For the NBL, Indigenous Round comes around once a year. For Hawks guard Biwali Bayles, it's something he's conscious of every time he steps on the floor, or anywhere else for that matter.
For the Redfern-raised 21-year-old, who has the suburb's postcode tatted on his arm, there's not a moment in which he's not representing his community and his people. It's certainly not a jersey he slips on and off.
"For me, every round is Indigenous Round," Bayles said ahead of Friday's clash with the Kings.
"I wear being Aboriginal every single day, whether I'm walking to the shop, whether I'm walking around my block. I wear it through the good and the bad, through the struggles and everything else.
"Obviously I'm very grateful for the NBL putting Indigenous Round on and getting local artists involved and getting their names out there, getting tickets to more mob to come to games and spreading basketball throughout communities like Redfern that have high Indigenous populations.
"It's a good thing, but it's not like it's just one round where I'm so grateful to step out for Indigenous Round. I wear this every day.
"Every time I step out on the court I'm representing my mob, I'm representing my family, I'm representing my people."
It's a responsibility he takes seriously, with the sport of basketball becoming a more appealing avenue for young Indigenous kids inspired by the likes of Bayles and fellow Redfern-raised Hawk Will 'Davo' Hickey.
"I notice that my little brothers and their friends, this new generation coming through, it's a lot more basketball compared to when I was growing up," Bayles said.
"Davo and I come from Redfern and we grew up playing footy before basketball. We obviously have a lot of footy players that Aboriginal kids look up to, but these kids can look at us kind of doing something different.
"Me and Davo coming through as those leaders now, we need to do a better job making sure these kids, if they're choosing basketball, footy, whatever it is, they make the right decisions and stick with it.
"These kids can see that and think 'hold up, there's people that have come from here doing well' and that gives them the confidence to think 'if they've done it, why can't I?"
Having once lagged behind other codes, the NBL's now arguably at the forefront when it comes to Indigenous recognition, with initiatives like is Reconciliation Action Plan and Indigenous Player Rule that provides financial incentives and salary cap exemptions to encourage clubs to recruit Indigenous talent.
This year's Indigenous Round, tipping off on Thursday, will again showcase the work of Aboriginal artists on each club's playing strip, with the Hawks jersey designed by designed by artist and Gundungurra woman Aunty Trish Levett.
"I'm probably biased but I think our jerseys are the toughest, for sure," Bayles said.
"All the artists for every team do a great job every year telling their stories and incorporating pieces from their mob in the jerseys, but think Illawarra always has the toughest ones."
On the floor, the Hawks will be looking to get one back on arch-rivals Sydney on Friday after falling to the Kings in Wollongong in the season-opener.
For Bayles, it's another opportunity to come up against his former club, the 2022 championship-winner happy to play whatever role coach Jacob Jackomas requires of him.
"I knew what [the opportunity] was coming in here and, regardless of whether I'm going out and playing zero minutes, or I'm going out playing 20 minutes, I'm going keep it a hundred [per cent] all the time," Bayles said.
"If I'm on the bench, I'm trying to be the best version of myself on the bench for the team, if I come in and I only play my little two minutes, I'm going to go hard.
"It doesn't change the way I prepare for anything. I'm still going be me regardless and just try and be the best version of myself so hopefully we can win games."
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Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
