Gold Coast councillors have backed further work on an NBL expansion proposal, raising the possibility of a new team entering the competition in 2027/28.
Mayor Tom Tate says the NBL has already selected a name for its proposed Gold Coast franchise, with the Gold Coast Blaze expected to return.
Tate has been a leading supporter of the expansion bid and was part of the original Blaze ownership group formed in 2006 alongside David Claxton and Owen Tomlinson.
At an earlier NBL Blitz announcement, Tate told the NBL:
“It’s about time Gold Coast joined back in and had a national team.”
Tom Tate
The NBL holds the Gold Coast Blaze trademark.
The National Basketball League Pty Ltd registered the name “Gold Coast Blaze” with IP Australia on August 24, 2023, under trademark number 2383367.
The registration remains active and protected, covering basketball competitions, sporting entertainment, clothing and merchandise, with protection extending until August 24, 2033.
The NBL also applied to register “Gold Coast Rollers” on the same date. That application lapsed, while the Blaze registration proceeded.
The Blaze previously competed in the NBL between 2007 and 2012, reaching the playoffs three times and enjoying their strongest season in 2011/12, when they finished third before losing to the Perth Wildcats in the semifinals.
Financial difficulties ultimately brought the franchise to an end, with its owners withdrawing the club from the competition in July 2012. The Gold Coast has been without an NBL franchise ever since.
On Tuesday, November 10, NBL CEO David Stevenson presented an expansion proposal to Gold Coast councillors, outlining the economic benefits of bringing professional basketball back to the city.
A majority of councillors voted in support of progressing the bid, opening the door for a new franchise to potentially enter the competition as early as the 2027/28 season.
The Gold Coast Bulletin reports that discussions are focused on funding and venues, with the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre and Carrara Leisure Centre both being considered. Tate favours the Convention Centre but has stressed the cost to ratepayers.
“I think the grassroots basketball is big enough now to have a national team. It’s just about value for money (for ratepayers).”
Tom Tate, Gold Coast Bulletin, 11 November 2026
Stevenson highlighted the NBL’s continued growth, revealing that the league has recorded 63 sellout games this season, an increase of 13 per cent.
On February 22, 2026, the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre hosted the inaugural NBL Ignite Cup Final, with the New Zealand Breakers defeating the Adelaide 36ers 111–107 in front of a sellout crowd of more than 5,000 spectators.
The city has also hosted several NBL Blitz tournaments.
Local basketball participation on the Gold Coast has grown from approximately 1,000 active participants in 2012, when the Blaze last played, to around 12,000 today. That represents an increase of approximately 1,100% over 14 years, according to figures previously highlighted by NBL CEO David Stevenson.
Carmelo Anthony and Kenny Smith have been linked to the proposed ownership group.
A June 2024 report detailed Anthony and Smith’s roles in the NBL Next Stars program and their involvement in plans to invest in a future expansion team.
Anthony was appointed a Global Ambassador for Next Stars, helping attract and mentor international basketball prospects, while Smith took on the role of Head of Next Stars Player Initiatives in North America.
The Gold Coast subsequently emerged as a potential destination for the expansion project, with the NBL reporting in May 2026 that the two former NBA stars were behind a proposed ownership group targeting the region.
One proposal discussed in 2024 involved a franchise modelled on the NBA’s former G League Ignite program.
The proposal could see three to five Next Stars players feature alongside experienced Australian players and imports, creating a development pathway for elite international prospects preparing for the NBA Draft.
In a 2024 interview, former NBL CEO Jeremy Loeliger said the possibility of a Next Stars-focused franchise had been discussed for some time.
“There’s certainly a conversation that has been discussed for quite a long time now… It’s still a bit of an unknown and being worked through if indeed it happens at all,”
Jeremy Loeliger
Former NBA champion and Sydney Kings co-owner Andrew Bogut also addressed the idea in a previous interview, opposing the proposed Next Stars model.
“Gold Coast will happen sooner or later. I know they have a huge basketball following up there now.”
Andrew Bogut
“There are rumours around a next star team floating around; I’m strongly against that; I hope that never happens. I think that would be terrible.”
Andrew Bogut
Whether the Gold Coast eventually adopts a traditional NBL roster or a more development-focused model remains to be seen, but the prospect of two NBA legends being involved in its ownership provides another significant reason for optimism surrounding the expansion bid.
One of the biggest remaining hurdles is the proposed $1 billion Gold Coast Arena at Carey Park in Southport.
The 12,000-seat venue has been central to the city’s plans for attracting an NBL franchise, with the league previously identifying access to a suitable arena as one of its most important requirements for expansion.
However, as reported in October 2026, the stadium project has encountered substantial funding challenges.
Previous proposals identified approximately $600 million in required public contributions, with the council potentially able to provide around $200 million, leaving an estimated $400 million funding shortfall.
The Queensland Government has been unwilling to commit the additional funding directly, prompting Tate to explore alternative arrangements.
One proposal involves the state contributing underutilised government-owned land rather than cash, allowing the value created through commercial development to help fund construction.
That arrangement could incorporate hotels, restaurants and other commercial developments around the arena, making the overall project more attractive to private investors.
In March 2026, Invest Gold Coast announced AmplifyGC as its shortlisted development consortium for the project.
The consortium includes infrastructure investment group Plenary, international entertainment company Live Nation, construction firm Built, and architectural partners Cox Architecture and 3XN.
The proposed timeline has the consortium working towards an agreement in early 2027, with the arena targeted to open in 2030. Those plans remain dependent on finalising the project’s financing and securing the necessary approvals.
The team could begin playing before the Southport arena is built.
The latest discussions involving Stevenson and Gold Coast councillors suggest that the league could be targeting the 2027/28 season for the franchise’s introduction, potentially two or three seasons before the new Southport arena becomes available.
That would require the team to play its opening seasons at an existing venue. Both the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, the former home of the Blaze, and Carrara Leisure Centre have been discussed as possible temporary venues.
The Convention Centre has already demonstrated its ability to host major NBL events through the Ignite Cup Final and previous NBL fixtures.
However, its viability as a permanent home would depend on securing suitable scheduling arrangements and commercial terms, challenges that contributed to the difficulties faced by the original Blaze franchise.
The NBL has previously indicated a preference for arenas with capacities exceeding 10,000 spectators, making the proposed Southport venue particularly attractive in the longer term.
A temporary arrangement would allow the league to establish the franchise, build its membership base and develop corporate partnerships while the larger arena project progresses.
The approach could also help the Gold Coast avoid further delays to its NBL ambitions, which have already stretched across several years.
NBL Executive Director Larry Kestelman made his commitment to the region clear when meeting Gold Coast councillors earlier in 2026.
“Whether it happens in this round or the next round, I won’t stop until there’s a team here on the Gold Coast.”
Larry Kestelman
The next steps are securing a workable venue agreement, funding support and an NBL licence. The league’s Blaze trademark and Tate’s links to the original club make Gold Coast Blaze a leading candidate for the team’s name.