National Basketball League Australia
 Logo NBL |
|
| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1979 |
| Commissioner | Larry Sengstock |
| Claim to fame | "The pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in the Southern Hemisphere" |
| Inaugural season | 1979 |
| No. of teams | 9 |
| Country(ies) |  Australia (8 teams) New Zealand (1 team) |
| Continent | FIBA Oceania (Oceania) |
| Most recent champion(s) | Perth Wildcats (5th title) |
| Most titles | Perth Wildcats (5 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | Channel Ten (Australia) Sky Television (New Zealand) One HD (Australia) rivusTV (internet) |
| Official website | www.NBL.com.au |
The National Basketball League, often abbreviated to the NBL, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia.
There are currently 9 teams in the league, with teams in Adelaide, Cairns, the Gold Coast, Melbourne, North Shore (New Zealand), Perth, Sydney, Townsville and Wollongong. It has been announced that Sydney Kings will be re-entering the competition at the start of the 2010-11 season. This comes after a turbulent period, when the league lost teams from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane during 2008 and 2009. A second Melbourne club, the South Dragons, entered the league in season 2006/07, but pulled out after season 2008/09 in which they were premiers. The National Basketball League has also become the first Australasian sporting league to field a team from Asia with the Singapore Slingers playing in the 2006/07, through to the 2007/08 season. The Gold Coast Blaze joined the competition in the 2007/08 season.
Most teams have historically featured at least one and usually two American imports; teams are limited to having two non-Australasians on the roster at any one time. Some of these players have moved to Australia permanently and become Australian citizens; a few have even played for the Australian national team (under a rule that allowed one naturalised player to compete for a national team). One former American NBL player, Arne Duncan (of the Eastside Spectres, 1987-'91), went on to be named United States Secretary of Education by Barack Obama. Duncan met his future wife in Tasmania whilst playing for the Spectres.
The league's best years were arguably in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but it has struggled recently and many teams have downsized to smaller venues to cut costs. A number of clubs have folded or ceased to compete in the competition. The previous major sponsor of the NBL was Mitsubishi Motors. Mitsubishi, which left its sponsorship when the ABC ceased televising NBL basketball games left the National Basketball League close to folding.
Contents |
History
The league commenced in 1979, playing a winter season (April–September) and did so until the completion of the 20th season in 1998. The 1998/99 season, which commenced only months later, was the first season after the shift to the current summer season format (October–April). This shift was an attempt to avoid competing directly against Australia's various football codes.
Despite these issues, at the start of the 2004/05 season the league struck a new television deal with Fox Sports in Australia and a multi-year naming-rights sponsorship deal with electronics manufacturer Philips. In 2007, Philips announced they would not continuing their naming rights sponsorship after the current contract ends in June in response to the National Basketball League wishing to increase the sponsorship deal.[1] On September 18, 2007, the National Basketball League announced Hummer as their naming rights sponsor for the 2007/08 season.[2]
Current clubs
| Club | Founded | Years Active | City | Home Venue | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide 36ers | 1982 | 1982- | Adelaide, South Australia | Distinctive Homes Dome | 7,800 |
| Cairns Taipans | 1999 | 1999- | Cairns, Queensland | Cairns Convention Centre | 5,300 |
| Gold Coast Blaze | 2007 | 2007- | Gold Coast, Queensland | Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre | 5,269 |
| Melbourne Tigers | 1984 | 1984- | Melbourne, Victoria | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 3,500 |
| New Zealand Breakers | 2003 | 2003- | North Shore, Auckland Supercity | North Shore Events Centre | 4,500 |
| Perth Wildcats | 1982 | 1982- | Perth, Western Australia | Challenge Stadium | 4,500 |
| Sydney Kings | 1988 | 1988–2008, 2010- | Sydney, New South Wales | Sydney Entertainment Centre | 10 500 |
| Townsville Crocodiles | 1986 | 1986- | Townsville, Queensland | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 5,257 |
| Wollongong Hawks | 1979 | 1979- | Wollongong, New South Wales | WIN Entertainment Centre | 6,000 |
Former and defunct clubs
Selection. See List of defunct National Basketball League (Australia) teams for a more in depth list
- Brisbane Bullets (1979–2008)
- Canberra Cannons (1979–2003)
- Geelong Supercats (1982–1996)
- Glenelg Tigers (1979)
- Gold Coast Rollers / Gold Coast Cougers (1990–1996)
- Hobart Devils (1983–1996)
- Hunter Pirates (2003–2006)
- Launceston Casino City (1980–1982)
- Newcastle Falcons (1979–1999)
- North Melbourne Giants / Coburg Giants (1987–1998)
- Singapore Slingers (2006–2008)
- South Dragons (2006–2009)
- South East Melbourne Magic / St. Kilda Saints / Nunawading Spectres / Eastside Spectres (1992–1998)
- Victoria Titans (1998–2002)
- West Adelaide Bearcats (1979–1984)
- Sydney Spirit / West Sydney Razorbacks (1998–2009)
Administration
Salary cap
The NBL's salary cap for the 2006-07 season was AU$776,000, and increased to $810,000 for the 2007-08 season; the cap rose for two consecutive years due to the continued growth of the league.[3] The salary cap for the 2009-10 season is $1,000,000.[4]
Broadcasting Details
The 2010/11 NBL season will see 2 games per week shown on Channel Ten and One HD. This deal runs up until the end of the 2014/15 season, with 5 games a week to be shown in the last season of the deal.
In addition to television coverage, some teams, including the Adelaide 36ers, Gold Coast Blaze, Perth Wildcats [1] and Townsville Crocodiles are, beginning in the 2009/10 season, offering Live Streaming of all home games online for a $5 pay per view fee. The Perth Wildcats games are streamed through media partner LMSCTV.com for free [2].
Some clubs also have live broadcasts on local radio stations, most of which are available to listen to online. [3]
Hall of Fame
The National Basketball League celebrated 20 seasons of competition in 1998. As part of the celebrations, the NBL initiated the Hall of Fame to recognise the outstanding players, coaches, referees and contributors to the league.
In order to be eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame, candidates must have fulfilled the following criteria:
- Players must have made an outstanding contribution to the NBL, have been retired for a minimum of four seasons, and have played 100 NBL games or more.
- Coaches must have made an outstanding contribution to the NBL, have been retired for at least four seasons, and have been an NBL head coach for 10 seasons or more.
- Referees must have made an outstanding contribution to the league and have been retired for at least four seasons.
- Contributors must have made an outstanding contribution to the NBL, and may be elected at any time.
Inductees are listed in alphabetical order.
| Name | Award | Inducted |
|---|---|---|
| Barry Barnes | Coach | 1998 |
| Ray Borner | Player | 2006 |
| Cal Bruton | Player | 1998 |
| Steve Carfino | Player | 2004 |
| Wayne Carroll | Player | 1999 |
| Eddie Crouch | Referee | 2007 |
| Ian Davies | Player | 2001 |
| Mark Davis | Player | 2006 |
| Scott Fisher | Player | 2007 |
| Al Green | Player | 1999 |
| Michael Johnson | Player | 2004 |
| Damian Keogh | Player | 2000 |
| Brian Kerle | Coach | 2006 |
| Leroy Loggins | Player | 2006 |
| Herb McEachin | Player | 1998 |
| Danny Morseu | Player | 2002 |
| Bill Palmer | Contributor | 1998 |
| Darryl Pearce | Player | 2002 |
| John Raschke | Contributor | 1998 |
| Larry Sengstock | Player | 2001 |
| Phil Smyth | Player | 2000 |
| Malcolm Speed | Contributor | 2000 |
| Bob Turner | Coach | 2000 |
| Andrew Vlahov | Player | 2007 |
List of Champions
| Team | W | Season | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perth Wildcats | 5 | 1990, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2010 | |
| Adelaide 36ers | 4 | 1986, 1998, 1999, 2002 | |
| Melbourne Tigers | 4 | 1993, 1997, 2006, 2008 | |
| Canberra Cannons | 3 | 1983, 1984, 1988 | Became Hunter Pirates in 2003 |
| Sydney Kings | 3 | 2003, 2004, 2005 | Temporary cessation between mid 2008 and early 2010. |
| Brisbane Bullets | 3 | 1985, 1987, 2007 | Team withdrew June 2008 |
| St Kilda Saints | 2 | 1979, 1980 | Became Westside Saints in 1987 |
| North Melbourne Giants | 2 | 1989, 1994 | Merged to form Victoria Titans in 1998 |
| South East Melbourne Magic | 2 | 1992, 1996 | Merged to form Victoria Titans in 1998 |
| Launceston Casino City | 1 | 1981 | Team folded in 1983 |
| West Adelaide Bearcats | 1 | 1982 | Left NBL in 1984, now in ABA |
| Wollongong Hawks | 1 | 2001 | |
| South Dragons | 1 | 2009 | Team quit the NBL after 2009 season |
Teams in bold are current members of the NBL.
NBL Finals
| Season | Champion | Result | Runners-Up | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | St Kilda Saints | 94 – 93 | Canberra Cannons | Single game final used |
| 1980 | St Kilda Saints | 113 – 88 | West Adelaide Bearcats | |
| 1981 | Launceston Casino City | 75 – 54 | Nunawading Spectres | |
| 1982 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 80 – 74 | Geelong Cats | |
| 1983 | Canberra Cannons | 75 – 73 | West Adelaide Bearcats | |
| 1984 | Canberra Cannons | 84 – 82 | Brisbane Bullets | |
| 1985 | Brisbane Bullets | 121 – 95 | Adelaide 36ers | |
| 1986 | Adelaide 36ers | 2 - 1 | Brisbane Bullets | Best of three games finals series first used. |
| 1987 | Brisbane Bullets | 2 - 0 | Perth Wildcats | |
| 1988 | Canberra Cannons | 2 - 1 | North Melbourne Giants | |
| 1989 | North Melbourne Giants | 2 - 1 | Canberra Cannons | |
| 1990 | Perth Wildcats | 2 - 1 | Brisbane Bullets | |
| 1991 | Perth Wildcats | 2 - 1 | Eastside Melbourne Spectres | |
| 1992 | South East Melbourne Magic | 2 - 1 | Melbourne Tigers | |
| 1993 | Melbourne Tigers | 2 - 1 | Perth Wildcats | |
| 1994 | North Melbourne Giants | 2 - 0 | Adelaide 36ers | |
| 1995 | Perth Wildcats | 2 - 1 | North Melbourne Giants | |
| 1996 | South East Melbourne Magic | 2 - 1 | Melbourne Tigers | |
| 1997 | Melbourne Tigers | 2 - 1 | South East Melbourne Magic | |
| 1998 | Adelaide 36ers | 2 - 0 | South East Melbourne Magic | |
| 1998-99 | Adelaide 36ers | 2 - 1 | Victoria Titans | |
| 1999-00 | Perth Wildcats | 2 - 0 | Victoria Titans | |
| 2000-01 | Wollongong Hawks | 2 - 1 | Townsville Crocodiles | |
| 2001-02 | Adelaide 36ers | 2 - 1 | West Sydney Razorbacks | |
| 2002-03 | Sydney Kings | 2 - 0 | Perth Wildcats | |
| 2003-04 | Sydney Kings | 3 - 2 | West Sydney Razorbacks | Best of five games finals series first used. |
| 2004-05 | Sydney Kings | 3 - 0 | Wollongong Hawks | |
| 2005-06 | Melbourne Tigers | 3 - 0 | Sydney Kings | |
| 2006-07 | Brisbane Bullets | 3 - 1 | Melbourne Tigers | |
| 2007-08 | Melbourne Tigers | 3 - 2 | Sydney Kings | Marked last game of the Sydney Kings before licence was revoked. |
| 2008-09 | South Dragons | 3 - 2 | Melbourne Tigers | Marked last game of the NBL before the competition was revamped.
Game 5 was the last game for South Dragons before they quit the league. |
| 2009-10 | Perth Wildcats | 2 - 1 | Wollongong Hawks | Best of three game series used. |
Rivalries
Adelaide 36ers vs Perth Wildcats
Both teams were perennial championship contenders in the late 1980s and early 90s and had several marquee players with excellent matchups, the two most notable involving the imports: Al Green (Adelaide) vs Cal Bruton (Perth), Mark Davis (Adelaide) vs James Crawford (Perth). Games during this era were rarely blowouts and helped to fuel the rivalry. Ironically, the two teams have never played each other in the final series. As the mainstay players began to slow with age and retire, the intensity of this rivalry has declined. The two clubs remain the most successful in the NBL with four championships for Adelaide and five for Perth and are first and second on the all-time wins list, and have also matched up on more occasions (76, including 20 in the playoffs) than any other two teams in the NBL (as at November 9, 2005).
Wollongong Hawks vs Sydney Kings
Wolongong Hawks fans consider the Sydney Kings to be their most fierce rival. Many Wollongong players have moved to the Kings with two former Rookie of the Year winners and a two time Olympian joining the Kings from Wollongong. In the absence of the Kings, the Sydney Spirit took the role of rival, but this felt fake to some Wollongong faithful. Wollongong took bragging rights after the 2000/2001 season when they became the first team from New South Wales to qualify for the NBL finals, which they won against Townsville. Sydney then took the ascendency when they won three championships in a row, including a clean sweep of the Hawks.
Many Hawks fans were happy when Sydney was kicked out of the NBL, but in truth have missed the biggest rivalry.
Cairns Taipans vs Townsville Crocodiles
A local derby-style rivalry has developed to determine which is the dominant North Queensland team.
Adelaide 36ers vs. Melbourne Tigers
Apart from the normal Victorian and South Australian rivalry, a new rivalry has emerged with Julius Hodge, a former 36er, returning to the NBL in November 2009, signing with the Melbourne Tigers. Hodge was a star in Adelaide when he joined the 36ers mid-season the previous two years, however issues relating to alleged missed payments caused him to walk out on the club in early January 2009 on bad terms.[4]
Hodge returned to his old home court for the first time on 5 December 2009 in a Tigers overtime victory. After being heckled and taunted all night in a quiet game by his standards, Hodge caused more controversy when he stamped on the Brett Maher signature on the centre of the Brett Maher Court following his new club's win.[5]
The NBL in the future
The NBL experienced its golden age in the early to mid-1990s[5], but its popularity, media attention, attendance and corporate support deteriorated and plateaued in the decade afterward. Australian NBA player Andrew Bogut suggested the NBL try to adopt a model similar to the Australian Football League (AFL) whereby there are the same 10 or 15 teams over a 10 year period [6]. Disgruntled Australian basketball enthusiasts have suggested expansion to 16 teams, most importantly locating a team in the city of Darwin [7] making the Singapore road-trip less drawn-out, also Darwin currently does not have the support for a national domestic team of any sort. Since the inception of the Singapore Slingers in 2006, both Asia and Oceania are represented in the National Basketball League, however Asian players are not considered local players unless they are from Singapore and play for the Slingers. The Slingers are no longer part of the NBL.
There has been significant support for the NBL to expand into Asia by many NBL players as well as ex-Australian Boomers head coach Brian Goorjian [8] [9], be it differently to how it was done with the now defunct Singapore Slingers which had a 14 hour round-trip flight to the Australian East Coast [10]. The 2009/10 season is earmarked as the season in which the NBL will begin its revamping, much like the old National Soccer League which became the eight team A-League (later expanding to 10 teams). [11]. The preferred method is to have three more teams in The Asia/Pacific region with locations such as Hong Kong, Manila, Taipei, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and even United States territory Guam being earmarked as possible locations for clubs as well as re-instating the Singapore Slingers licence; although this expansion is not likely to happen for up to five more years. However it is possible the Perth Wildcats and/or a new Darwin franchise may make up the numbers in an Australasian division also [12]. Each of these clubs would then play just one home and one away game against each club not in its region or division and play up to three games against those clubs in its own region or division. A new Brisbane club is expected to replace the old Brisbane Bullets, thereby placing this team in a division of its own with the other three Queensland clubs, the Gold Coast Blaze, Townsville Crocodiles and Cairns Taipans. The Sydney Kings name was purchased for the sum of AU$20,000 on 31 July 2008 adding hope to the club also making a return to the league [13]. Other possible locations for clubs include Hobart, Wellington and even an Australian Institute of Sport team based in Canberra comprising the best Australian players under the age of 22. Canberra has not had an NBL side since the Canberra Cannons which folded in 2003, the success of the AIS team in the Australian Women's National Basketball League underlines the likelihood of such a venture working [14].
With the eventual expansion into Asia is it expected that Australia's significant Asian population would follow the game as well as creating revenue from pay-TV rights throughout Asia. With Basketball booming in Asia with the success in the NBA of Yao Ming as well as Yi Jianlian and Hamed Haddadi, Australia's role as hosting the best league in the region and one of the best in the world is obviously appealing [15]. The new NBL would ideally open the import restrictions to include Asian passport holders as well as Oceania and possibly Southern Hemisphere born players to play as locals creating a wider player base and a better standard of basketball. Strong regional basketball nations such as New Zealand, the Philippines, China, Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela and Uruguay would ideally all have representatives in the new league, which was recently merged with Basketball Australia[16].
Award winners
- 25th Anniversary Team (2003)
- 20th Anniversary Team (1998)
- Most Valuable Player
- Most Valuable Player — Grand Final
- Coach of the Year
- Rookie of the Year
- Most Improved Player
- Best Defensive Player
- Best Sixth Man
- Good Hands Award (defunct)
- Most Efficient Player (defunct)
- All NBL teams
Statistical leaders
- Points per game
- Rebounds per game
- Assists per game
- Steals per game
- Blocks per game
- Field goal %
- Free throw %
All-Star game
The All-Star game is an annual event in the NBL. It was once contested between the East and West but was now contested by the locals (Aussie All-Stars) and imports (World All-Star).
All-Star Games by Season
| Year | Result | (Arena), City | MVP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | North 127, South 122 | (The Glass House), Melbourne, VIC | Leroy Loggins, Brisbane Bullets |
| 1989 | North 141, South 143 | (The Glass House), Melbourne, VIC | Andrew Gaze, Melbourne Tigers |
| 1990 | North 139, World 119 | (Perth Entertainment Centre), Perth, WA | Derek Rucker, Brisbane Bullets |
| 1991 | North 168, South 154 | (The Glass House), Melbourne, VIC | Mark Davis, Adelaide 36ers |
| 1992 | Australia 149, USA Stars 132 | (AIS Arena), Canberra, ACT | Andrew Gaze, Melbourne Tigers |
| 1993 | NBL Stars 124, Australia 119 | (Rod Laver Arena), Melbourne, VIC | Terry Dozier, Newcastle Falcons |
| 1994 | NBL Stars 101, Australia 133 | (Sydney Entertainment Centre), Sydney, NSW | Tony Ronaldson, South East Melbourne Magic |
| 1995 | South Stars 138, North Stars 140 | (Clipsal Powerhouse), Adelaide, SA | Robert Rose (basketball), Adelaide 36ers |
| 1996 | South Stars 132, North Stars 146 | (Melbourne Park), Melbourne, VIC | Darryl McDonald, North Melbourne Giants |
| 1997 | North Stars 151, South Stars 142 | (Sydney Entertainment Centre), Sydney, NSW | Derek Rucker, Brisbane Bullets |
| 2003/04 | West 126, East 129 | (State Netball and Hockey Centre), Melbourne, VIC | Ebi Ere, Sydney Kings |
| 2004/05 | Aussies 156, World 140 | (Townsville Entertainment Centre), Townsville, QLD | Brad Newley, Townsville Crocodiles |
| 2005/06 | Aussies 151, World 116 | (Sydney Entertainment Centre), Sydney, NSW | Darryl McDonald, Melbourne Tigers |
| 2006/07 | Aussies 133, World 136 | (Distinctive Homes Dome), Adelaide, SA | Rashad Tucker, Melbourne Tigers |
| 2007/08 | Aussies 146, World 141 | (State Netball and Hockey Centre), Melbourne, VIC | Nathan Jawai, Cairns Taipans |
See also
- All-time Records
- List of attendance figures at domestic professional sports leagues — the NBL in a worldwide context
- List of National Basketball League (Australia) venues
- Basketball in Australia
References
- ↑ Howell, Stephen (2007). "Sponsorship hike forces out Philips". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/basketball/sponsorship-hike-forces-out-philips/2007/03/17/1174080225077.html. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
- ↑ "Hummer joins NBL as Naming Rights Sponsor". NBL. 2007. http://www.nbl.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=72062. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
- ↑ NBL > News
- ↑ http://www.tigers.com.au/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=78020
- ↑ Morrisey, Tim (2008). "NBL needs to start from scratch if it is to survive". Herald Sun. http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23775098-10914,00.html. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
External links
- Official NBL website
- Basketball Australia
- Aussie BBall
- Australia's basketball magazine
- NBLStats
- FOX Sports Australia Basketball section
- SportsAustralia.com Basketball
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