Sunday's National Basketball League clash between the Illawarra Hawks and the Sydney Kings will double as a major fundraiser for the Salvation Army Bush Fire Appeal.
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Patrons attending the clash are urged to donate a gold coin as they enter the stadium to one of the Salvation Army collectors in attendance.
All of the money raised will going direct to victims of the devastating NSW and Queensland bush fires.
It's hoped the game will raise significant funds for the Salvation Army Appeal launched last weekend, especially as an almost sellout crowd of 17,000 is expected to attend the event.
Sydney Kings owner/chairman and Illawarra businessman Paul Smith said this was a terrific opportunity for New South Wales basketball fans to come together for a common cause.
"It was a good opportunity to be a good corporate citizen in the community," Mr Smith said.
"Some of the other codes are out of season so it's important basketball steps up to play a role when we have an opportunity.
"We'll be asking people to contribute a gold coin to the Salvation Army who will be there.
"There will be some other corporate support on the day and a donation channel on the big screen which people can use to donate too."
The game is on track to set a new record for a regular season attendance at an NBL game, fueled largely by the appearance of young American Hawks' superstar LaMelo Ball.
Mr Smith said he hoped it would help grow the rivalry between the two NSW NBL clubs to the benefit of both clubs.
"For us, it's a statement about the popularity of basketball and a statement about the appeal of the game globally," he said.
"No doubt LaMelo is driving interest, but importantly this is setting the platform for us with the Hawks to create something extraordinary.
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"Hopefully we can get a full house in the Illawarra for our games too and we, the Kings, will do whatever we can to support the Hawks."
The highest ever regular season attendance for a single NBL game in Sydney is 12,050, while the biggest ever crowd for a standalone NBL game in Sydney is 14,569 (both set last season against Melbourne United).
The biggest crowd for a single NBL game is 15,336 between the Melbourne Tigers and South East Melbourne Magic at Rod Laver Arena in 1996.
You can donate to The Salvation Army Bushfire Disaster Appeal via salvationarmy.org.au, call 13 SALVOS (13 72 58) or donate at any Woolworths checkout.
