2024-25 NBL Season + Off-season news

[Brodlach]

Carn the Hawks.

[Gozu]

Game 1

Melbourne 96 (Dellavedova 18, Goulding 15, Lee 14, Clark 13, Ili 13) def Illawarra 88 (Froling 16, Hickey 14, Blanchfield 13, Swaka Lo Buluk 11)

United lead the series 1-0

[Gozu]

The NBL have announced the New Orleans Pelicans will be the first NBA team to play games in Australia against Melbourne United on Friday, October 3 and against SE Melbourne Phoenix on Sunday, October 5 with both games to be played at Melbourne Park.

https://nbl.com.au/news/pelicans-to-pla ... -australia

Also Ice Cube's Big3 3x3 league will be holding an international Big3 Showcase in Australia which will bring some of the Big3's top players to Australian cities in November.

https://nbl.com.au/news/big3-comes-to-australia

[Gozu]

Game 2

Illawarra 102 (Harvey 24, Froling 23, Kell 18, Swaka Lo Buluk 12) def Melbourne 100 (Clark 31, Goulding 17, Dellavedova 14, Krebs 12)

Series level 1-1

Also the Sydney Kings have announced part-owner Andrew Bogut will be joining Brian Goorjian's coaching staff next season as an assistant coach.

https://nbl.com.au/news/bogut-joins-kin ... hing-staff

[Gozu]

Basketball Australia have announced Adam Caporn as the new Boomers coach. Caporn is currently an assistant coach with the Washington Wizards has previously been the head coach of the Long Island Nets in the G-League and played in the NBL with the Perth Wildcats and the Wollongong/Illawarra Hawks.

https://nbl.com.au/news/report-australi ... -new-coach

Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman has also been named as one of Caporn's assistants and will coach the Boomers during FIBA window periods.

Also the Perth Wildcats have re-signed import Kristian Doolittle to a 3 year deal.

https://nbl.com.au/news/wildcats-lock-in-star-import

[Gozu]

Seems to me like a record amount of NBL players playing overseas during the off-season outside of the usual state leagues and NZ league. Great to see.

Adelaide - Kendric Davis (China), Montrezl Harrell (China/Big3), Jarell Martin (South Korea)

Brisbane - Casey Prather (China), Keandre Cook (China), James Batemon (Spain), Tyrell Harrison (Puerto Rico)

Cairns - Rob Edwards (China), Tanner Groves (Japan), Pedro Brashaw (Germany), Taran Armstrong (NBA/G-League), Sam Waardenburg (Puerto Rico), Akoldah Gak (G-League), Kyrin Galloway (Japan)

NZ Breakers - Parker Jackson-Cartwright (Lithuania), Matt Mooney (Puerto Rico), Tacko Fall (China), Jonah Bolden (Puerto Rico), Sam Mennenga (Puerto Rico), Mojave King (Puerto Rico)

Perth - Bryce Cotton (Puerto Rico), Kristian Doolittle (Puerto Rico), Keanu Pinder (China), Tai Webster (France)

SE Melbourne - Nathan Sobey (Puerto Rico), Jordan Hunter (Puerto Rico), Angus Glover (Germany), Ben Ayre (Germany)

Sydney - Cameron Oliver (China), Kouat Noi (China)

Tasmania - Milton Doyle (Puerto Rico), Jordon Crawford (Turkey), Will Magnay (Turkey), Majok Deng (Egypt), Fabijan Krslovic (Germany)

https://nbl.com.au/news/nbl25-off-season-tracker

Game 3 of the NBL GF series Melbourne at Illawarra is live at 5pm on ESPN & 10 Bold on Sunday.

[Gozu]

Game 3

Melbourne 83 (White 20, Clark 16, Dellavedova 16, Goulding 14) def Illawarra 77 (Hickey 12, Days 11, Kell 10, Swaka Lo Buluk 10)

United lead the series 2-1

[Gozu]

The NBL have announced that the Free Agency period will begin on Friday, April 4 and all team/player/mutual options on contracts must be accepted or declined by Monday, March 31 with a full Free Agents list to be made public on Tuesday, April 1st.

https://nbl.com.au/news/free-agency-begins-april-4

Game 4 of the GF series Illawarra at Melbourne will be at 7pm on Wednesday live on ESPN & 10 Bold.

[Gozu]

Game 4

Illawarra 80 (Hickey 22, Olbrich 13, Harvey 12) def Melbourne 71 (Dellavedova 17, Goulding 17, Clark 16)

Series level 2-2

The deciding Game 5 of the GF series Melbourne at Illawarra will be live on Sunday at 2pm on ESPN & 10.

[Eagles2014]

Game 4

Illawarra 80 (Hickey 22, Olbrich 13, Harvey 12) def Melbourne 71 (Dellavedova 17, Goulding 17, Clark 16)

Series level 2-2

The deciding Game 5 of the GF series Melbourne at Illawarra will be live on Sunday at 2pm on ESPN & 10.

All four games won by the away team, surely Illawarra due to win at home finally

[Gozu]

The NBL have announced an all-time attendance record has been set this season of 1,129,449 fans breaking the previous record of 1,127,033 set 31 years ago. The new record was set in 40 less games than the previous record too.

https://nbl.com.au/news/all-time-attendance-record-set

Also Illawarra Hawks coach Justin Tatum has been fined $7,500 for breaching the NBL's code of conduct after his comments in the press conference after Game 3 on the 16th March.

https://nbl.com.au/news/hawks-sanctione ... m-comments

[Booney]

The ownership group of the New Zealand Breakers has sold the NBL franchise, with local businessmen Leon and Stephen Grice believed to be the new majority shareholders.


Sources tell ESPN the deal is worth upwards of $35 million, with all non-playing staff laid off in the process.

[amber_fluid]

The ownership group of the New Zealand Breakers has sold the NBL franchise, with local businessmen Leon and Stephen Grice believed to be the new majority shareholders.


Sources tell ESPN the deal is worth upwards of $35 million, with all non-playing staff laid off in the process.

Sad for current staff but good for the business/club/team

[Gozu]

Apparently a few disgruntled NBL team owners lead by the Hawks owner want to move away from Larry Kestelman's ownership of the league and have offered to buy him out for $44 million. I haven't read the article in The Australian as it's behind a paywall.

https://x.com/JohnStensholt/status/1902825883758645431

NBL Owner & Executive Chairman Larry Kestelman has released a statement saying simply the NBL is not for sale.

https://nbl.com.au/news/statement-from-larry-kestelman

Also the Perth Wildcats have re-signed veteran forward Jesse Wagstaff to a one-year deal, his 17th season with the club.

https://nbl.com.au/news/wagstaff-signs- ... 7th-season

As well the SE Melbourne Phoenix have announced their new CEO Simon Derrick who comes from AFL team Richmond FC where he was GM of Commercial Operations and Stakeholder Management since 2009.

https://nbl.com.au/news/phoenix-name-new-ceo

[Gozu]

Game 5

Illawarra 114 (Kell 26, Hickey 21, Harvey 16, Swaka Lo Buluk 16, Olbrich 12) def Melbourne 104 (Goulding 21, Ili 20, White 17, Clark 15, Loe 14)

Hawks win the Championship 3-2

Finals MVP: Matthew Dellavedova, United

[Brodlach]

Bryce Cotton is not returning to the Perth Wildcats



I’ve followed the NBL for 40 years and he’d be in my top five

[Gozu]

Bryce Cotton is not returning to the Perth Wildcats



I’ve followed the NBL for 40 years and he’d be in my top five

Definitely.

Although he's leaving the Wildcats he didn't say where he's going with most speculation being Japan but perhaps another NBL team?

https://nbl.com.au/news/bryce-cotton-farewells-perth

[amber_fluid]

Bryce Cotton is not returning to the Perth Wildcats



I’ve followed the NBL for 40 years and he’d be in my top five

Rucker, Darnell Mee, MacDonald, Copeland, Rose, Bruton
Some of these are 20 years ago but he’s got to be up there with all of them if not in front.

He’s the best I’ve seen.

[wenchbarwer]

We talking imports, or best players ever?

[beef]

Bryce Cotton is not returning to the Perth Wildcats



I’ve followed the NBL for 40 years and he’d be in my top five

Rucker, Darnell Mee, MacDonald, Copeland, Rose, Bruton
Some of these are 20 years ago but he’s got to be up there with all of them if not in front.

He’s the best I’ve seen.

Id have Cotton miles ahead of Rucker MacDonald Copeland and Bruton
Rob Rose could do everything and Darnell Mee was the best defender i have ever seen in the NBL