Romie Chaudhari

Managing Owner of the South East Melbourne Phoenix @semelbphoenix * Co-Owner of DC United @dcunited

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

🤔🤔

[BASKETBALL NEWS AUSTRALIA 🇦🇺 @AusBballnews]

Something big is coming... and the truth is finally being uncovered. 🔍

​We’re breaking down the stories behind the headlines in a 3-part investigative series. 👏

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[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

Great questions....please ask Dave Stevenson and the NBL for the answers because they state that they pride themselves on their transparency!

[Ben Fitzsimons @BenFitz]

@RRome44 @_DanEwing Romie can share how much teams get from merch sales? How much revenue the media deals generate for each team? What money the teams get from the naming right sponsors? Is the league assuring some clubs to stay afloat and do they do that with transparency to all owners?

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

Reporters keep pushing an agenda of it being Jared vs Larry. This narrative dramatically misrepresents the true picture. It’s much bigger than that, with a lot more players other than Jared involved on the clubs' ownership side of this "rift"!

[JonPierik @Pierik_AgeSport]

Leaked letter exposes growing rift between basketball powerbrokers Larry Kestelman and Jared Novelly https://t.co/p0FoVgesov @theagesport @SMHsport @illawarrahawks

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

No, the NBL wasn't better back then. But, thanks to the $250mil+ that the CLUBS alone invested over the past decade, the games are better than ever.

As far as our club is concerned, the SEM family works very hard and financially backs the efforts in order to put on a great show for fans and to provide something our community can hopefully enjoy and be proud of. Our sponsors have been supportive, fans have been supportive, the community and stakeholders have been supportive, and government has been supportive. Outside of that, folks you think would be supportive have not been supportive at all, and instead have harassed us and others who don't follow the "status quo". It's a shame, because the production the clubs put on each game has been fantastic despite the barriers most of us face day in and day out.

[Lawz @Lawzyc]

@RRome44 @_DanEwing Romie- was the Nbl a better product 10 years ago?

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

Is expansion good for ALL in the Australian basketball ecosystem (fans, players, and clubs), or only for the benefit of a select few? This individual did the homework and seems to nail most of it. The clubs, not anyone else, have pumped in the money to put on the games each night, which is financially unsustainable. Expansion will only put more financial pressure on the clubs.

I always thought in a free country like OZ that people could respectfully share a point of view without punishment. Not the case when actual NBL owners rightfully express opinions on something as important and financially impactful as league expansion!

[Boomers Fandom @boomersfandom]

There’s a lot of disconnect between NBL Team Owners & the NBL itself.

Here’s why - and a comparison to the NBA structure:

1️⃣ League Ownership:

NBA - Each team owns/controls 1/30th of the league. This means the Lakers own 1/30th, the Spurs own 1/30th, etc. There are no private or central owners.

NBL - Larry Kestelman owns 94% of the league. 6% are owned by minority investors. NBL teams / owners do not own any of the league.

2️⃣ Revenue Splits:

NBA - 85% of central revenue is split & given to the teams.

NBL - Only 24.5% of central revenue is given to the teams.

3️⃣ The Effects:

✅ What’s in the best interest of the NBA is in the best interest of NBA Team Owners

❌ What’s in the best interest of the NBL is NOT always in the best interest of NBL Team Owners

NBA - Decisions, league changes, expansion considerations, etc. are driven by what’s in the best interest of teams owners.

NBL - Decisions, league changes, expansion considerations, etc. are driven by what’s in the best interest of league owners.

4️⃣ Other Leagues

Here are a list of leagues for comparison. It is clear that among comparable professional sports leagues, the NBL is one of the weakest for team owner control.

EuroLeague: Shareholder clubs own and control 100% of the league company.

AFL: Clubs own 100% of the AFL company (via member-elected Commission).

•NRL: Clubs own 0% of the league entity (independent Commission model), but central distributions to clubs are much higher.

B.League (Japan): Clubs own 0% equity in the central league; licensed franchise model with high local revenue retention but limited central sharing/control.

CBA (China): Government-influenced central body holds dominant control; clubs have only minority collective stakes with very limited governance power.

5️⃣ Pros & Cons (As Fans)

Now the question - what should fans want? In all honesty, I’m not really sure…

The NBL has grown tremendously & has become a much better spectacle - to a degree, that’s evidence the system is working.

On the flip side, the NBL has been riddled with folding teams through the years. Ensuring teams are profitable is important for stability & also allows teams to chase better worldwide talent.

——

I’ve tried making this post as accurate as possible, but please comment below if there are any errors - sorry 😄😁

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

Amen, Mark, I don't support it, either!.... Expansion at this time is a terrible thing to consider. Clubs aren't in a position to financially sustain themselves, as the existing model is broken and that first needs to be addressed before doing anything else. If the only way a club can POSSIBLY scrape a few bucks together is by making a deep finals run, then that's a problem and things will eventually crumble if they continue as they have...... Fans, players and the entire basketball community in Australia deserve better than this. It's not right.

[Mark Arena @WildcatsMark]

I don’t support expansion until 7 out of the 10 teams in the NBL are profitable without having to rely on finals revenue. Long term sustainability is very important for all clubs and the long term success of the league. This is an issue for all clubs and ultimately impacts fans through higher ticket prices in order to help reduce financial losses.

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

Release the full report, this is getting ridiculous and is unfair to many.

Transparency has been lacking for years, this is a critical time and the ONLY reason not to share the COMPLETE report is if there is something to hide or if certain parties are fighting to surpress the full truth in order to spin a false narrative.

Owners, players, fans, and other key stakeholders deserve better.

[The Age Sport @theagesport]

Donald Trump’s billionaire ambassador Jared Novelly reignites Australian basketball feud with NBL owner Larry Kestelman @Pierik_AgeSport https://t.co/JQoOCLPDt2

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

@NBL @WildcatsMark is correct.... Paid for by the clubs!

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

Make sure to clarify.... The NBL isn’t paying ANYTHING to the players, rather as is the case with the vast majority of ALL THE FUNDING of the NBL, it is actually the owners of the Clubs who will have to pay the bills and the players . . . even though the Clubs have no authority in salary negotiations.

NBL agrees, Club Owners Pay!!

[Olgun Uluc @OlgunUluc]

More reporting in my story: 5 teams went over the salary cap last NBL season, sources told ESPN, while the other 5 remained under. The league has a soft cap, so five teams paid a luxury tax.

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

Love this squad and the team!

[Pleb @NBLPleb]

League is cooked.

#NBL #NBL27

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

While confidentiality limits what can be said about that process, we can point to FIBA recently disbanding both the British Basketball League and taking over the British Basketball Federation for improprieties that happened within those organizations. 🤔

[Julian O'Brien @Julian_OBrien]

If there is "nothing to see here" why the new for a project establishing new governance standards??? That seems a little odd to me ... #NBL26

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

If everything is so hunky dory, then release the report!..... Transparency, transparency, transparency!

[Olgun Uluc @OlgunUluc]

NEWS: Basketball Australia has completed its investigation into NBL owner and Executive Director Larry Kestelman.

The investigation found that there was “no credible evidence provided in the complaint to establish a disciplinary or code of conduct breach by Mr Kestelman and that there was no evidence that the NBL or the Clubs had been disadvantaged because of conduct alleged in the complaint”.

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

Perth's owner, Mark Arena, is correct....though some folks are saying clubs have received proceeds, SEM is in the camp as Mark. We have yet to see a dime of any proceeds from this deal..... The lack of transparency continues 🤦🏾‍♂️

[Julian O'Brien @Julian_OBrien]

Well, well, well ... 👀 #NBL26
Worth a read ...
https://t.co/VMw2gjTyG7

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

While that was a tough loss, credit to @Adelaide36ers they played great and they earned it. While we were on the wrong side of this one, our guys played their hearts out and I love how everyone stuck together thru all the outside off-court noise and issues going on this past year.

Most of all, thanks to ALL the fans, supporters, the staff, players, and coaches @SEMelbPhoenix. Another year of getting to know some of you a little more and I have nothing but love for everyone in the Phoenix family and in our community, too!

It was fun going back and forth with the sh*t talk with some folks on this platform.....I'll be back for more of it next year 😂😂

We will continue working to get better and better and we'll be back! Go Phoenix! 💪🏾💪🏾💙

[South East Melbourne Phoenix @SEMelbPhoenix]

Thank you Phoenix Family for all your support this season. 💚

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

@Meilingday @Julian_OBrien 😂😂😂😂

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

Love havin Gus with us, he's a good dude and been a great player, too, thank you @GloverAngus10 for continuing to roll with us, bro!

[NBL @NBL]

Angus Glover is set to sign a two-year contract extension with the South East Melbourne Phoenix, ESPN's Olgun Uluc reports.

Read more: https://t.co/kSMSEldtre

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

WHAT - A - COMEBACK!!

Way to lock in and keep your composure, gutsy win..... Will be with you guys in spirit for game 3! 🔥🔥🙌🏾

[South East Melbourne Phoenix @SEMelbPhoenix]

WE’RE GOING TO GAME 3! 🙌🔥

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

@WildcatsMark 😂😂😂😂

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

@PandemicPetey Thanks for the kind words, man, it's motivational... We have other great owners in the ecosystem, too, so I really appreciate your sentiment 🙏🏾💙

[Romie Chaudhari @RRome44]

I don't hate being an owner, I hate how there are a few bad apples in our ecosystem (nothing to do with the players, etc) who have a distorted moral compass. It's disrespectful to the game and to those who actually do operate ethically and morally. Some will know what I'm talking about....I'm not the only owner who feels this way, I'm just one of the few who will actually say it.

BUT, I love all of my staff, that's my Phoenix fam.

I love ALL the players in our ecosystem, I've said it before, including the ones people think I am taking a dig at. It's a game, not personal.

I love our fans, supporters, and sponsors. Built some great relationships over the years that I will forever cherish.

AND, I love this game.

Ain't nobody crying over here, trust me 😂

[Killerbees @oldmanyells32]

@RRome44 You seem to hate being an owner in this league, shame because the rest of your staff are great people