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Every NBL pre-season, there is plenty of attention on players around the league who could take the next step in their professional basketball journey. A breakout can happen in different ways. For some players, it’s getting more opportunity. For an established player, it can mean building on what they have already achieved and elevating their…

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The conversation around NBL expansion has intensified in recent years, with the league publicly confirming discussions with potential markets such as Canberra, the Gold Coast, and Darwin. However, one city that continues to quietly build momentum as a realistic candidate for a future franchise is Newcastle. While it may not always dominate the expansion headlines,…

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Thivyan Aravindan 0 March 5, 2026 1724 Views

Most 16-year-olds would take the bag. Luke Paul wants to take a beating. In an era where high school recruits are chasing six-figure Instagram followings and seven-figure NIL deals, Luke Paul just did the unthinkable. The 16-year-old Australian talent is a 6’6″ point guard widely tipped as a future NBA lottery pick who reportedly turned…

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Thivyan Aravindan 0 February 17, 2026 2675 Views

With one game remaining in the regular season and finals seeding on the line, South East Melbourne moved a step closer to the top two with a 120–104 win over the Tasmania JackJumpers at John Cain Arena. The Phoenix overcame a career-high 36-point outing from Majok Deng, with Angus Glover leading the way with 21…

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The NBL’s last decade has one defining figure: Larry Kestelman. When he took control in 2015, the league was fighting for relevance and stability. Teams were folding. Fans were exhausted. The future felt fragile. Ten years later, the NBL has momentum, global credibility, and a genuine NBA pathway. But no era of rapid growth is…

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Thivyan Aravindan 0 December 12, 2025 2220 Views

South East Melbourne Phoenix Next Star Malique Lewis has had an incredible journey from Trinidad and Tobago to professional basketball. In his first NBL season, Lewis played all 29 of South East Melbourne’s regular-season games, as well as its seeding qualifier and play-in game, experiencing both life in the starting five and coming off the…

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Jordan Janssen 0 February 24, 2025 , , , 1666 Views

There may be other people other there more qualified than me to judge this but as someone who has been a Victorian basketball fanatic since 1985 I think I can safely say the Chris Goulding is a flopper. I sat in the stands and cheered the North Melbourne Giants firstly (due to the fact I already supported…

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Brett Maher, league legend and court name holder for the Adelaide 36ers, believes that Matt Hodgson’s time as a starter is up, and import Josh Childress should be inserted into the first five.   Posting to his Facebook page, Maher reasons that Hodgson, who is leading the team in fouls, would be protected from the…

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It’s an excellent time to be an NBL basketball fan.  The talent level is as good as it has ever been but the league is still mostly equal.  Excluding the first placed Sydney Kings and the last on the table Adelaide 36ers, every another team has a net point rating of only one basket.  A…

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With the news of sweeping changes to the NBL’s salary situation, there’s a real opportunity to not only increase the league’s popularity in the short term, but solidify the sport of basketball in Australia in the general public’s conscious for years to come. The answer: long term NBL imports.     Thinking back to the…

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Kyle Abbott 0 April 9, 2016 , , 3845 Views
  • 10 AUSSIES IN COLLEGE NBL TEAMS SHOULD BE WATCHING

    Which Aussies in college are most likely to become future NBL players? These ten stand out for their production, professional experience and the roles they could earn in the league. The focus is their prospects of securing an NBL contract after college or later in their careers. The full Australian men's Division I player list follows below. 1. Ben Henshall — Ole Miss Henshall brings three seasons of Perth Wildcats experience to Ole Miss, including a final NBL season in 2025–26 averaging 8.9 points, 3.5…

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  • Gold Coast Blaze set to return to the NBL

    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. The proposed Gold Coast franchise is expected to revive the Blaze name, with Mayor Tom Tate indicating its identity has already been decided. “They’ve already got a name but I can’t tell ya.”Tom Tate 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…

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  • If NBL Players Were Slipping at Any Other Workplace, Would We Still Be Waiting for a Solution?

    Imagine working in a warehouse where employees repeatedly slip on the same section of flooring. Management knows about it, workers have complained, and someone has already suffered a serious injury. Under Australian workplace safety laws, employers are expected to investigate and manage foreseeable risks, not simply rely on an industry safety certificate. A business found to be in breach of safety obligations could face a WorkSafe improvement notice requiring the hazard to be fixed. A serious breach could lead to prosecution, with companies in Victoria…

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  • Harry Rouhliadeff on NCAA Money and the Rebuilding of the Brisbane Bullets Program

    Brisbane Bullets forward Harry Rouhliadeff joins the Aussie Hoopla podcast to discuss his journey from growing up a Bullets fan to captaining the University of Hawai‘i at March Madness, before returning home to begin his professional basketball career. Visit dunk.com.au for your next set of basketball uniforms. Host Dan Boyce chats with Harry about his first NBL start, the faith new coach Will Weaver has shown in him, and the challenges facing the Brisbane Bullets as they look to turn their fortunes around. Having grown…

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  • Which NBL Teams Spent the Most?

    Over the past three NBL seasons, clubs have spent almost $97 million assembling their rosters, but how much of that money has translated into wins, and which teams have delivered the best value for money? These figures represent cash spend, not salary cap spend. Cash spending includes player salaries and additional costs such as agent fees, bonuses, import related expenses and luxury tax, rather than simply the amounts counted against the league's salary cap. How much have NBL teams spent over the past three seasons?…

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  • ARE THE HAWKS “TIRED” OF TATUM’S VOICE?

    Larry Bird believed players began tuning out coaches after three years. Pat Riley reportedly put the limit at five, while Steve Kerr admitted his Golden State players were tired of hearing him in his fourth season. Now Justin Tatum is in his fourth season with Illawarra, and the Hawks have gone from NBL champions to the bottom of the ladder. Could they be experiencing the same problem? Justin Tatum transformed Illawarra from one of the NBL's worst teams into champions. But ahead of today's clash…

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  • COULD BRIAN GOORJIAN HAVE SAVED THE MELBOURNE TIGERS?

    In 2002, the Melbourne Tigers were fighting for survival when they identified an opportunity to attract supporters from their biggest rivals. Their plan to honour Brian Goorjian was blocked by the Victoria Giants, potentially changing the course of Melbourne basketball history. In 2002, the Melbourne Tigers devised a plan that could have changed the future of their club. The Tigers were emerging from financial administration, crowds were falling and the club had been forced to abandon its home at Vodafone Arena, now known as John…

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  • GOLD COAST NBL EXPANSION SET TO BECOME A REALITY?

    A new funding proposal, a crucial November meeting and renewed interest from the NBL could finally provide a pathway for professional basketball to return to the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast's long-running push to return to the NBL has reached another critical stage, with Mayor Tom Tate preparing to meet Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie in November to discuss the future of the proposed $1 billion Gold Coast Arena. After years of negotiations, changing timelines and funding setbacks, the city's hopes of securing an NBL…

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