Perth Wildcats import Dylan Windler has told the club he doesn’t want to miss any games on their upcoming stretch of away games despite his wife being just weeks away from giving birth to their first child.

Windler and wife Lauren arrived in Perth knowing they would become parents during the basketball season. But the NBL fixture presented them with an extra challenge.

RAC Arena is unavailable for Wildcats games between the middle of December and the middle of January and that coincides with Lauren’s due date.

Perth will play away games against Cairns on December 14, Illawarra on December 22, Adelaide on December 28, New Zealand on January 5, Tasmania on January 12 and then they are in Brisbane on January 15.

The couple have organised for Lauren to be induced so they will have a bundle of joy for Christmas and still allow Dylan to play.

“The plan is to fly home straight after the Illawarra game and I’ll probably head to the hospital. Then she’ll go in that night and hopefully deliver the baby the next day,” Windler told The West Australian’s The Dribble Podcast.

“Hopefully the 23rd. It could be the 24th. We’re trying to fit it around the schedule. Management have been great and said ‘don’t worry about it if you have to miss a game, we completely understand.’

“But the competitor in me – we only have 30 games versus 82 in the NBA where it might be OK to miss a couple.

“Obviously I want to be there for the birth and I will make sure that I am. But if there’s a way we can avoid me missing a game, that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Windler’s availability has become even more important after import Kristian Doolittle was ruled out for up to three weeks with a groin injury. Doolittle injured his groin early in Friday night’s home loss to Illawarra.

The Windlers have had to be comfortable with moving recently given Dylan started his NBA career with Cleveland Cavaliers, then moved to New York Knicks for the start of the last NBA season before changing to both the LA Lakers and Atlanta Hawks within months.

Lauren’s parents will land in Perth on Christmas Day to provide support until RAC Arena re-opens for basketball.

Dylan said his career wouldn’t have been the same without Lauren’s sacrifices..

“It speaks testament to her,” Windler said.

“She’s always super flexible and always willing to go with the flow. She’s very easy going. It makes it easy for me when she’s willing to follow me around and deliver a baby in Australia.

“Never in a million years would I have guessed I’d be having my first child in Perth.”