'The entertainment is incredible': Australian NBA fans make playoff pilgrimage trip
Australian fans Sam Bond, Oscar Bond and Lachlan Campbell attended the Sixers-Nets playoff game on April 22.
It’s the sort of trip you make once – or maybe thrice – in a lifetime.
Lachlan Campbell, 50, Sam Bond, 49, and Oscar Bond, 11, all natives of Australia, flew to the United States in late April, spurred by the love of the game and the possibilities of travel to attend eight Playoff games all across the country.
They caught up with NBA.com at the Sixers-Nets game on April 22 and discussed their epic trip.
“Why would you not do it? We love the NBA. We love watching it – we’re just general basketball supporters,” said Campbell. “It’s good fun. It’s good fun.”
Their journey began in Denver on April 16, continuing through Sacramento, Phoenix, Memphis, Manhattan, Brooklyn and Atlanta. They then split off for one more playoff game, with Sam and Oscar headed to Cleveland and Lachlan to San Francisco, before flying home.
The planning was intense, Campbell said. The Playoff schedule came out on April 13. He and Sam went back and forth on the following day, sitting down with a map and a spreadsheet to plot their course across the country.
“It’s quite a bit of planning to get a good route of, not only good teams, but doable games,” said Campbell.
It was a labor of love for Sam, a lawyer in his professional life, and Lachlan, a virtual CFO.
Lachlan said he became a fan of the game in 1989, falling in love with Joe Dumars and the Bad Boys Pistons. Sam grew up playing basketball, including at the club level, and enjoyed trying to get his hands on NBA videotapes.
They took a similar trip to the United States together six years ago to watch a few games. This time, post-pandemic, the idea of doing it again came up over coffee. It seemed right – they were pleased to bring Oscar, Sam’s son, and get a new perspective on the experience.
“The next generation,” Sam said. “The next generation.”
The trip is long – a 13-16 hour trip, both ways – but worth it, Lachlan and Sam said.
They recommended that other hardcore fans take a similar trip, in whatever fashion makes financial sense for them.
“Experience the city, experience the game, experience the fans,” Sam said. “It’s a once in a lifetime – well, twice in a lifetime – experience. I couldn’t recommend it highly enough.”
Lachlan said he and his wife had honeymooned in New York in 2011 and, at the last moment, had decided to grab some Celtics tickets. They enjoyed the passion of the fans as well as the game, he said.
“Go to a game if you have the opportunity, spend a little bit of money, go to see a game to see these guys in person, see the show these teams put on. The entertainment is incredible,” he said.
Lachlan wore a Patty Mills jersey to the Nets game – “an Australian icon,” he noted.
The group also shouted out Australian superstars Joe Ingles, Josh Giddey, Andrew Bogut and Andrew Gaze, who averaged 30.9 points over 21 Australian Basketball League seasons and played 26 NBA games for the Washington Bullets and San Antonio Spurs.
In a few more years, Lachlan said they might make another trip – he’d like to bring his wife and daughter next time.
After returning home, he reflected on his journey, writing to NBA.com about the virtues of his trip halfway around the world.
“It is a big investment, in terms of money, effort and time, but completely worth it,” he said. “It’s worth the challenge of doing it, like a marathon, but also to see some of the greatest athletes and entertainment in the world in a sport we love and play. We are very fortunate to be able to do it and life is about taking advantage of these opportunities.”
