Thousands of Tasmanian basketball fans have packed Hobart’s MyStateBank Arena of the back of the JackJumpers historic NBL win.
The team won the championship by two points on Melbourne United’s home turf on Easter Sunday, following a gruelling end-of-season playoff series.
On Monday, over 6,000 fans gathered at the team’s home arena to celebrate alongside players who had just arrived from Melbourne.
“We are beyond thrilled. This is the culmination of so much hard work, grit and determination from our entire team, our coaches, front office and board,” Club CEO Christine Finnegan said.
“But nothing is achieved without the support of our wonderful corporate partners, members and fans across Tasmania and Australia, many whom have been on this journey with us from the very beginning.”
“We have believed we could do this from day one and we have brought together the best people and the best supporters to make dreams a reality within such a short period of time.”
The NBL dubbed the JackJumpers “the most successful expansion franchise in Australian sporting history” after the club finished runner up in the NBL22 season, third in the NBL23 season and now, NBL24 League Champions.
After a heartbreaking loss in Game 4 on Thursday, which saw the title slip from their grasp, the JackJumpers entered Game 5 with their backs against the wall in front of a sold-out John Cain Arena.
In what could have been a hostile away venue, an estimated 2,000 Tasmanian fans ensured their voices were heard and proved that “the ant army are the best fans in the NBL”.
