The 1996 NBL season was the 18th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 14 teams contest the league.

Regular season

The 1996 regular season took place over 24 rounds between 12 April 1996 and 28 September 1996.

Round 1

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Round 2

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Round 3

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Round 4

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Round 5

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Round 6

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Round 7

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Round 8

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Round 9

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Round 10

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Round 11

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Round 12

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Round 13

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Round 14

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Round 15

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Round 16

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Round 17

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Round 18

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Round 19

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Round 20

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Round 21

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Round 22

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Round 23

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Round 24

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Ladder

The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the results in games played between the teams will determine order of seeding. ''¹4-way Head-to-Head between Perth Wildcats (4-2), Canberra Cannons (4-2), Sydney Kings (2-4) and Adelaide 36ers (2-4). '' ''²Head-to-Head between Perth Wildcats and Canberra Cannons (1-1). Perth Wildcats won For and Against (+10). '' ''³Head-to-Head between Sydney Kings and Adelaide 36ers (1-1). Sydney Kings won For and Against (+15). '' ''⁴Head-to-Head between Illawarra Hawks and Townsville Suns (1-1). Illawarra Hawks won For and Against (+29). '' ''⁵Head-to-Head between Geelong Supercats and Gold Coast Rollers (1-1). Geelong Supercats won For and Against (+22). ''

Finals

Playoff bracket

Quarter-finals

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Semi-finals

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Grand Final

The 1996 NBL Grand Final between the Magic and the Tigers drew an NBL Grand Final aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535). Game 2 of the series at the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park drew a single game Grand Final attendance record of 15,064. Both records still stand as of the 2016–17 NBL season , - bgcolor="#CCCCFF" font size=1 !width=90, Date !width=180, Home !width=60, Score !width=180, Away !width=260, Venue !width=70, Crowd !width=70, Boxscore

1996 NBL statistics leaders

NBL awards

*Most Valuable Player:

Andrew Gaze Andrew Barry Casson Gaze (born 24 July 1965) is an Australian former professional basketball player and coach. He played 22 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL) with the Melbourne Tigers from 1984 to 2005, winning the league's MVP a ...

Melbourne Tigers Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena. The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 as ...

*Most Valuable Player Grand Final: Mike Kelly,

South East Melbourne Magic The South East Melbourne Magic was an Australian basketball team based in Melbourne. The Magic competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) between 1992 and 1998, and played their home games at Rod Laver Arena. In their seven seasons, the ...

*Best Defensive Player:

Isaac Burton Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was th ...

, Sydney Kings *Most Improved Player:

Chris Anstey Christopher John Anstey (born 1 January 1975) is an Australian former professional basketball player. His career included stints in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Russia and Spain. Anstey was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers ...

*Rookie of the Year: Scott McGregor,

Newcastle Falcons Newcastle Falcons is a rugby union team that play in Premiership Rugby, England's highest division of rugby union. The club was established in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club. Around 1882 the club merged with the Northumberland Football Cl ...

*Coach of the Year: Brett Flanigan,

Canberra Cannons The Canberra Cannons are a defunct basketball team that competed in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL). They went into financial administration in 2003 and were relocated to Newcastle, where they became the Hunter Pirates. After t ...

All NBL Team

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