National Basketball League (New Zealand)

The National Basketball League (NBL) is a men's semi-professional basketball league in New Zealand.

National Basketball League (NBL)
Current season, competition or edition:
2020 New Zealand NBL season
SportBasketball
Founded1981
Inaugural season1982
CEOIain Potter
DirectorJustin Nelson (general manager)
No. of teams7
Countries New Zealand
ContinentFIBA Oceania (Oceania)
Most recent
champion(s)		Otago Nuggets (1st title)
Most titlesWellington Saints (11 titles)
TV partner(s)Sky Sport
Level on pyramid1
Official websiteNZNBL.Basketball

In 1981, a group of club and provincial teams came together to create a men's national basketball league. The following year, the league was brought under the management of the New Zealand Basketball Federation. The league quickly grew in size and popularity due to the influx of sponsors and American import players. The early 1990s held dwindling fortunes for New Zealand basketball, with reduced TV coverage, sponsorships, and crowd numbers. The sport's popularity increased in the 2000s with the success of the Tall Blacks and the introduction of the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL.

In the early days, Auckland, Canterbury and Wellington were the benchmark teams of the league. During the 1990s, Auckland and Nelson were the teams to beat, before Waikato joined Auckland as the dominant sides during the 2000s. During the 2010s, Wellington and Southland became the league's premier teams.

History

The 1980s ushered in a period of exceptional growth and popularity for basketball in New Zealand. Late in 1981, six men's teams – a mixture of club and provincial representative sides – went out alone and created an inaugural national league. It was enough of a success to come under the control of the New Zealand Basketball Federation the following year, when it grew in size and secured a naming sponsor. An allowance of two imported players (invariably Americans with college basketball experience) per team, and the fact that games were played in the evening indoors, helped turn the league into a new family entertainment option. Spectators filled gymnasiums and media coverage reached unprecedented levels.[1] The early 1990s held dwindling fortunes for New Zealand basketball and many teams in the NBL, with reduced TV coverage, sponsorships, and crowd numbers.[2] With the success of the Tall Blacks at the 2002 FIBA World Championship and the introduction of the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL in 2003, basketball in New Zealand rose in popularity again.[1]

The number of teams each season has constantly changed since the league's inception, with many promotions and relegations between the first division and second division during the 1980s and 1990s, as well as many withdrawals due to financial reasons. The league began with 8 teams in 1982, then peaked at 13 teams in 1995, before dropping to a low of 7 in 2016. In 2019, the Southern Huskies from Tasmania became the first ever Australian team to join a New Zealand competition. The league returned to 7 teams in 2020 following a revised small-scale format due to the coronavirus pandemic.[3]

Current teams
See also: List of current New Zealand NBL team rosters
Team City Region Arena Capacity Colours Debut Head Coach
Official 2020 season teams
Auckland Huskies Auckland Auckland Region TBD –                2019 Kevin Braswell
Canterbury Rams Christchurch Canterbury Cowles Stadium 2,300[4]           1982 Mick Downer
Franklin Bulls Pukekohe Auckland Region Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre 1,100           2020 Liam Simmons
Manawatu Jets Palmerston North Manawatū-Whanganui Central Energy Trust Arena 2,000                1982 Tim McTamney
Nelson Giants Nelson Nelson Trafalgar Centre 2,460           1982 Michael Fitchett
Otago Nuggets Dunedin Otago Edgar Centre 2,880                1990 Brent Matehaere
Taranaki Mountainairs New Plymouth Taranaki TSB Stadium 4,560           1985 Doug Courtney
Teams who decided not to compete in the modified 2020 season
Hawke's Bay Hawks Napier Hawke's Bay Pettigrew Green Arena 2,500                1983 Adam Forde
Southland Sharks Invercargill Southland Stadium Southland 4,019                2010 Rob Beveridge
Wellington Saints Wellington Wellington Region TSB Bank Arena 4,002           1983 Zico Coronel
Location of teams within New Zealand

Former and defunct teams

League eligibility rules

There are two categories of players in the NZNBL:

  • Non-Restricted Player – players eligible to play for New Zealand in FIBA competitions
  • Restricted Player – a player who is not eligible to play for New Zealand[8]

Basketball New Zealand believes that the NZNBL is very much a part of the player pathway for New Zealand players, where Tall Blacks and potential Tall Blacks can play and develop as players. For that reason, it is intended that NZNBL teams have a majority of players that are able to represent New Zealand.[9]

Broadcasting details

In March 2016, Basketball New Zealand, the NZNBL, and New Zealand Media and Entertainment (NZME) announced that two weekly NBL games will be livestreamed free of charge on NZHerald.co.nz throughout the 2016 season.[10] In December 2016, NZME joined forces with Basketball New Zealand and Maori Television in a new media partnership for the 2017 season. NZME announced they would continue to build on the success of the 2016 live streaming in 2017 with at least two games a week to be livestreamed on NZHerald.co.nz, as well as all games during the Final Four weekend. In addition, Maori Television televised free to air live coverage of a NBL game every Sunday at 3 pm, and provided live coverage of the Final Four weekend. Maori Television also showed delayed coverage of a second game every week on a Saturday afternoon during the season.[11]

In November 2019, the league announced that in 2020 all 75 games would be broadcast by Sky Sport, marking the first time in the league's four-decade history that every game would be made available to viewers across the nation.[12]

In June 2020, the league secured a deal to broadcast live in the United States through ESPN.[13]

Honours

List of Champions
Main article: List of New Zealand NBL champions
Team Titles Runners-up Total Year(s) won Year(s) lost
Wellington Saints118191984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 20191983, 1986, 1991, 2001, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2018
Auckland Stars94131982, 1983, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2004, 20051984, 1985, 1989, 2006
Canterbury Rams4481986, 1989, 1990, 19921987, 1993, 1994, 1999
Waikato Pistons4262001, 2002, 2008, 20092003, 2010
Nelson Giants38111994, 1998, 20071990, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2013
Southland Sharks3142013, 2015, 20182017
Hutt Valley Lakers2021991, 1993
Hawke's Bay Hawks16720061995, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2019
Auckland Pirates1012012
Otago Nuggets1012020
Harbour Heat0221988, 1998
Manawatu Jets0221992, 2020
Waitemata Dolphins0111982
Super City Rangers0112016

Awards
Main article: List of National Basketball League (New Zealand) awards
Current
Past
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See also

References
  1. Saker, John (5 September 2013). "Basketball". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  2. "Locations – Exodus Saints". Wotzon.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013.
  3. "AUCKLAND TO HOST 2020 SAL'S NBL, TIPPING OFF 23 JUNE". nznbl.basketball. 19 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  4. Cowles Stadium – Christchurch City Council
  5. Pirates out of 2013 NBL
  6. Waikato Pistons out of 2012 national league
  7. Waikato Pistons pull out of NBL competition
  8. NZ NBL AGREE TO THE RETURN OF MANAWATU JETS IN 2018
  9. NZ NBL MEDIA STATEMENT: THE RULING OF JOSHUA DUINKER’S ELIGIBILITY AND PLAYING STATUS IN THE NZ NBL
  10. THE NEW ZEALAND NBL TO BE BROADCAST LIVE AND FREE ON NZHERALD.CO.NZ
  11. Basketball: NZ Herald to live stream NZ NBL in 2017
  12. SKY TO BROADCAST EVERY SAL'S NBL GAME IN 2020
  13. "NZNBL: New Zealand National Basketball League". NZNBL. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
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