Gaze marvels at "incredible" Game 5 spectacle

He’s played in some of the biggest stadiums all over Australia and the world, but seven-time NBL MVP Andrew Gaze was blown away by Sunday’s Championship Series Game 5 between Sydney and Adelaide.

The fixture attracted 18,589 fans to Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday, marking the biggest crowd in NBL history.

Speaking on The FIVEAA Sports Show this week, five-time Olympian Gaze explained how the massive crowd was a representation of basketball and the NBL's rise in Australia.

“[The atmosphere was] incredible,” Gaze said on The FIVEAA Sports Show.

“Before the game, as I stood there getting ready for it, I looked around and pinched myself.

“To think when I first started playing, we were playing at the old stadium in Adelaide, or we're playing at the Albert Park Stadium with a capacity of about 800 or 900.

“To see where it is today, it is fantastic.

“It really does help provide that incentive for youngsters coming through the ranks that there's a career that can be had here in Australia.”

Sunday’s historic crowd capped off what was a record-setting Series for the NBL, attracting 70,269 fans across the five games at Qudos Bank Arena and the Adelaide Entertainment Centre (including four sell-outs).

This marks the highest-ever total crowd to witness a Championship Series, eclipsing the 67,475 that attended the Sydney and New Zealand games during 2022-23.

It also represented the 63rd sellout for the season, while marking the third straight season the NBL has attracted more than one million fans through its doors.

That Game 5 crowd also helped the Kings set a new attendance record (216,545) for any team in any home stadium in NBL history.