The National Basketball League (NBL) is a men's professional basketball league in Oceania; currently composed of 9 teams, 8 in Australia and 1 in New Zealand. It is the premier professional men's basketball league in Australia and New Zealand.
The Brisbane Bullets are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL) based in Brisbane, Queensland. They competed from 1979 to 2008, and returned to the league in 2016. Brisbane were one of ten NBL foundation teams and have won three NBL championships, being successful in the 1985 and 1987 seasons, and again in 2007. They also competed in the 1984, 1986 and 1990 grand finals. The team reached the playoffs 21 times in their illustrious 30-year history.
The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in the state's capital of Adelaide. The club was originally called the Adelaide City Eagles when they joined the NBL in 1982, but changed their name to the 36ers the following year. The 36ers nickname comes from the fact that the Colony of South Australia was officially proclaimed on 28 December 1836. Since 2019, the 36ers play their home games at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
Mark Davis is an American-Australian former professional basketball player. He most notably played in the National Basketball League for the Adelaide 36ers between 1985 and 2001, gaining the nickname of "The Chairman of the Boards" for his record-breaking rebounding achievements.
Calvin Bruton is an American-Australian former professional basketball player and coach. He has been an integral part of the National Basketball League (NBL) since its inception. Bruton won an NBL championship with the Brisbane Bullets in 1985, was a two-time member of the All-NBL First Team while playing for the Geelong Supercats and was named NBL Coach of the Year while he was a player-coach for the Supercats in 1982. He also won a second NBL championship while coaching the Perth Wildcats in 1990. As a result, Bruton became one of the first inductees into the NBL Hall of Fame when it opened in 1998.
Leroy Loggins is an Australian / American retired professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball League from 1981 until 2001. Loggins, originally from the United States, is a naturalised Australian citizen and is widely considered to be the best import to ever play in the NBL and behind only Australian basketball legend Andrew Gaze as the league's best ever player.
Paul Rees is a former Australian professional basketball player who played his entire career in the Australian National Basketball League. Rees was known for his presence under the basket and while not blessed with a great jumping ability he was able to use his physical size to his advantage and was considered to be a strong rebounder.
Al Green is a retired American-Australian professional basketball player who played his career in the Australian National Basketball League from 1981 until his retirement in at the end of 1993. Green obtained Australian citizenship in 1984.
Michael George McKay is a retired Australian professional basketball player who played most of his career with the Adelaide 36ers in the National Basketball League (NBL), winning the 1986 championship with the team. He also played for the West Adelaide Bearcats, Brisbane Bullets, Canberra Cannons, Wollongong Hawks and was a frequent member of the Australian boomers during the late 1980s and early 1990s, including being part of the national team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
The 1984 NBL season was the fifth season of the National Basketball League (NBL). With the Melbourne Tigers joining the competition, the league's number of teams increased to 17, with nine teams in the Eastern Division and eight teams in the Western Division. The regular season began on 3 February and ended on 17 June. The finals began on 22 June with the divisional finals before concluding on 1 July with the NBL Grand Final.
The 1985 NBL season was the seventh season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 14 teams contested the league.
The 1986 NBL season was the eighth season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 14 teams contested the league.
The 1986 NBL Finals was the championship series of the 1986 season of Australia's National Basketball League (NBL) and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Adelaide 36ers defeated the Brisbane Bullets in three games (2-1) for the first NBL championship.
Darryl "The Iceman" Pearce is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL) for the Adelaide 36ers from 1982–1991 before playing four seasons (1992–1995) with the North Melbourne Giants. A 6'3" (191 cm) Shooting guard, Pearce is regarded as one of the best ever Three-point field goal shooters in NBL history having shot at 41.9% from beyond the arc during his 374-game career.
The 2016–17 NBL season was the 39th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2016 and February 2017, followed by a post-season featuring the top four in late February and March 2017.
William Lawrence Jones is an American former professional basketball player. He played the majority of his professional career in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL) from 1985 until 1992.
The 1986 NBL season was the 5th season for the Adelaide 36ers in the Australian-based National Basketball League. The club won its first NBL Championship after defeating the Brisbane Bullets 2–1 in the NBL's first ever multiple game Grand Final series. In 1985, the 36ers just missed out on their first NBL championship when they had gone down 121–95 to the Brian Kerle coached, Leroy Loggins inspired Brisbane Bullets in the Grand Final that had been played on the Bullets home court, the Sleeman Sports Centre.
Scott Ninnis is an Australian former professional basketball player and coach who played most of his career with the Adelaide 36ers in the National Basketball League (NBL). He won three NBL championships during his career: 1986 and 1998 with the 36ers and 1992 with the South East Melbourne Magic. Ninnis also represented the Australian national basketball team during his career. He coached the Adelaide 36ers for two years and was an assistant coach with the club when they won the 1998–99 and 2001–02 NBL championships.
The 2017–18 NBL season was the 40th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2017 and February 2018, followed by a post-season featuring the top four in March 2018.
The 2018–19 NBL season was the 41st season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams have contested the league. The regular season had been played between October 2018 and February 2019, followed by a post-season featuring the top four in March 2019.
