Perth Wildcats Are the Winners of the Cancelled NBL Grand Final Series

And Bryce Cotton has been named MVP.

After taking their sweet time 48 hours to come to a decision, the NBL has named the Perth Wildcats the winners of the cancelled Grand Final series.

The series was brought to an early end by the Sydney Kings on Tuesday, when the team decided they would not travel to Perth for the fourth game of the five-game series due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Wildcats issued a statement soon after, with CEO Troy Georgiu saying, "Words can't express how disappointed we are as a club."

"The League put forward a range of options to complete this series ahead of the scheduled dates. This included reducing the Grand Final to a three-game series, or playing Game Four on Wednesday instead of Friday. Chartered flights were also discussed. It’s our understanding the Kings turned down these options."

At the point of cancellation, Perth led two games to one.

The NBL initially said they would need two days to decide if the Wildcats would take the trophy. The other option on the table was for there to be no winner named.

NBL Owner and Executive Chairman Larry Kestelman said at a solemn press conference today, "This was done with a very clear understanding that of course the final decision will always rest with the NBL and the rules governing the league."

NBL commissioner Jeremy Loeliger then confirmed that the Wildcats were this year's champions, and that Bryce Cotton would be awarded the Larry Sengstock Medal for the Grand Final MVP (based on the voting tally from the end of each played game).

"We have taken extensive advice on this matter from the NBL Board of Directors, members of our Advisory Board, FIBA and our external legal advisers K&L Gates and I thank all of them for the benefit of their insight and perspective," he explained.

"Having considered all of that advice, we have concluded that there is only one outcome that is most appropriate in the circumstances of the League having made the decision to cancel games 4 and 5 of the Finals Series.

"We feel that the rules set out in the NBL Operations Manual are clear in this regard. In this instance, games 4 and 5 were cancelled by the League due to unforeseen circumstances pursuant to Rule 34 of the NBL Operations Manual. Consequently, the Champions of the Hungry Jack’s 2019/20 NBL Season are the Perth Wildcats."

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Perth Wildcats Are One of the World’s Winningest Teams, So Why Are They Always the Underdog?

Later in the press conference, Kestelman admitted there would always be an asterisk next to this season.

However, that shouldn't dull the excitement of Wildcats fans, celebrating their team's 10th overall championship, especially as rumours circulate that team captain Damian Martin may have played his final game on Sunday. He is now out of contract and awaiting a meeting with an independent Achilles specialist to see if his body can sustain another season.

Here is footage of the team finding out they were victors, with Cotton demonstrating a concerning lack of social distancing whole lot of enthusiasm at the result.

Read our pre-finals interview with Bryce Cotton and Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson here.

Header Image: Paul Kane via Getty Images