonial ball was used.

The Warriors NAIDOC Tournament, held at Belconnen and Tuggeranong on 8-10 July, was heartily welcomed back to the NAIDOC calendar by junior clubs across the ACT.

To round out NAIDOC Week, the Canberra Gunners and Canberra Nationals took part in the NBL1 East’s inaugural First Nations Round.  Warren Daley returned for a Welcome to Country ahead of tip-off, and we were joined by Project Dust, a local Indigenous dance initiative, at half-time.

Basketball ACT also had a display of products from Marrawuy Journeys for sale, as well as a range of Indigenous round products, including an Indigenous Round t-shirt that acknowledges and celebrates our growing number Supply Nation/First Nation Partners and sponsors, with proceeds of t-shirt sales going towards Basketball ACT Indigenous Participation Programs.

(Video courtesy of Simon Peters)

(NBL1 Game Day photographs courtesy of Discovery One Photography)