Sports News Sunraysia with Sammy Smythe

The National Basketball League (NBL) is pleased to confirm that the Brisbane Bullets will return to the competition in the 2016/17 NBL season, with six-time NBL Champion CJ Bruton announced as the first official appointment to the club.

Known as one of the first great sporting franchises of the Queensland capital, the Brisbane Bullets were one of the League’s founding teams and boast more than 30 years of history and three NBL Championships.

The Bullets captured national attention in the 1980’s as one of the most dominant teams in the competition, selling-out stadiums and producing household names such as Leroy Loggins and Cal Bruton.

Both Cal and his son CJ have played key roles on Championship-winning teams for the Bullets, and the historic connection continues with CJ Bruton being appointed as Assistant Coach and Basketball Operations Manager of the newly established Brisbane franchise.

NBL General Manager Jeremy Loeliger is excited by the appointment and said that CJ will have the full support of NBL headquarters, which will facilitate the development of the Brisbane based club until the right ownership group is identified.

“We are obviously thrilled to announce the return of the Brisbane Bullets, very happy that we have CJ Bruton secured in such an integral role with the club and we’re really looking forward to working with him to find the rest of the pieces of the puzzle,” said Mr Loeliger.

“Recruiting the right individuals to be involved with the re-establishment of this club is critical, and the General Manager advertisement currently in circulation has generated a lot of interest from a high calibre of applicant.

“We are very much heartened by the number of interested parties willing to get involved and support this franchise, which always had such strong support in Brisbane.

“All basketball fans have fond memories of the Bullets and we’re getting all the building blocks in place to put the NBL on the map in Brisbane all over again.”

The Brisbane Bullets will enter the 2016/17 NBL competition branded with a new brand and colour scheme, featuring the gold and maroon that has come to typify Queensland sporting franchises.

The NBL has engaged professional services firm KPMG to assist in identifying and qualifying an appropriate ownership structure that will ensure the long term sustainability of a successful Brisbane franchise.