Australia plans to supplant cricket by basketball!

Australia's "dozing mammoth" National B-ball Class dispatches its 40th season one month from now with aspiring plans of supplanting cricket as the games frantic nation's main summer diversion.

NBL proprietor Larry Kestelman, who is hoping to take advantage of the record number of Australians featuring in the NBA, said there had never been a superior time for the game.

"The dozing goliath of Australian game is wakeful and we are coming. We need to be Australia's main summer game and one of the greatest games in the nation," he said at the season dispatch on Monday.

"We have a chance to take b-ball in Australia to the following level. To motivate another era of enthusiasts of the diversion. A diversion for all Australians."

Kestelman said the current declaration that three NBL groups Sydney Lords, Melbourne Joined together and Brisbane Projectiles would play in one month from now are NBA pre-season demonstrated the Australian alliance was viewed as truly outstanding on the planet.

Sydney will play Utah Jazz on October 2, Melbourne plays Oklahoma City Thunder six days after the fact and Brisbane go up against Phoenix Suns on October 13 to match with the begin of the NBL season.

"There are around one million Australians playing the game, we have a record number of Australians playing in the NBA and solid national groups in the Boomers (men's) and the Opals (women's)," he said.

Among Australians featuring in the NBA are Aron Baynes (Boston Celtics), Matt Dellavedova (Milwaukee Bucks), Dante Exum (Utah Jazz), Joe Ingles (Utah Jazz), Patty Factories (San Antonio Goads) and Ben Simmons (Philadelphia Sixers).

The NBL season tips off on October 5, when Adelaide 36ers playing Melbourne Joined together.