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.
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 NZNBL, 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] In 2022, the league was hailed for reaching competitive balance after years of unbalanced competition, with evenly spread talent and resources across the ten teams.[4]
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[11][12]
Broadcasting details
In 2016 and 2017, the NZNBL began to more freely livestream and broadcast their games.[13][14] In 2020, the league had all 75 games 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.[15] That same year, the league secured a deal to broadcast live in the United States through ESPN.[16]
In 2022, the NZNBL and Sky Sport signed a five-year commercial deal estimated to be worth $7.5 million for the teams.[17]
^ abSaker, John (5 September 2013). "Basketball". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
^. Wotzon.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013.
^"AUCKLAND TO HOST 2020 SAL'S NBL, TIPPING OFF 23 JUNE". nznbl.basketball. 19 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
^Nelson, Justin (3 August 2022). "Taranaki Airs shake up the NBL as they head to playoffs". Stuff.co.nz. from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
^"SAL'S NBL NAMES BAY OF PLENTY STINGRAYS AS FIRST EXPANSION TEAM FOR 2024". nznbl.basketball. 23 December 2021. from the original on 23 December 2021.
^"QUEENSTOWN SET TO JOIN SAL'S NBL IN 2024". nznbl.basketball. 23 February 2022. from the original on 25 February 2022.
^"NZNBL: New Zealand National Basketball League". NZNBL. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
^New Zealand's soaring National Basketball League proving ratings hit for partners
External links
New Zealand NBL official website
New Zealand NBL career points leaders (as of 2009)
Basketball New Zealand Results Archive
Basketball: Several changes on the agenda for NZ NBL
State of the NBL: National Basketball League at critical juncture
Basketball: Tasmania's Southern Huskies set to join New Zealand National Basketball League
Tasmanian franchise eyeing place in New Zealand's National Basketball League
May 13, 2023
national, basketball, league, zealand, other, organizations, with, similar, name, national, basketball, league, disambiguation, disambiguation, zealand, national, basketball, league, nznbl, semi, professional, basketball, league, zealand, zealand, national, ba. For other organizations with a similar name see National Basketball League disambiguation and NBL disambiguation The New Zealand National Basketball League NZNBL is a men s semi professional basketball league in New Zealand New Zealand National Basketball League NZNBL Current season competition or edition 2023 New Zealand NBL seasonSportBasketballFounded1981Inaugural season1982DirectorMaree Taylor general manager No of teams10CountriesNew ZealandContinentFIBA Oceania Oceania Most recentchampion s Otago Nuggets 2nd title Most titlesWellington Saints 12 titles TV partner s Sky SportLevel on pyramid1Official websiteNZNBL BasketballIn 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 Contents 1 History 2 Current teams 2 1 Expansion teams 3 Former and defunct teams 4 League eligibility rules 5 Broadcasting details 6 Honours 6 1 List of Champions 6 2 Awards 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksHistory EditThe 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 NZNBL 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 In 2022 the league was hailed for reaching competitive balance after years of unbalanced competition with evenly spread talent and resources across the ten teams 4 Current teams EditSee also List of current New Zealand NBL team rosters Team City Region Arena Capacity Colours Debut Head CoachAuckland Tuatara Auckland Auckland Region Eventfinda Stadium 4 179 2019 Aaron YoungCanterbury Rams Christchurch Canterbury Cowles Stadium 2 300 5 1982 Judd FlavellFranklin Bulls Pukekohe Auckland Region Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre 1 100 2020 Daniel SokolovskyHawke s Bay Hawks Napier Hawke s Bay Pettigrew Green Arena 2 500 1983 Everard BartlettManawatu Jets Palmerston North Manawatu Whanganui Central Energy Trust Arena 2 000 1982 Natu TaufaleNelson Giants Nelson Nelson Trafalgar Centre 2 460 1982 Michael FitchettOtago Nuggets Dunedin Otago Edgar Centre 2 880 1990 Brent MatehaereSouthland Sharks Invercargill Southland Stadium Southland 4 019 2010 Guy MolloyTaranaki Airs New Plymouth Taranaki TSB Stadium 4 560 1985 Trent AdamWellington Saints Wellington Wellington Region TSB Bank Arena 4 002 1983 Troy McLean Auckland Tuatara Franklin Bulls Manawatu Jets Taranaki Airs Wellington Saints Nelson Giants Canterbury Rams Hawke s Bay Hawks Otago Nuggets Southland Sharksclass notpageimage Location of teams within New Zealand Expansion teams Edit Team City Region Arena Capacity Colours Debut Head CoachBay of Plenty Stingrays 6 Tauranga Bay of Plenty TBD 2024 TBDUnnamed Queenstown team 7 Queenstown Otago TBD TBD 2024 TBDFormer and defunct teams EditAuckland Pirates 2011 2012 8 Auckland Stars 1982 2009 Centrals 1982 1985 Christchurch Cougars 2009 2010 Harbour Heat 1986 2010 2012 Hutt Valley Lakers 1990 1996 Northland Suns 1995 1998 Ponsonby 1984 1988 Porirua 1982 1983 Super City Rangers 1990 1995 2013 2019 Waikato Pistons 1982 1984 2011 2013 2014 9 10 Waitemata Dolphins 1982 1983 1988 1989 League eligibility rules EditThere 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 11 12 Broadcasting details EditIn 2016 and 2017 the NZNBL began to more freely livestream and broadcast their games 13 14 In 2020 the league had all 75 games 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 15 That same year the league secured a deal to broadcast live in the United States through ESPN 16 In 2022 the NZNBL and Sky Sport signed a five year commercial deal estimated to be worth 7 5 million for the teams 17 Honours EditList of Champions Edit Main article List of New Zealand NBL champions Team Wins Losses Total Year s won Year s lostWellington Saints 12 8 20 1984 1985 1987 1988 2003 2010 2011 2014 2016 2017 2019 2021 1983 1986 1991 2001 2008 2012 2015 2018Auckland Stars 9 4 13 1982 1983 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2004 2005 1984 1985 1989 2006Canterbury Rams 4 4 8 1986 1989 1990 1992 1987 1993 1994 1999Waikato Pistons 4 2 6 2001 2002 2008 2009 2003 2010Nelson Giants 3 8 11 1994 1998 2007 1990 1996 1997 2000 2002 2004 2009 2013Southland Sharks 3 1 4 2013 2015 2018 2017Hutt Valley Lakers 2 0 2 1991 1993Otago Nuggets 2 0 2 2020 2022Hawke s Bay Hawks 1 7 8 2006 1995 2005 2007 2011 2014 2019 2021Auckland Pirates 1 0 1 2012Harbour Heat 0 2 2 1988 1998Manawatu Jets 0 2 2 1992 2020Waitemata Dolphins 0 1 1 1982Super City Rangers 0 1 1 2016Auckland Tuatara 0 1 1 2022Awards Edit Main article List of National Basketball League New Zealand awards CurrentMost Valuable Player Finals MVP Most Outstanding Guard Most Outstanding NZ Guard Most Outstanding Forward Most Outstanding NZ Forward Centre Scoring Champion Rebounding Champion Assist Champion Most Improved Player Defensive Player of the Year Youth Player of the Year Coach of the Year All Star Five Best Team Free ThrowsPastNZ Most Valuable PlayerSee also EditConference Basketball League List of National Basketball League New Zealand awards National Basketball League Australia New Zealand men s national basketball team Tauihi Basketball AotearoaReferences Edit a b Saker John 5 September 2013 Basketball teara govt nz Retrieved 6 August 2019 Locations Exodus Saints Wotzon com Archived from the original on 9 February 2013 AUCKLAND TO HOST 2020 SAL S NBL TIPPING OFF 23 JUNE nznbl basketball 19 May 2020 Retrieved 19 May 2020 Nelson Justin 3 August 2022 Taranaki Airs shake up the NBL as they head to playoffs Stuff co nz Archived from the original on 5 August 2022 Retrieved 5 August 2022 Cowles Stadium Christchurch City Council SAL S NBL NAMES BAY OF PLENTY STINGRAYS AS FIRST EXPANSION TEAM FOR 2024 nznbl basketball 23 December 2021 Archived from the original on 23 December 2021 QUEENSTOWN SET TO JOIN SAL S NBL IN 2024 nznbl basketball 23 February 2022 Archived from the original on 25 February 2022 Pirates out of 2013 NBL Waikato Pistons out of 2012 national league Waikato Pistons pull out of NBL competition NZ NBL AGREE TO THE RETURN OF MANAWATU JETS IN 2018 NZ NBL MEDIA STATEMENT THE RULING OF JOSHUA DUINKER S ELIGIBILITY AND PLAYING STATUS IN THE NZ NBL THE NEW ZEALAND NBL TO BE BROADCAST LIVE AND FREE ON NZHERALD CO NZ Basketball NZ Herald to live stream NZ NBL in 2017 SKY TO BROADCAST EVERY SAL S NBL GAME IN 2020 NZNBL New Zealand National Basketball League NZNBL Retrieved 14 July 2020 New Zealand s soaring National Basketball League proving ratings hit for partnersExternal links EditNew Zealand NBL official website New Zealand NBL 2003 to 2006 NZBL website 2001 NZBL archive 2000 01 New Zealand NBL career points leaders as of 2009 Basketball New Zealand Results Archive Basketball Several changes on the agenda for NZ NBL State of the NBL National Basketball League at critical juncture Basketball Tasmania s Southern Huskies set to join New Zealand National Basketball League Tasmanian franchise eyeing place in New Zealand s National Basketball League Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title National Basketball League New Zealand amp oldid 1148649582, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
