Cairns Taipans coach Adam Forde has hailed the club’s NBLxNBA series as a “huge opportunity” for players and the entire community.

The Taipans will make their first venture to the NBA in October, when they battle the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors in the NBA pre-season.

Cairns has players on the NBA radar, including Next Star Bobi Klintman and Aussie youngster Taran Armstrong, with Forde saying it is a time for them to shine.

“We’ve got guys who are on potential draft boards so it’s a great opportunity for them ... we have guys who have huge ambitions of wanting to play on an NBA stage, and we have guys that are at a different stage of their careers,” Forde said via The Cairns Post.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBLxNBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBLxNBA</a> is back ?<br><br>The <a href="https://twitter.com/NZBreakers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NZBreakers</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/CairnsTaipans?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CairnsTaipans</a> are crossing the Pacific as part of their <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL24?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL24</a> pre-season preparations ?<br><br>Read more: <a href="https://t.co/5BnXHX8Dw8">https://t.co/5BnXHX8Dw8</a> <a href="https://t.co/dbvyO4eGnf">pic.twitter.com/dbvyO4eGnf</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1697036835938304000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 31, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Along with the chance for individuals to stand out on the NBA stage, Forde is looking forward to showcasing the region of Cairns to the world.

“Collectively as a team and for the community of Cairns, what a great opportunity to take a team which represents the city so well,” he said.

The Taipans battle the Wizards on October 11 and the Raptors on October 16.