2025 NBL1 season

Last updated

2025 NBL1 season
2025 NBL1 National Finals logo.png
League NBL1
Sport Basketball
Duration29 March – 23 August (Conference seasons)
29–31 August (NBL1 National Finals)
National Finals
ChampionsM: Canberra Gunners
W: Knox Raiders
  Runners-upM: Geraldton Buccaneers
W: Cockburn Cougars
Grand Final MVPM: William Mayfield (Canberra Gunners)
W: Paige Bradley (Knox Raiders)
NBL1 seasons
2026 →

The 2025 NBL1 season was the sixth season of the NBL1. The season consisted of five conferences: South, North, Central, West and East.

Contents

The fourth annual National Finals was held in Canberra, with the East's Canberra Gunners men and South's Knox Raiders women crowned the NBL1 National champions.

Conference seasons

The season began on 29 March for the Central, [1] East [2] and South Conferences, [3] [4] 4 April for the West Conference, [5] and 1 May for the North Conference. [6] [7] All conference finals were concluded by 23 August. [8] [9]

South

The women's minor premiers were Geelong United with a 22–0 record while the men's minor premiers were the Knox Raiders with a 17–5 record. [10] Due to a power outage in the opening game of the season at Harcourts Stadium in Ulverstone, the North-West Tasmania Thunder and Hobart Chargers men's teams finished the season with 21 games played instead of the 22 scheduled games. [11] [12] Jaz Shelley of Geelong United was named women's MVP while Tom Wilson of the Melbourne Tigers was named men's MVP. [13]

The top-eight finals took place over four rounds across four weekends. [14] [15] The women's grand final saw the Knox Raiders defeat Geelong United 84–64 [16] while the men's grand final saw the Sandringham Sabres defeat the Melbourne Tigers 99–80. [17] Paige Bradley of the Knox Raiders was named women's grand final MVP [16] while Tom Koppens of the Sandringham Sabres was named men's grand final MVP. [17]

North

The women's minor premiers were the Southern Districts Spartans with a 13–1 record while the men's minor premiers were the Gold Coast Rollers with a 9–5 record. [10] Unique Thompson of the Mackay Meteorettes was named women's MVP while Lamar Patterson of the Ipswich Force was named men's MVP. [18]

The top-six finals took place over three rounds across three weekends. [14] [15] The women's grand final series saw the Logan Thunder defeat the Southern Districts Spartans 2–1, with the Spartans winning 87–69 in game one and the Thunder winning 89–60 in game two and 78–76 in game three, [19] [20] [21] while the men's grand final series saw the Southern Districts Spartans defeat the Brisbane Capitals 2–0, with 90–78 in game one and 93–88 in game two. [19] [20] Leah Scott of the Logan Thunder was named women's grand final MVP [21] while Tamuri Wigness of the Southern Districts Spartans was named men's grand final MVP. [20]

Central

The women's minor premiers were the Forestville Eagles with a 15–3 record while the men's minor premiers were also the Forestville Eagles with a 16–2 record. [10] Olivia Levicki of the West Adelaide Bearcats was named women's MVP while Keanu Rasmussen also of the West Adelaide Bearcats was named men's MVP. [22]

The top-five finals took place over four rounds across four weekends. [14] [15] The women's grand final saw the Woodville Warriors defeat the Sturt Sabres 73–65 [23] while the men's grand final saw the West Adelaide Bearcats defeat the Central Districts Lions 83–73. [24] Laura Erikstrup of the Woodville Warriors was named women's grand final MVP [23] while Cameron Huefner of the West Adelaide Bearcats was named men's grand final MVP. [24] [25]

West

The women's minor premiers were the Cockburn Cougars with a 20–0 record while the men's minor premiers were the Rockingham Flames with a 19–3 record. [10] Teige Morrell of the Lakeside Lightning was named women's MVP [26] while Isaac White of the Rockingham Flames was named men's MVP. [27] [28]

The top-eight finals took place over four rounds across three weekends. [14] [15] The women's grand final saw the Cockburn Cougars defeat the Warwick Senators 91–71 [29] [30] while the men's grand final saw the Geraldton Buccaneers defeat the Warwick Senators 81–78. [31] [32] [33] Ruby Porter of the Cockburn Cougars was named women's grand final MVP [29] [34] while Johny Narkle of the Geraldton Buccaneers was named men's grand final MVP. [29] [35]

East

The women's minor premiers were the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles with an 18–2 record while the men's minor premiers were the Illawarra Hawks with an 15–5 record. [10] Nicole Munger of the Newcastle Falcons was named women's MVP while Todd Blanchfield of the Illawarra Hawks was named men's MVP. [36] [37] [38] [39]

The top-eight finals took place over four rounds across four weekends. [14] [15] The women's grand final saw the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles defeat the BA Centre of Excellence 89–61 [40] [41] while the men's grand final saw the Canberra Gunners defeat the Illawarra Hawks 99–91. [42] Taylor Wurtz of the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles was named women's grand final MVP [40] while Derek Emelifeonwu of the Canberra Gunners was named men's grand final MVP. [42]

Champions summary

Women

ConferenceChampionResultRunner-up
South Knox Raiders 84 – 64 Geelong United
North Logan Thunder 2 – 1
(69–87, 89–60, 78–76)		 Southern Districts Spartans
Central Woodville Warriors 73 – 65 Sturt Sabres
West Cockburn Cougars 91 – 71 Warwick Senators
East Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 89 – 61 BA Centre of Excellence

Men

ConferenceChampionResultRunner-up
South Sandringham Sabres 99 – 80 Melbourne Tigers
North Southern Districts Spartans 2 – 0
(90–78, 93–88)		 Brisbane Capitals
Central West Adelaide Bearcats 83 – 73 Central Districts Lions
West Geraldton Buccaneers 81 – 78 Warwick Senators
East Canberra Gunners 99 – 91 Illawarra Hawks

National Finals

The 2025 NBL1 National Finals took place at Southern Cross Stadium in Canberra from Friday 29 August to Sunday 31 August. [43] [44] The National Finals coincided with the NBL Blitz preseason tournament, which also took place in Canberra at AIS Arena. [45] [46] [47]

The 2024 defending champions, the Waverley Falcons women and the Knox Raiders men, earned automatic qualification into the 2025 NBL1 National Finals. Joining them in the tournament were the 2025 champions from each of the five conferences. [43] Due to being unable to field a team for the National Finals, the Knox Raiders men were replaced by the minor premiers of the hosting conference, the NBL1 East's Illawarra Hawks. [48] [49]

Following the conclusion of the 10 Conference Grand Finals, the six women's and men's teams were seeded and the day one match-ups were set. [50] [51] [52] The day one fixtures were announced on 25 August. [53] The day two fixture announcement saw two semi finals for both men and women, plus one consolation game in each. [54]

In the Championship Games, the East's Canberra Gunners men and South's Knox Raiders women were crowned the NBL1 National champions. [55] [56] [57]

Day One – Friday

Women

  • Seed #3 vs Seed #4
29 August 2025
11:30 am
Logan Thunder 85, Waverley Falcons 81 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 19–25, 12–21, 20–16, 22–11,  Overtime:12–8
Pts: Leah Scott 27
Rebs: Leah Scott 12
Asts: Mikaela Cann 7		Pts: Katelyn Shumate 22
Rebs: Sophia Locandro 8
Asts: Millicent McCarthy 11
  • Seed #2 vs Seed #5
29 August 2025
12:00 pm
Knox Raiders 70, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 42
Scoring by quarter:20–7, 19–7, 21–10, 10–18
Pts: Kristy Wallace 15
Rebs: Emma-Nnopu, Young 11 each
Asts: Paige Bradley 6		Pts: Taylor Wurtz 12
Rebs: Josie Bulman 10
Asts: Alex Delaney 6
  • Seed #1 vs Seed #6
29 August 2025
1:30 pm
Cockburn Cougars 132, Woodville Warriors 85
Scoring by quarter:34–19, 35–21, 34–25, 29–20
Pts: Ruby Porter 34
Rebs: Jessie Edwards 14
Asts: Williams, Mortensen 5 each		Pts: Naomi Allotey 26
Rebs: Naomi Allotey 19
Asts: Jasmin Fejo 7

Men

  • Seed #3 vs Seed #4
29 August 2025
2:00 pm
Canberra Gunners 99, Sandringham Sabres 98
Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 29–27, 23–26, 25–21
Pts: William Mayfield 22
Rebs: Glenn Morison 10
Asts: Mayfield, Morison 4 each		Pts: Elliott Brown 28
Rebs: David Barlow 9
Asts: Elliott Brown 7
  • Seed #1 vs Seed #6
29 August 2025
3:30 pm
Geraldton Buccaneers 96, West Adelaide Bearcats 71
Scoring by quarter:27–15, 19–21, 23–18, 27–17
Pts: Johny Narkle 29
Rebs: Mathew Wundenberg 7
Asts: Verle Williams 16		Pts: Carter Truslove 18
Rebs: Deng, Truslove 5 each
Asts: Hamish Staude 5
  • Seed #2 vs Seed #5
29 August 2025
4:00 pm
Illawarra Hawks 86, Southern Districts Spartans 95
Scoring by quarter: 25–26, 29–27, 11–20, 21–22
Pts: Kobe McDowell-White 22
Rebs: Kyle Leslie 10
Asts: Kobe McDowell-White 13		Pts: Tamuri Wigness 33
Rebs: Blake Jones 14
Asts: Darcy Ryder 5

Day Two – Saturday

Women

  • Consolation Game
30 August 2025
11:30 am
Woodville Warriors 64, Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 108
Scoring by quarter: 15–25, 13–29, 18–26, 18–28
Pts: Jasmin Fejo 29
Rebs: Naomi Allotey 8
Asts: Fejo, Perkas 4 each		Pts: Sari Mowbray 18
Rebs: Kimberley Dickinson 10
Asts: Chloe Dix 6
  • Semi Final 2
30 August 2025
12:00 pm
Knox Raiders 62, Waverley Falcons 52
Scoring by quarter: 7–18, 19–8, 18–19, 18–7
Pts: Alicia Froling 20
Rebs: Alicia Froling 13
Asts: Paige Bradley 8		Pts: Shumate, McCarthy 14 each
Rebs: Renae Mokrzycki 12
Asts: Batsch, McCarthy 3 each
  • Semi Final 1
30 August 2025
2:00 pm
Cockburn Cougars 89, Logan Thunder 60
Scoring by quarter:28–14, 23–20, 17–18, 21–8
Pts: Jessie Edwards 27
Rebs: Jessie Edwards 11
Asts: Jewel Williams 13		Pts: Leah Scott 16
Rebs: Leah Scott 15
Asts: Mikaela Cann 5

Men

  • Semi Final 1
30 August 2025
1:30 pm
Geraldton Buccaneers 92, Sandringham Sabres 84
Scoring by quarter: 24–29, 17–13, 22–23, 29–19
Pts: Akeem Springs 30
Rebs: Mathew Wundenberg 12
Asts: Johny Narkle 8		Pts: Malith Machar 29
Rebs: Tom Koppens 12
Asts: Elliott Brown 6
  • Consolation Game
30 August 2025
3:30 pm
Illawarra Hawks 106, West Adelaide Bearcats 97
Scoring by quarter:26–21, 29–26, 26–16, 25–34
Pts: Christian Maran 21
Rebs: Christian Maran 14
Asts: Lachlan Dent 11		Pts: Sean Stock 21
Rebs: Tassell, Truslove 7 each
Asts: Hamish Staude 6
  • Semi Final 2
30 August 2025
4:00 pm
Southern Districts Spartans 83, Canberra Gunners 113
Scoring by quarter:27–23, 15–30, 23–31, 18–29
Pts: Tamuri Wigness 33
Rebs: Tamuri Wigness 9
Asts: Tamuri Wigness 9		Pts: Glenn Morison 25
Rebs: Glenn Morison 6
Asts: William Mayfield 9

Day Three – Sunday

Championship Games

Women
Rosters
Game summary
31 August 2025
11:00 am
Knox Raiders 93, Cockburn Cougars 72
Scoring by quarter: 20–24, 26–18, 25–13, 22–17
Pts: Paige Bradley 15
Rebs: Agnes Emma-Nnopu 13
Asts: Paige Bradley 9		Pts: Jessie Edwards 28
Rebs: Jessie Edwards 14
Asts: Jewel Williams 8
Knox wins NBL1 National Championship
Men
Rosters
Game summary
31 August 2025
1:30 pm
Geraldton Buccaneers 67, Canberra Gunners 86
Scoring by quarter: 20–27, 15–26, 18–18, 14–15
Pts: Verle Williams 13
Rebs: Johny Narkle 9
Asts: Johny Narkle 5		Pts: William Mayfield 21
Rebs: William Mayfield 14
Asts: Emelifeonwu, Wardlow 4 each
Canberra wins NBL1 National Championship

All-Star Five

Women

Men

References

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  2. ↑ "NBL1 East fixture announced". nbl1.com.au. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  3. ↑ "NBL1 South fixture released". nbl1.com.au. 9 December 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  4. ↑ "NBL1 South 2025 Fixture Guide". nbl1.com.au. 23 March 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  5. ↑ "2025 NBL1 West fixture announced". nbl1.com.au. 7 December 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  6. ↑ "NBL1 North 2025 fixture revealed". nbl1.com.au. 11 December 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  7. ↑ "NBL players in NBL1: Season Preview". nbl.com.au. 28 March 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
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  13. ↑ "Stars Shine Bright at the NBL1 South 2025 Awards Night". nbl1.com.au. 15 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 "Grand Final time in NBL1 West! Check out your updated West finals brackets, plus a look at the journey which led us to the eight champions crowned over the weekend". facebook.com/NBL1. 19 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 "Finals". nbl1.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
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  17. 1 2 Pike, Chris (16 August 2025). "South Recap | Men's Grand Final 2025". nbl1.com.au. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  18. ↑ "2025 NBL1 North Awards". australiabasket.com. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
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  29. 1 2 3 Pike, Chris (23 August 2025). "West Recap | Women's Grand Final 2025". nbl1.com.au. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
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  32. ↑ "Johny be good! Narkle leads Buccs to championship | Basketball.com.au". www.basketball.com.au. 24 August 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
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  37. ↑ "NBL1 East announces All-Star Fives for 2025". nbl1.com.au. 30 July 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
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  39. ↑ "2025 NBL1 East Grand Final Program" (PDF). bnsw.com.au. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  40. 1 2 Pike, Chris (16 August 2025). "East Recap | Women's Grand Final 2025". nbl1.com.au. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  41. ↑ Badkin, Liam (19 August 2025). "Miller magnificent as Sea Eagles snatch title". Basketball Rookie Me Central. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
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  46. ↑ Randall, Michael (27 August 2025). "NBL1 National Finals: A look at the players from every national finals club on the cusp of NBL and WNBL dreams". codesports.com.au. Archived from the original on 27 August 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
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  49. ↑ Hickey, Matt (21 August 2025). "Your Ultimate 2025 NBL1 National Finals Preview" . pickandroll.com.au. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  50. ↑ "With all 10 Grand Finals now complete, the teams have been seeded and the field is set for the 2025 Mitsubishi Motors NBL1 National Finals in Canberra!". facebook.com/NBL1. 23 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
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  52. ↑ Brown, Peter (24 August 2025). "Five champs stand in way of 'Cole's World' (again) | Basketball.com.au". www.basketball.com.au. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  53. ↑ "All 6 game times are locked in for Friday in what is going to be a jam-packed day of action at the Mitsubishi Motors NBL1 National Finals in Canberra!". facebook.com/NBL1. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
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