Basketball On The Internet.

THE NBL today, faced with a largely no-win situation regarding its vacant championship, showed astounding grace, dignity and a quality of leadership sadly absent in so many walks of life as the world confronts the unprecedented challenge of COVID-19.

It's not often I am personally delighted by authorities, governments or leadership nowadays when there is so much cowardice and inactivity created by fear of upsetting someone or stepping on toes.

Where are the Gough Whitlams, Malcolm Frasers, Bob Hawkes, Paul Keatings, Don Dunstans, John Howards, Jeff Kennetts these days?

Love them or hate them, they stood for something. These days, all our politicians stand for is re-election.

We have a coronavirus ravaging the world, the like of which hasn't been seen for more than a century, and dithering leaders unable or unwilling to hand over the decision-making to the scientists and medicos, the experts who could negotiate us through this crisis in the most effective manner.

No-one is winning in the situation our world finds itself in.

Today, the NBL and its chairman/owner Larry Kestelman and its Commissioner - "To the Batpoles Robin!" - Jeremy Loeliger completed 48 hours of all due considerations and declared Perth Wildcats the League's 2019-20 champion, Bryce Cotton the championship MVP.

I'm completely on board with that considered decision, my reasons explained here previously.

Yes, Kings fans will revolt and hate the final call but generally, any person without a vested interest in the outcome would have to agree, based on all the facts as presented.

Is it ideal?

Of course not. Far from it.

But faced with a difficult decision, Messrs Kestelman and Loeliger stared down the would-be critics, naysayers and middle-grounders with a ballsy call and one with the very best interests of a maturing league at heart.

For the Wildcats, it becomes title No.10 and continues an amazing storied journey, inspired back in 1987 by an Adelaide 36ers club which it once drew level with on four championships.

That the Wildcats now have 10 and the 36ers still four, says everything about the consistency and continued competence of the organisation out west, arguably the most successful elite-level sporting club in Australian sports history.

But at a time when the world is on shaky ground, today's stand by Kestelman and Loeliger made me proud of my sport and its leadership.

Damned if it doesn't give me great hope for our future.