Bendigo Spirit to celebrate Indigenous cultures in opening game

The Spirit will wear an Indigenous uniform designed by Dja Dja Wurrung artist Daikota Nelson and will change their name to Yaram Yaram, which will be displayed across the front of the Indigenous jerseys.

"The inspiration for the work was trying to represent a journey and growth, but also acknowledging the ups and downs within the journey of basketball is, you can't win every single game or someone might hurt themselves along the way," Daikota said.

"Acknowledging that there's a journey and a team and people coming together in that collaboration and celebrating, but there's also the other side to it that isn't so pretty."

The WNBL and NBL have joined forces to launch their Indigenous Rounds, unified by a passion to leverage the power of basketball to acknowledge and respect Australia's First Nations people.

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The WNBL's Indigenous Round aims to embrace First Nations culture and heritage, to foster inclusive participation and to engage communities.

Indigenous Round will bring players, teams, and fans together in a series of community engagement initiatives, with players from the league visiting Indigenous communities, schools, and cultural centres to share experiences, foster dialogue, and strengthen connections.

Head of WNBL Christy Collier-Hill said the outreach will extend the positive impact of basketball into the hearts of local communities.

"WNBL Indigenous round is significant in so many ways, and working for the first time with the NBL to launch our respective rounds sets a powerful example for sports organisations worldwide. It demonstrates that the heart of sport lies in the celebration of diversity, the forging of connections, and the power of shared experiences."

The Bendigo Spirit-Townsville Fire clash starts at 5pm at Red Energy Arena on Saturday.

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