National Basketball League (Australia)
| Founded | 1979 |
|---|---|
| First season | 1979 |
| Country | Australia (9 teams) |
| Other club(s) from | New Zealand (1 team) |
| Confederation | FIBA Oceania (Oceania) |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Domestic cup(s) | NBL Cup |
| Current champions | Melbourne United (2020–21, 6th title) |
| Most championships | Perth Wildcats (10 titles) |
| Commissioner | Jeremy Loeliger |
| President | Larry Kestelman |
| TV partners | Australia:
|
| Website | NBL.com.au |
The National Basketball League is a basketball competition in Australasia. It's current sponsor is Hungry Jack's, so it is also known as the Hungry Jack's NBL Championship. It is the top-level basketball competition in Australasia. The Singapore Slingers once played in this league, meaning it is the first Australasian sporting league ever to have a team from Asia. The league started in 1979, and its most successful time is during the 1980s and 1990s. However, it started to struggle in the 20th century. At the start of the 2004/05 season the league had a deal with Fox Sports of Australia. On September 18, 2007, the National Basketball League had Hummer as their sponsor. one HD started broadcasting in 2010, the first time a game has been on TV for eight years.
Clubs
Current clubs
| Club | Location | Arena | Capacity | Head Coach | Titles | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide 36ers | Adelaide | Adelaide Entertainment Centre | 11,300 | Scott Ninnis | 4 | 1982 |
| Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane | Nissan Arena | 5,000 | Justin Schueller | 3 | 1979 |
| Cairns Taipans | Cairns | Cairns Convention Centre | 5,300 | Adam Forde | 0 | 1999 |
| Illawarra Hawks | Wollongong | Wollongong Entertainment Centre | 6,000 | Justin Tatum | 1 | 1979 |
| Melbourne United | Melbourne | John Cain Arena | 10,175 | Dean Vickerman | 6 | 1984 |
| New Zealand Breakers | Auckland | Spark Arena | 9,740 | Mody Maor | 4 | 2003 |
| Perth Wildcats | Perth | Perth Arena | 15,500 | John Rillie | 10 | 1982 |
| S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | Melbourne | John Cain Arena | 10,175 | Mike Kelly | 0 | 2018 |
| Sydney Kings | Sydney | Sydney SuperDome | 18,200 | Mahmoud Abdelfattah | 5 | 1988 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | Hobart | MyState Bank Arena | 4,340 | Scott Roth | 0 | 2020 |
Former clubs
| Club | Location | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Canberra Cannons | Canberra | 1979–2003 |
| Devonport Warriors | Devonport | 1983–1984 |
| Eastside Spectres | Nunawading | 1979–1991 |
| Forestville Eagles[1] | Wayville | 1980–1981 |
| Frankston Bears | Frankston | 1983–1984 |
| Geelong Supercats | Geelong | 1982–1996 |
| Glenelg Tigers | Glenelg | 1979 |
| Gold Coast Blaze | Gold Coast | 2007–2012 |
| Gold Coast Rollers | Gold Coast | 1990–1996 |
| Hobart Devils | Hobart | 1983–1996 |
| Hunter Pirates | Newcastle | 2003–2006 |
| Launceston Casino City | Launceston | 1980–1982 |
| Newcastle Falcons | Newcastle | 1979–1999 |
| North Melbourne Giants | North Melbourne | 1980–1998 |
| Singapore Slingers | Singapore | 2006–2008 |
| South Dragons | Melbourne | 2006–2009 |
| S.E. Melbourne Magic | Melbourne | 1992–1998 |
| Southern Melbourne Saints | Melbourne | 1979–1991 |
| Sydney Supersonics | Sydney | 1979–1987 |
| Townsville Crocodiles[2] | Townsville | 1993–2016 |
| Victoria Titans | Melbourne | 1998–2004 |
| West Adelaide Bearcats | Adelaide | 1979–1984 |
| West Sydney Razorbacks | Western Sydney | 1998–2009 |
| West Sydney Westars | Bankstown | 1979–1987 |
Sponsors
Naming rights
- 1979 to 1987: none
- 1988 to 1991: Hungry Jack's
- 1992 to 2001–02: Mitsubishi[3]
- 2002–03 to 2003–04: none
- 2004–05 to 2006–07: Philips[4]
- 2007–08: Hummer[5]
- 2008–09 to 2009–10: none
- 2010–11 to 2012–13: iiNet
- 2013–14 to 2016–17: none
- 2017–18 to present: Hungry Jack's[6]
Broadcasting
Since 1995, the league has had a broadcasting deal for paid programming with Fox Sports of Australia. For free TV, they were first sponsored by ABC from 1979 to 1987. Then they were sponsored by Seven Network for three years, and then from Network Ten from 1992 to 1997. From 1998 to 2001, they were again sponsored by ABC. The league did not have free TV for almost a decade, until in 2010 when Network Ten HD started broadcasting. This contract ended in 2015. The current broadcasting rights are owned by SBS.
NBLxNBA
The NBLxNBA is an annual series involving clubs from the NBL and the National Basketball Association (NBA) of the United States. The series started in 2017 for each league's 2017–18 season, and each season includes between three and seven games. The games have previously always been held in the US and Canada, and are normally held during September and early October.
References
- ↑ "After 40 years, Eagles return to the nest and celebrate a milestone in SA basketball history".
- ↑ "Townsville Crocodiles withdraw from the NBL". Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- ↑ "NBL lines up a new naming-rights sponsor". The Age. 16 July 2003. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ↑ "NBL signs naming rights sponsor". www.abc.net.au. 2004-09-08. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- ↑ Howell, Stephen (2007-09-19). "New sponsor gives NBL a rev-up". The Age. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- ↑ Ward, Roy (2017-10-04). "NBL sign new naming-rights sponsor as season tips off". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2020-06-16.