Adelaide's electric opener a 'special moment' for club

Sunday's home-opener for the Adelaide Lightning is a 'moment' that no one will forget anytime soon.

Despite falling just short of a courageous comeback against Perth, the South Australian State Basketball Centre was rocking, with 1,964 fans in attendance, marking the biggest home attendance since the 2019 grand final.

Upon reflecting on the amazing event, Lightning chief executive Melanie MacGillivray said she was full of 'excitement and emotion' about how far the club had come over the past few months.

“This [event] is a real celebration of the Adelaide Lightning history over the past 30 years, as this special moment was so important in the rebrand of the brand,” MacGillivray said to CODE Sports.

Among that capacity crowd were close to 100 Lightning legends, including Rachael Sporn.

"Many of them have been here since the very beginning and they’ve seen a lot of the ups and downs, so it was actually really important for us to make sure the past players felt a part of this," MacGillivray said.

The Lightning now travel to Geelong for a Round 2 clash with the Venom, before returning home in Round 3 for Indigenous Round fixture with the UC Capitals.

And with the crowd precedent now being set, MacGillivray stated her club would 'do everything in their power to ensure that their home arena is filled for these players every single game, because that’s what they deserve.'

Saturday's game with Geelong tips off at 3pm AEDT, live on ESPN and 9Now, with tickets still available here.

Read the full story here >> Reborn Adelaide Lightning ‘bullish’ as sellout crowd, past greats witness late heartbreak at dawn of new era in WNBL, SA sport