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New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL)
Most recent season or competition:; 2024 New Zealand NBL season
Sport	Basketball
Founded	1981
First season	1982
General Manager	Maree Taylor
No. of teams	12
Countries	New Zealand
Continent	FIBA Oceania (Oceania)
Most recent; champion(s)	Canterbury Rams (6th title)
Most titles	Wellington Saints (12 titles)
TV partner(s)	Sky Sport
Level on pyramid	1
Official website	NZNBL.Basketball

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

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 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]

In July 2024, it was revealed that the New Zealand NBL were looking at an expansion team from the Indian National Basketball League.^[5]^[6]^[7] On 30 October 2024, it was announced that the Indian Panthers would join the league in 2025.^[8]

Current teams

Team	City	Region	Arena	Capacity	Debut	Head coach
Auckland Tuatara	Auckland	Auckland Region	Eventfinda Stadium	4,179	2019	Cameron Gliddon
Canterbury Rams	Christchurch	Canterbury	Cowles Stadium	2,300^[9]	1982	Quinn Clinton
Franklin Bulls	Pukekohe	Auckland Region	Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre	1,100	2020	Sebastian Gleim
Hawke's Bay Hawks	Napier	Hawke's Bay	Pettigrew Green Arena	2,500	1983	Sam Gruggen
Indian Panthers	Auckland	Auckland Region	Pulman Arena		2025	TBD
Manawatu Jets	Palmerston North	Manawatū-Whanganui	Central Energy Trust Arena	2,000	1982	Tony Webster
Nelson Giants	Nelson	Nelson	Trafalgar Centre	2,460	1982	Michael Fitchett
Otago Nuggets	Dunedin	Otago	Edgar Centre	2,880	1990	Vacant
Southland Sharks	Invercargill	Southland	Stadium Southland	4,019	2010	Jonathan Yim
Taranaki Airs	New Plymouth	Taranaki	TSB Stadium	4,560	1985	Sam Mackinnon
Tauranga Whai	Tauranga	Bay of Plenty	Mercury Baypark		2024	Matt Lacey
Wellington Saints	Wellington	Wellington Region	TSB Bank Arena	4,002	1983	Aaron Young

Location of teams within New Zealand

Expansion teams

Team	City	Region	Arena	Capacity	Colours	Debut	Head coach
Queenstown Yeti^[10]^[11]	Queenstown	Otago	TBD		TBD	TBD	TBD

Former and defunct teams

Auckland Pirates (2011–2012)^[12]
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)^[13]^[14]
Waitemata Dolphins (1982–1983, 1988–1989)

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^[15]^[16]

Broadcasting details

In 2016 and 2017, the NZNBL began to more freely livestream and broadcast their games.^[17]^[18] 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.^[19] That same year, the league secured a deal to broadcast live in the United States through ESPN.^[20]

In 2022, the NZNBL and Sky Sport signed a five-year commercial deal estimated to be worth $7.5 million for the teams.^[21]

Honours

List of champions

Team	Title(s)	Runners-up	Total	Year(s) won	Year(s) lost
Wellington Saints	12	8	20	1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021	1983, 1986, 1991, 2001, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2018
Auckland Stars	9	4	13	1982, 1983, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005	1984, 1985, 1989, 2006
Canterbury Rams	6	4	10	1986, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2023, 2024	1987, 1993, 1994, 1999
Waikato Pistons	4	2	6	2001, 2002, 2008, 2009	2003, 2010
Nelson Giants	3	8	11	1994, 1998, 2007	1990, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2013
Southland Sharks	3	1	4	2013, 2015, 2018	2017
Hutt Valley Lakers	2	0	2	1991, 1993
Otago Nuggets	2	0	2	2020, 2022
Hawke's Bay Hawks	1	7	8	2006	1995, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2019, 2021
Auckland Pirates	1	0	1	2012
Auckland Tuatara	0	3	3		2022, 2023, 2024
Harbour Heat	0	2	2		1988, 1998
Manawatu Jets	0	2	2		1992, 2020
Waitemata Dolphins	0	1	1		1982
Super City Rangers	0	1	1		2016