The 1997 NBL season was the 16th season of the National Basketball League. Basketball in New Zealand began to dwindle during the 1990s, with TV coverage reduced, sponsorships scarce, and crowd numbers on the decline. At the end of the 1996 season, with both

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

and

Hutt Valley The Hutt Valley (or 'The Hutt') is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Like the river that flows through it, it takes its name from Sir William Hutt, a director of the New Zeala ...

struggling to survive, the two teams amalgamated for the 1997 season.

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

won the championship in 1997 to claim their fifth league title, as they became the first team in league history to record a three-peat. Auckland had a near-perfect season, with their only loss in 24 regular-season games coming against

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

at Cowles Stadium when American import Adrian Boyd was called for a contentious travelling call while going for an uncontested lay-up in the game's final seconds.

Final standings

Season awards

* NZ Most Valuable Player:

Pero Cameron Sean Pero MacPherson Cameron (born 5 June 1974) is a New Zealand basketball coach and former player. A FIBA Hall of Fame member, he captained the New Zealand Tall Blacks from 2000 to 2010, helping lead New Zealand to the semifinal of the 200 ...

(Auckland) * Most Outstanding Guard:

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birth ...

(North Harbour) * Most Outstanding NZ Guard:

Phill Jones Phillip Charles George Jones (born 25 January 1974) is a New Zealand former professional basketball player. He played in Finland, Italy and Australia, but is best known for his 22 seasons with the Nelson Giants in the New Zealand National Bask ...

(Nelson) * Most Outstanding Forward: Jim DeGraffenreid (Waikato) * Most Outstanding NZ Forward/Centre:

Willie Burton Willie Ricardo Burton (born May 26, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Miami Heat in the first round (9th overall pick) in the 1990 NBA draft from the University of Minnesota. Burton played for nume ...

(Hawke's Bay) * Scoring Champion: Jim DeGraffenreid (Waikato) * Rebounding Champion: Daryn Shaw (Taranaki) * Assist Champion: Mike Foster (Northland) * Rookie of the Year: Brendon Polyblank (Palmerston North) * Coach of the Year:

Tab Baldwin Thomas Anthony "Tab" Baldwin (born 16 May 1958) is an American-New Zealand basketball coach who currently serves as the head of the Gilas Pilipinas Youth national basketball program and head coach for the Ateneo Blue Eagles of the University A ...

(Auckland) * All-Star Five: ** G:

(North Harbour) ** G: Adrian Boyd (Auckland) ** F: Jim DeGraffenreid (Waikato) ** F: Kenny Stone (Auckland) ** C:

(Auckland)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1997 New Zealand Nbl Season National Basketball League (New Zealand) seasons 1997 in New Zealand basketball