The NBL 2021-22 season returns this summer and there is plenty for Australian basketball fans to be excited about.
After much delay because of COVID-19, this year's NBL fixtures have finally been released for its 44th season.
All 10 teams will battle it out for the Dr. John Raschke Trophy. It will be shorter season with 140 games instead of the usual 162 due to complications with the global pandemic.
One of Australia's favourite NBA players returns home to Melbourne and there is another high profile addition to NBL's Next Stars program.
With the new season just over a month away, here's everything you need to know ahead of the 2021-22 NBL campaign.
When does the NBL 2021-22 season start?
The NBL regular season will start on December 3, 2021 and finish on April 24, 2022.
With the finals to tip off following the season at a date yet-to-determined.
Kicking off the series will be the Tasmania JackJumpers vs. Adelaide 36ers at Mystate Bank Arena, Hobart
What are the NBL 2021-22 fixtures?
Opening round
| Date | Time | Game | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 3 Dec | 7:30 pm AEDT | Tasmania JackJumpers v Adelaide 36ers | Mystate Bank Arena | ESPN Australia |
| Fri 3 Dec | 9:30 pm AEDT | Perth Wildcats v Brisbane Bullets | RAC Arena | ESPN Australia |
| Sat 4 Dec | 5:30 pm AEDT | S.E Melbourne Phoenix v Illawarra Hawks | John Cain Arena | ESPN Australia |
| Sat 4 Dec | 8:00 pm AEDT | Cairns Taipans v New Zealand Breakers | Cairns Convention Centre | ESPN Australia |
| Sun 5 Dec | 1:00 pm AEDT | Adelaide 36ers v Brisbane Bullets | Adelaide Entertainment Centre | ESPN Australia / 10 Peach |
| Sun 5 Dec | 3:00 pm AEDT | Sydney Kings v Melbourne United | Qudos Bank Arena | ESPN Australia/ 10 Peach |
How to watch the NBL 2021-22 season?
Every game of the NBL 2021-22 season is live and in HD via ESPN on Foxtel.
All games aired on ESPN, will also be available on Kayo Sports. To catch every NBL game, join Kayo for FREE for 14 days.
Fans can also watch two NBL matches every Sunday on 10 Peach free-to-air, which is also streamed live on 10 Play.
NBL Wrap: Round 14 - A tale of two leagues as top five create distance, Adelaide eye import to save their season
As the NBL season rolls on, the wheat begins to separate from the chaff, the cream rises to the top, and any other analogy that shows that the distance between the top and bottom teams continues to grow.
NBL Wrap Up: Round 13 - Hawks spread their wings, Kings streak extends, and Wildcats try to right the ship
Officially over the halfway mark, Round 13 once again saw the top four spots shift in interesting ways, with at least one team falling spots whilst still winning games.
We saw close finishes, and a few blowouts, with plenty of extracurriculars to keep the fans and pundits alike discussing long into the night.
NBL Wrap Up: Round 12 - Sydney’s climb continues, Brisbane bowing out, and MVP cases collide
High octane basketball was on the cards again in Round 12 of the NBL, as the top four spots continue to be hotly contested, and no team sure of where they will find themselves come the end of the season.
In addition to this, the MVP race is heating up, with a collection of familiar faces, fresh legs, and surprising names making the decision of the awards voters harder than ever.
NBL Wrap Up: Round 11 - Reath returns, Tasmania back down to earth, and the Miracle at Qudos
We may be 11 rounds into the NBL season, but with each game that is played, it becomes more and more clear that the title is anyone's to win or to lose.
Teams are circling in and out of the top four at breakneck speed, and it’s anyone's guess as to what the finals matchups will be once the time comes.
NBL Wrap Up: Round 9 - Hodgson’s greatest hits, JackJumpers gone streaking, and United out of time
It seems that karma was the order of the week in the NBL, with one of the most even-keeled slates this season.
Out of all the teams that played two games, only one team won both.
There were games that were easily predictable, and games no one could have guessed, but there was one game that made headlines above all, and not for the reasons that the NBL would have wanted.
NBL Wrap Up: Round 8 - United unbeaten, Brisbane’s big week, and Phoenix fly into top three
Last week, the NBL wrap-up headline was ‘Melbourne moving up, Froling on fire, and Sydney’s slide continues’.
One week on, and no one would blink twice if we ran that one again identically.
Melbourne stayed undefeated (but only just), Froling dropped 27 points (Harry, not Sam), and Sydney went 1-1 (both against Brisbane).
NBL Wrap Up: Round 7 - Melbourne moving up, Froling on fire, and Sydney’s slide continues
It was a lean few weeks of NBL, but round 7 has seen things mostly return to normal, which meant a (nearly) full slate of games for basketball fans.
With the league going a while between drinks, the players were raring to go, with multiple season-high performances over the course of six games.
NBL Wrap Up: Round 6 - New Zealand claim maiden victory as league teeters on the brink
It’s been slim pickings for the NBL the last few weeks, desperately trying to keep the season afloat despite mounting game postponements due to COVID-19.
Two straight two-game rounds were already troubling, but the league hit a new low in round six, with just one single game played - New Zealand vs Brisbane.
NBL Wrap Up: Round 5 - Top teams triumph as cancellations continue
Round 5 was another stunted affair for the NBL, with postponements meaning that only two games were played for the second round in a row.
But unlike the previous week, these games were open and shut cases. Last year's NBL finalists making short work of last year's wooden spooners and the NBL rookie team that is off to a sluggish start.
NBL Wrap Up: Round 4 - Sydney’s struggles continue, Tasmania handle New Zealand, and the league postpones play
The NBL had its first real COVID scare of the season this week, meaning Round 4 was cut much shorter than anticipated. But while it was only two games long, there was still plenty of action, with all teams desperate to prove themselves in the wake of fairly disappointing play from three of the four squads in action.
NBL Wrap Up: Round 3 - Melbourne win big, Cairns are lurking, and front-runners finally fall
The third round of NBL action has finally concluded, and it seems as if pieces are finally falling into place. Contenders are rising, pretenders are falling, and we can begin to make some sense of the landscape of the league.
NBL Wrap Up: Round 2 - Freeway series fires up, no win New Zealand, and Delly gets dunked on
Billed as ‘Rivalry Round’, round two of the NBL season delivered all that and more, with tempers flaring in both of the key rivalry games. Tensions were tight across the board, with the gap between first and last closer than you might think, resulting in some of the most electric play the league has ever seen.
NBL Wrap Up: Round 1 - Bryce is back, Sobey's ejection, and Hawks accused of espionage
Basketball is back in Australia! Last weekend saw the kickoff of the NBL’s 2021-22 season, and Round 1 was no disappointment, the classic mix of tight games, big performances, and off-court tensions. So which teams made the fastest starts, and who stalled on the starting line?
Who are the players to watch in the NBL?
Matthew Dellavedova (Melbourne United)
Dellavedova has returned back to Australia to play for Melbourne United this season. After an eight-year career in the NBA, which saw him play in Cleveland and Milwaukee, the Aussie is back Down Under.
The 31-year-old was a pivotal player in the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers championship win, as well as being a part of the Boomers' Olympic bronze medallist team at Tokyo 2021. The versatile point guard will be an important addition to former champion Melbourne United's roster for the next three seasons.
Let’s go @MelbUnitedHQ !! #NBL22 https://t.co/RBKqns4OzG
— Matthew Dellavedova (@matthewdelly) October 12, 2021
Michael Frazier (Perth Wildcats)
The Wildcats have added former Houston Rockets shooting guard Michael Frazier to their roster.
The 27-year-old's NBA experience could be what the Wildcats need to get redemption for last season's final loss to Melbourne United.
Wildcats coach Scott Morrison has high expectations for Frazier, with the attributes that the American athlete brings to the team.
"A player of Michael's calibre and versatility has no problem fitting into any system," Morrison said.
"Adding those traits to our roster will make us an even deeper team on the perimeter while helping us have flexibility with our line-ups, and how we attack."
Chuanxing Liu (Brisbane Bullets)/Zhou Qi (SE Melbourne Phoenix)
There will be a battle of two giant centres, when Brisbane Bullets and SE Melbourne Phoenix face off in January next year.
The Bullets picked up Chinese centre Chuanxing Liu, who stands at 226cm, while the Phoenix signed his 221cm-tall compatriot Zhou Qi.
Both of the centres play for the China's national team and will prove trouble under the rim.
Bryce Cotton (Perth Wildcats)
The three-time NBL champion and league MVP has been excellent since signing for Perth in 2017.
In the 2020/21 season, Cotton averaged 23 points and six assists in each game. Cotton would suffer a knee injury however that would cut the most recent campaign short.
Cotton has recovered from his injury and told media he is ready is go when the season commences in December.
"I’m myself again," Cotton said. "It’s very exciting.
"Any time you go through an injury, especially that requires surgery, there’s a thought you try not to give too much attention to, but it floats in the back of your mind, am I going to fully recover?
"But our staff did a great job with me. We put plans in place and I made sure I stayed disciplined and did what they told me to do. My body is good again so I am happy as ever."
How is the NBL 2021-22 finals series structured?
The NBL finals series will be played following the 2021-22 regular season which ends on April 24, 2022.
The top-four ranked teams at the season's end will compete in the semi-finals via a best-of-three game series.
Seed one will play against seed four, while seed two and seed three face off.
The two winners of each semi-final will battle it out in the final via a best-of-three game series.
The NBL 2021-22 champions will be rewarded with the Dr. John Raschke Trophy.
What are the NBL 2021-22 betting odds?
To win the NBL championship
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Perth Wildcats | $3.75 |
| Sydney Kings | $4.50 |
| Melbourne United | $4.50 |
| SE Melbourne Phoenix | $5.00 |
| Illawarra Hawks | $7.50 |
| NZ Breakers | $21.00 |
| Cairns Taipans | $23.00 |
| Brisbane Bullets | $23.00 |
| Adelaide 36ers | $29.00 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | $67.00 |
Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes
Who are the NBL's newest team - the Tasmania JackJumpers?
Tasmania will finally have a team in the NBL after a long 25-year break from the Australian competition.
The JackJumpers will be the 10th team in the NBL and will be playing out of Hobart and Launceston.
Named after one of Australia's creatures which is mostly found in Tasmania, a jack jumper is an ant with a possible deadly sting that causes allergic reactions in some people.
The team's name has copped flack from Australian basketball legend Chris Anstey.
The @NBL takes a great step back into Tasmania, then calls them the Jack Jumpers? My goodness 🤦🏻♂️
— Chris Anstey (@ChrisAnstey13) September 30, 2020
What is the NBL's Next Stars program?
NBL's Next Stars program continues to go from strength-to-strength, with a host of talented players making their way Down Under to play in the NBL this season.
The Next Stars program provides players with an alternative pathway than playing college basketball to prepare for the NBA Draft. Recently drafted players are also eligible for the program, to be stashed in the NBL for the season.
American superstar LaMelo Ball played for the Illawarra Hawks in the 2019-2020 season through this program before making a switch to the NBA.
French 18-year-old NBA prospect Ousmane Dieng is signed to the New Zealand Breakers this season. The 200cm small forward could be a potential superstar in the NBA. He could be the signing that helps the Breakers win their first title since 2013.