The National Basketball League (NBL) is a men's semi-professional basketball league in New Zealand.
The Waikato Pistons were a New Zealand basketball team based in Hamilton. The Pistons competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at Hamilton Boys' High School.
Casey Frank is an American-New Zealand former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his 17-year career in the New Zealand NBL and Australian NBL. After playing four years of college basketball for Northern Arizona, Frank arrived in New Zealand in 2002 and remained in the region for the remainder of his career. He won NBL titles in 2004 and 2005 with the Auckland Stars, and in 2010 and 2011 with the Wellington Saints. Frank was named Outstanding Forward and selected to the All-Star Five three times each. He was an import with the New Zealand Breakers in their debut season until he was cut mid-season, and has also played for the Wollongong Hawks and Gold Coast Blaze in Australia. Frank debuted for the Tall Blacks in China in 2005 and gained New Zealand citizenship for inclusion in the 2006 Commonwealth Games silver medal-winning team. He went on to participate in the 2006 and 2010 FIBA World Championships, as well as the 2014 FIBA World Cup. In August 2021, it was announced that he would feature in the 2021 Season of Celebrity Treasure Island 2021.
The 2010 NBL season was the 29th season of the National Basketball League. Foundation member and nine-time NBL champions the Auckland Stars withdrew from the league in 2010, while the Otago Nuggets returned after a one-year absence and the Southland Sharks joined for the first time.
The 2011 NBL season was the 30th season of the National Basketball League. In 2011, the Auckland Pirates debuted in the league but the Christchurch Cougars did not take part due to the effects of the 2011 Canterbury earthquake. The Harbour Heat also did not compete in the 2011 season, leaving the total number of teams at nine.
The 2012 NBL season was the 31st season of the National Basketball League. While the Harbour Heat returned for the 2012 season, the Waikato Pistons dropped out of the league. It marked the first time the league had no Waikato presence since 1983.
The 2009 NBL season was the 28th season of the National Basketball League. Two changes occurred for the 2009 season, with the Christchurch Cougars replacing the Canterbury Rams, and the Otago Nuggets also withdrawing. The Waikato Pistons won the championship in 2009 to claim their fourth league title.
The 2006 NBL season was the 25th season of the National Basketball League. The Hawke's Bay Hawks won the championship in 2006 to claim their first league title.
The 2013 NBL season was the 32nd season of the National Basketball League. The 2013 season saw the withdrawal of the Auckland Pirates and Harbour Heat, but saw the return of the Waikato Pistons after a one-year hiatus as well as the Super City Rangers, who returned to the league for the first time since 1995.
The 2014 NBL season was the 33rd season of the National Basketball League. The Canterbury Rams returned to the league in 2014 after a five-year hiatus.
The 2015 NBL season was the 34th season of the National Basketball League. The season draw was supposed to be released in December 2014, but the withdrawal of Otago and Waikato prompted a rethink for the 2015 competition format. In the past, each team played each other twice in a 10-team competition, meaning each franchise had nine home games. However, with two fewer teams in 2015, it was decided the new format would be played over two and half rounds to keep incomes at a similar rate for the remaining sides. Each team was scheduled to play each other twice and play three of the sides in a third game.
The 2005 NBL season was the 24th season of the National Basketball League. The Auckland Stars won the championship in 2005 to claim their ninth league title.
The 2004 NBL season was the 23rd season of the National Basketball League. The Auckland Stars won the championship in 2004 to claim their eighth league title.
The 2003 NBL season was the 22nd season of the National Basketball League. 2003 marked the first year a league-wide MVP award winner was named, allowing imports the opportunity to be recognised; in all previous seasons, only a Kiwi MVP was named, an award given to the best New Zealand player. Australian import David Cooper of the Manawatu Jets was subsequently awarded the first league MVP. 2003 also marked the return of Taranaki after a three-year hiatus. The Wellington Saints won the championship over the Waikato Titans in overtime, as the Saints claimed their fifth league title.
The 2001 NBL season was the 20th season of the National Basketball League. The Waikato Titans won the championship in 2001 to claim their first league title. The Titans set an NBL record with a 15-game winning streak during the season, a streak that was not broken until the 2015 Southland Sharks squad recorded a 16-game winning streak.
The 1997 NBL season was the 16th season of the National Basketball League. Basketball in New Zealand began to dwindle during the 1990s, with TV coverage reduced, sponsorships scarce, and crowd numbers on the decline. At the end of the 1996 season, with both Wellington and Hutt Valley struggling to survive, the two teams amalgamated for the 1997 season.
The National Basketball League Finals Most Valuable Player is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award currently given to the best performing player over the NBL's annual Final Four weekend. The award has previously been known as Final MVP and Final Four MVP.
Jason Darius Crowe is an American former professional basketball player. He graduated from Cal State Northridge in 1999 and played 13 years as a professional in Europe, South America, Iran, Australia and New Zealand.
The 2017 NBL season was the 36th season of the National Basketball League. For the second year in a row, the league fielded seven teams.
The 2021 NBL season was the 40th season of the National Basketball League.
