Melbourne United’s new multimillionaire owners have backed the governance and leadership of National Basketball League boss Larry Kestelman, declaring the burgeoning competition is on the right trajectory.
Businessmen and entrepreneurs Travis Knipe and Aaron Sansoni have taken full ownership of the marquee NBL club, Knipe lifting his stake from 30 per cent to 75 per cent, while Sansoni has the remaining share, having acquired this from Kestelman, the league’s majority owner and former United owner, last year.
From a group of more than a dozen owners, United now have a consolidated core, which Knipe and Sansoni say will help the club continue to expand.
The ownership consolidation comes at a time when the owners of the Illawarra Hawks, South East Melbourne Phoenix and Perth Wildcats have expressed governance issues over Kestelman’s running of the league, despite a Basketball Australia investigation finding there was no “credible” evidence Kestelman had breached the NBL’s code of conduct.
In a wide-ranging interview with this masthead, Knipe and Sansoni, long-time NBL fans, said they endorsed Kestelman, and were committed to the club, and league, for the long haul.
“If I had any reservations with where I thought the NBL was, or Melbourne United was, I wouldn’t have invested 75 per cent at a record valuation. So, from my perspective, I think the league is in a great place again,” said Knipe, the executive chairman and former chief executive of StarRez, a global property technology and educational technology company.
“I think each club is on their own journey and has a different philosophy in terms of owners and what their expectations are – if they need to be [making a financial] return in a given year, or they are looking at this capital [wise].”
Knipe’s initial 30 per cent share acquisition last year lifted the club’s estimated valuation up to $50 million dollars, a record figure for an Australian-based basketball club.
Sansoni, an investor, entrepreneur and founder of nearly 80 companies, said the NBL was a “rocket ship”.
“We are excited for where this league is going to go. We’re excited to be playing more game. We’re excited for having more teams, we’re excited to be doing more,” Sansoni said.
The search for a new coach
Two-time United championship coach Dean Vickerman last week enacted an out-clause in his contract to explore opportunities in Japan and China.
Vickerman will be a tough act to follow, but there is no shortage of applicants. Although the Adelaide 36ers – another power club – are also pursuing a new coach after Mike Wells’ abrupt departure.
Five-time Perth Wildcats championship coach Trevor Gleeson is firmly on United’s radar.
“If they’re talented, if they’re interested – we’re trying to run quite a wide process,” Sansoni said, adding the club had a “massive” initial list of prospective candidates.
The favourite son
United are in deep discussions with Joe Ingles, a four-time Olympian, Boomers great and NBA veteran, about finishing his career in Melbourne next season. A deal is expected to be announced after Ingles’ play-off run with the Minnesota Timberwolves ends.
Ingles has long made it known he would like to finish his professional career in Melbourne, having begun with the now-defunct NBL championship side South Dragons in 2006.
“Look, we’ll be very blessed if we can pull off signings like that. You know, we’re excited,” Sansoni said.
“So … we’re open, we’re trying to get the right players.”
Having a WNBL franchise
The premier women’s basketball competition in Australia does not have a Melbourne-based figurehead club, with Southside based at the State Basketball Centre in Knox, while the Geelong Venom have made a recent recruiting splash in free agency.
Sansoni said the WNBA in the US was “doing so well globally – it’ll be hard at some point not to have a look at those factors”. He stressed timing would be important if United was to head in the WNBL direction.
What next for Chris Goulding?
United’s franchise man since 2015-16, star shooter Chris Goulding, will be 38 in October. The two-time United championship marksman is coming off an injury-impacted season where he averaged only 13.4 points, and United – having let slip a 9-0 start to the season – were eliminated in the play-in game.
Knipe said Goulding, already back in training, could play as long as he wanted.
“He’ll honour himself … he definitely doesn’t look like a guy that’s slowing down for retirement. And I was excited to watch him last season. He’s pumped about some of the changes that are coming … but he’ll be able to play as long as he wants. He’s such a great player,” Sansoni said.
Knipe said Goulding had a key role in the “onboarding” of a new coach.
A home base in Sandringham
United once explored a shift to the Courtside venue in Port Melbourne, but opted to stay at Hoops City in Cheltenham.
Sansoni said United were keen to upgrade their facilities, while they are also trying “to cook on some long-term plans”.
“It’ll be cool for us to have our own big stadium, like they have in the NBA, at some point,” he said.
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Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via X or email.
