The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a men's professional basketball league in North America, composed of 30 teams. It is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, and is widely considered to be the premier men's professional basketball league in the world.
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 Sydney Kings are an Australian men’s professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The Kings were formed from a merger between the West Sydney Westars and the Sydney Supersonics in October 1987. They were the first team to win three consecutive championships in the NBL and currently sit fifth behind the Adelaide 36ers and New Zealand Breakers, Melbourne United (five) and Perth Wildcats (nine) for championships won. The Kings play their home games at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales.
Christopher John Anstey is an Australian former professional basketball player. At 7'1" (215 cm), his career included stints in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Russia and Spain. Anstey was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 1997 NBA draft. He also played for the Melbourne Tigers, South East Melbourne Magic and Victoria Titans in the NBL. He retired at the end of the 2009–10 season while with the Tigers and later became the team's head coach in 2012.
The National Basketball League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award given since the league's inaugural season to the best performing player of the regular season. Throughout the year, coaching staff from each team vote on the best performing players in every game, using a 5-4-3-2-1 system at the completion of each match. The votes are collated and the individual with the most votes at the end of the regular season is awarded the Most Valuable Player. The winner receives the Andrew Gaze Trophy, which is named in honour of Australian basketball legend Andrew Gaze, a seven-time winner of the NBL MVP award.
The National Basketball League Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award given since the 1980 NBL season to the best head coach of the regular season. At the season's end, each club's Head Coach, one Assistant Coach and the Team Captain vote on the Coach of the Year in a 3-2-1 format. Voters are not allowed to vote for the coach of their own team. The winner receives the Lindsay Gaze Trophy, which is named in honour of legendary NBL coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Lindsay Gaze, who guided the Melbourne Tigers to two NBL Championships over a long and celebrated career.
The National Basketball League Rookie of the Year is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award given since the 1983 NBL season to the top rookie of the regular season. For a player to be considered for Rookie of the Year, they must be an unrestricted player who has never previously played professionally in the NBL or any other league. At the season's end, each club nominates one player for the award with the head coach, one assistant coach and the team captain then voting in a 3-2-1 format. Voters are not allowed to vote for players from their own team.
The National Basketball League Best Defensive Player is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award given since the 1980 NBL season to the best defensive player of the regular season. At the season's end, each club nominates one player for the award with the head coach, one assistant coach and the team captain then voting in a 3-2-1 format. Voters are not allowed to vote for players from their own team. Guard Darnell Mee won the award five times between 1999 and 2006, while guard Damian Martin is a six-time winner, having won it five times in a row between 2011 and 2015, before claiming his record-breaking sixth Best Defensive Player title in 2018.
The National Basketball League Most Improved Player is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award given since the 1988 NBL season. The award is designed to honour an up-and-coming player who has made a dramatic improvement from the previous season or seasons. At the season's end, each club nominates one player for the award with the head coach, one assistant coach and the team captain then voting in a 3-2-1 format. Voters are not allowed to vote for players from their own team.
Brian Warwick Goorjian is an American basketball coach. He is the most successful coach in Australian basketball history. In an NBL coaching career spanning over 20 years since his debut with the Eastside Spectres in 1988 Goorjian has won six championships: two with the South East Melbourne Magic, three with the Sydney Kings and one with the South Dragons. With a win ratio of over 70% Goorjian heads Lindsay Gaze as the most winning coach in NBL history and became the second man after Gaze to coach 600 games. Goorjian was also coach the Australian national team, the Boomers, from 2001 to 2008. Goorjian traveled to China after he finished his commitment with the Boomers in 2009. He became the Coach in General of Dongguan Leopards, a growing team in CBA. He led the Leopards Youth Team to win Championship of the Chinese National Youth League in July, 2009, who only ranked in the 9th position in 2008. With a great success, Goorjian is expected to be promoted as the head coach for the senior team in the 2010–2011 CBA Season.
Darryl McDonald is a retired American Australian basketball player who last played for the Melbourne Tigers in the National Basketball League. Nicknamed "D-Mac," he attended Texas A&M University and formerly played with the now defunct NBL teams the North Melbourne Giants, Victoria Titans and Victoria Giants.
The Illawarra Hawks are an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at WIN Entertainment Centre, known colloquially as "The Sandpit". The Hawks are the only remaining NBL team to have competed in every season since the league's inception in 1979. The team won their first and so far only NBL Championship in 2001 and finished as runners-up in 2005, 2010 and 2017.
Glen Saville is an Australian former professional basketball player who played the majority of his career for the Wollongong Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL).
The All-NBL Team is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) honour bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBL season. The team has been selected in every season since the league's second year in 1980.
Damian Patrick Martin is an Australian professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). After four years of college basketball for Loyola Marymount, Martin began his NBL career in 2007 with the West Sydney Razorbacks. In 2009, he made the move to Perth to join the Wildcats, where he went on to become a six-time NBL champion and six-time NBL Best Defensive Player. He is considered one of the NBL's all-time best defenders.
The National Basketball League of Canada is a Canadian professional men's basketball league. The NBL was founded in 2011, when three teams formerly of the Premier Basketball League joined with four new franchises to form the NBL's "Original Seven". The league has changed in size multiple times and currently has eight teams; four located in the Atlantic provinces and four in Ontario. The most recent champions are the Moncton Magic, having defeated the St. John's Edge 4–0 in the 2019 NBL Finals. The league's season begins in November and ends in April of the following year.
Kevin John Lisch is an American-born Australian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Saint Louis University (SLU), where he finished as the sixth-highest scorer in school history. After college, he made a name for himself in the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia. He won an NBL championship and grand final MVP with the Perth Wildcats in his first professional season before winning the league MVP in 2012 and leading the Wildcats to another two grand finals in 2012 and 2013. He returned to the NBL in 2015 after two seasons playing in Europe, joining the Illawarra Hawks and winning his second league MVP. In 2016, he became an Australian citizen and joined the Sydney Kings. That same year, he made his debut for the Australian national team at the Rio Olympics. He also holds an Italian passport thanks to his mother, which allowed him to play as a local in France and Spain between 2013 and 2015. He announced his retirement from basketball in June 2020.
The 2015–16 NBL season was the 38th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between 7 October 2015 and 14 February 2016, followed by a post-season featuring the top four in late February and March 2016.
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.
The 2016–17 NBL Canada season was the sixth season of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC).
