Melbourne United is an Australian professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
team based in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
. United compete in the
National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at
John Cain Arena
John Cain Arena is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located within Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the second-largest venue and show court for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam professional tenni ...
.
The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 as the Melbourne Tigers, as an extension of the
Melbourne Basketball Association
The Melbourne Basketball Association (MBA) is an administrative basketball association in Melbourne, Australia. The association is responsible for two divisions: the Melbourne Tigers Junior Basketball Club and the Melbourne Tigers senior men's ...
(MBA). The franchise entered into private ownership in 2002, ending the team's relation with the MBA. The Tigers were led by coach
Lindsay Gaze
Lindsay John Casson Gaze (born 16 August 1936) is an Australian former basketball player and coach.
He played for Australia in three Summer Olympics qualification tournaments, between 1960 and 1968, and was the head coach of the senior Austr ...
and his son
Andrew
Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...
from 1984 until 2005, with the pair guiding the Tigers to two
championships in the 1990s. The pair were supported by fellow club legends such as
Dave Simmons,
Lanard Copeland
Lanard Copeland (born July 26, 1965) is an American-Australian professional basketball coach and former player. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, he played in the National Basketball League (NBL) from 1992 to 2008.
Playing career Early years
Copeland ...
and
Mark Bradtke
Mark Robert Bradtke (born 27 September 1969) is an Australian retired professional basketball player who played mainly in Australia's National Basketball League, but also had a single stint in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the ...
. Four consecutive NBL Grand Finals followed between 2006 and 2009, with championships coming in 2006 and 2008 behind the likes of
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 ...
and
Darryl McDonald
Darryl McDonald (born 17 June 1964) is an American-Australian professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for Melbourne United of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). Nicknamed "D-Mac", he played colle ...
. After 31 seasons of using the Melbourne Tigers name, the franchise was renamed Melbourne United in May 2014, a controversial change that was met with opposition by Tigers fans, former Tigers players and the wider NBL community. Four years later, the franchise won their first championship since adopting the Melbourne United name. The franchise won their sixth championship in 2021. Their six championships is second only to the
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Perth Arena, ...
(10) for most titles in NBL history.
Franchise history
Gaze era (1984–2005)
Melbourne United's history stems back to 1931 with the beginning of basketball in
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
. The Melbourne Tigers brand came into use in 1975, and after the
Tigers
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...
won the
South Eastern Basketball League (SEBL) title in 1983, a new Melbourne Tigers entity was entered into the
National Basketball League (NBL) in 1984, as an extension of the
Melbourne Basketball Association
The Melbourne Basketball Association (MBA) is an administrative basketball association in Melbourne, Australia. The association is responsible for two divisions: the Melbourne Tigers Junior Basketball Club and the Melbourne Tigers senior men's ...
(MBA). The Tigers struggled initially, given a lack of financial resources.
During the early struggles of the 1980s, the Tigers were led by coach
Lindsay Gaze
Lindsay John Casson Gaze (born 16 August 1936) is an Australian former basketball player and coach.
He played for Australia in three Summer Olympics qualification tournaments, between 1960 and 1968, and was the head coach of the senior Austr ...
and his son
Andrew
Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...
. Andrew Gaze was a prolific scorer, as he set a still-standing NBL record with 44.1 points per game for the
1987 season. During the year, he had a 60-point game against the
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 ...
. Despite his dominance, the Tigers finished with a 3–23 record. The addition of imports David Colbert and
Dave Simmons in 1989 saw the Tigers make their first-ever finals appearance.
The addition of
Lanard Copeland
Lanard Copeland (born July 26, 1965) is an American-Australian professional basketball coach and former player. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, he played in the National Basketball League (NBL) from 1992 to 2008.
Playing career Early years
Copeland ...
in 1992 led to the Tigers reaching their maiden NBL Grand Final series, where they were defeated 2–1 by the
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 ...
. Gaze and Copeland formed arguably the best back-court partnership in NBL history, with Copeland happily playing second fiddle to Gaze and almost always stepping up as the "go to" man when Gaze was absent.
Joining Gaze, Copeland and Simmons in 1993 was
Mark Bradtke
Mark Robert Bradtke (born 27 September 1969) is an Australian retired professional basketball player who played mainly in Australia's National Basketball League, but also had a single stint in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the ...
, as the foursome led the Tigers back to the NBL Grand Final, where they faced the
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Perth Arena, ...
. Having split the first two games, Game 3 in Perth went down to the wire. A tense and tight affair led to a frantic final minute – with the Wildcats trailing by three and
Andrew Vlahov
Andrew Mitchell Vlahov (born 1 April 1969) is an Australian retired professional basketball player. He played his entire eleven-year professional career for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL), with whom he won three cha ...
holding possession, his three-point attempt from the top of the arc looked oh-so-good, before completing a near-full circle of the rim and hitting the backboard before rattling out. It was a fitting maiden championship win for Andrew and Lindsay Gaze, with the father-son duo embracing in a memorable teary breakdown following the game.
The Tigers returned to the NBL Grand Final in 1996, where they were once again beaten 2–1 by the South East Melbourne Magic. Following the 1996 season, the Tigers parted ways with Dave Simmons. The
1997 season began with import
Jarvis Lang
Jarvis Christopher Lang (born June 25, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player. A power forward, Lang had a lauded collegiate career at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte between 1990–91 and 1994–95 prior to pl ...
being released and replaced by
Marcus Timmons
Marcus Timmons (born November 3, 1971) is an American-Australian former professional basketball player. He played for the Wollongong Hawks, Melbourne Tigers, Perth Wildcats, Cairns Taipans, New Zealand Breakers and Adelaide 36ers. Timmons won Lis ...
. Behind Gaze, Copeland, Bradtke and Timmons, the Tigers reached their fourth NBL Grand Final series, as they finished the 1997 season on a 17–1 run that included a record 16-game winning streak.
They once again faced the Magic, this time claiming a 2–1 victory to win their second NBL Championship.
The Tigers were unable to recapture their championship form throughout the rest of the 1990s and the early 2000s. In 2002, the franchise entered into private ownership after the organisation had racked up a $2 million debt. Poor management has led losses to mount rapidly in the so-called professional phase of the
Melbourne Basketball Association
The Melbourne Basketball Association (MBA) is an administrative basketball association in Melbourne, Australia. The association is responsible for two divisions: the Melbourne Tigers Junior Basketball Club and the Melbourne Tigers senior men's ...
's ownership of the franchise. A new ownership consortium under Melbourne businessman Seamus McPeake and the Gazes saw financial stability restored to the organisation for the 2002–03 season.
New championship era (2005–2009)
The Gaze era ended in 2005 with the retirement of coach Lindsay and the sport's greatest Australian player, Andrew.
In addition, the Tigers parted ways with both Mark Bradtke and Lanard Copeland.
Darryl McDonald
Darryl McDonald (born 17 June 1964) is an American-Australian professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for Melbourne United of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). Nicknamed "D-Mac", he played colle ...
and imports Rashad Tucker and
Dave Thomas were joined by
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 ...
for the 2005–06 season. Fellow stalwarts in the team included
Daryl Corletto,
Stephen Hoare and
Tommy Greer
Tommy Greer (born 29 December 1983) is an Australian former professional basketball player who is currently the CEO of the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League (NBL). Greer played college basketball for Augusta Stat ...
. Behind coach Al Westover, the Tigers reached the 2006 NBL Grand Final series, where they swept the
Sydney Kings 3–0.
The 2006–07 season saw the Tigers return to the NBL Grand Final, where they were defeated 3–1 by the
Brisbane Bullets
The Brisbane Bullets are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL) based in Brisbane, Queensland. They competed from 1979 to 2008, and returned to the league in 2016. Brisbane were one of ten NBL f ...
. The 2007 off-season saw the Tigers acquire
David Barlow and
Nathan Crosswell, joining a core of Anstey, McDonald, Thomas, Corletto, Hoare and Greer. Import
Sean Lampley
Sean Lampley (born September 3, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player.
College career
Lampley played at the University of California, leading the Golden Bears to victory over Clemson in the 1999 National Invitational Tourna ...
joined the Tigers mid-season and helped them reach their third straight NBL Grand Final, where they once again faced the Sydney Kings. The series was tied at 2–2 heading into the deciding Game 5. Game 5 saw the Tigers complete the job they were so close to doing in Game 4 at home by winning 85–73 at the Kingdome to celebrate Darryl McDonald's last game in style. Both Anstey and Thomas finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds. In 2008, the Tigers acquired the services of
Sam Mackinnon
Samuel Mackinnon (born 25 August 1976) is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player who is the general manager of basketball for the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League (NBL). His athleticism above the rim saw ...
and
Ebi Ere, while long-time swingman Dave Thomas departed for Cairns. However, following an injury to Mackinnon and the mid-season departure of
Rod Grizzard
Roderick DeWyane Grizzard (born June 13, 1980) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball, University of Alabama. He was selected in the second round of the 2002 NBA ...
, Thomas and
Luke Kendall were acquired in January 2009. The 2008–09 season saw the Tigers return to the NBL Grand Final for a fourth straight year, but they were defeated 3–2 by the
South Dragons
The South Dragons were an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). They made their debut in the 2006/07 season and played their final season in 2008/09. The club was based at MSAC in Melbourne's in ...
.
End of Tigers era (2009–2014)
In May 2009, the Tigers made a short-lived decision to sit out the 2009–10 season, after losing money in 2008–09 for the first time in five years. The franchise felt that NBL reforms had not gone far enough to make it feasible to play. They ultimately continued on in the now eight-team competition in 2009–10.
Sam Mackinnon continued on with the Tigers in 2009, while
Mark Worthington was acquired following the demise of the South Dragons. Star imports Ebi Ere and Dave Thomas parted ways with Melbourne after the franchise decided to go with an 'all-Australian' roster. The policy was short-lived as
Julius Hodge
Julius Melvin Hodge (born November 18, 1983) is an American-Antiguan former professional basketball player and current assistant coach at Little Rock Trojans. Originally from Harlem, New York, Hodge played college basketball at NC State and was se ...
joined the Tigers in November, while
Mike Rose joined the squad in January.
In the off-season of 2010, the Tigers roster was dismantled after the departure of Hodge, Worthington and
Nathan Crosswell, as well as the retirements of NBL greats Mackinnon and Anstey. The team picked up imports TJ Campbell and
Eric Devendorf, as well as Australians
Cameron Tragardh,
Matt Burston,
Wade Helliwell,
Luke Nevill
Luke Alexander Nevill (born 19 February 1986) is a former Australian professional basketball player who last played for Yulon Luxgen Dinos of the Taiwan Super Basketball League. He played college basketball for the University of Utah.
Early li ...
and
Lucas Walker
Lucas Walker (born 6 December 1984) is an Australian basketball player for the Illawarra Hawks of the NBL1 East. He played 10 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL) between 2010 and 2020. He played college basketball for Montana State ...
. Corletto and Greer continued on with the Tigers, as did
Bennie Lewis
Bennie Lewis III (born June 29, 1987) is an American-Australian professional basketball player for the Waverley Falcons of the NBL1 South. He played college basketball for Benedict College before beginning a successful four-year stint with the ...
. 2010 NBL MVP
Corey Williams joined the squad in November in place of the outgoing Campbell, while Nevill and Devendorf were let go in February. Club legend
Darryl McDonald
Darryl McDonald (born 17 June 1964) is an American-Australian professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for Melbourne United of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). Nicknamed "D-Mac", he played colle ...
completed the 2010–11 season as coach of the Tigers following the sacking of Al Westover.
In the off-season of 2011, the Tigers acquired the services of coach
Trevor Gleeson
Trevor Gleeson (born 28 May 1968) is an Australian professional basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After starting his coaching career in his hometown of Warrnambool, G ...
, and recruited
Ayinde Ubaka
Ayinde X. Ubaka (born February 9, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the California Golden Bears and spent seven seasons playing professionally overseas.
High school career
Ubaka attended ...
,
Ron Dorsey and
Daniel Dillon from Cairns. They also acquired
Liam Rush to go along with the addition of
Patty Mills
Patrick Sammy Mills (born 11 August 1988) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Mills was born and raised in Canberra, and is of Torres Strait Islander and Aborigin ...
for the duration of the
2011 NBA lockout. In January 2012, following a 13-point loss to the
Gold Coast Blaze
The Gold Coast Blaze were an Australian men's professional basketball team which competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). The Blaze competed in their inaugural season in 2007–08. The club was based on the Gold Coast and joined the ...
, owner Seamus McPeake made a post-game address to the playing group and then sacked Ubaka on the spot, while Gleeson was at a press conference.
In 2012, the Tigers acquired
Chris Goulding
Christopher James Goulding (born 24 October 1988) is an Australian professional basketball player for Melbourne United of the National Basketball League (NBL). He made his debut in the NBL in 2006 as a development player with the Brisbane Bull ...
, Nate Tomlinson,
Adam Ballinger
Adam Ballinger (born June 12, 1979) is an American-Australian former professional basketball player who spent his entire career in the Australian National Basketball League, playing 12 seasons for various clubs such as the Victoria Giants, Wol ...
, and imports Seth Scott and
Kevin Braswell
Kevin Lavelle Braswell (born January 23, 1979) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He played college basketball for Georgetown University before playing professionally in Europe and New Zealand. He currently serves as a ...
. Burston, Walker, Rush, Lewis and Greer continued on, while club legend Chris Anstey became head coach. In November of the 2012–13 season,
Jonny Flynn
Jonny William Flynn (born February 6, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player. A three-year National Basketball Association (NBA) veteran, he last played for the Orlandina Basket of the Lega Basket Serie A and played collegiat ...
replaced Braswell, but the Tigers missed the post-season for the fourth straight year.
The 2013–14 season saw the return of Mark Worthington to the Tigers, while Goulding, Tomlinson, Ballinger, Walker and Greer all continued on under Anstey. Ayinde Ubaka had a short-lived stint with the Tigers to begin the season, before
Mustapha Farrakhan Jr. replaced him in November to team up alongside fellow import
Scott Morrison
Scott John Morrison (; born 13 May 1968) is an Australian politician. He served as the 30th prime minister of Australia and as Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia from 2018 to 2022, and is currently the member of parliament (MP) for th ...
. Goulding was key to the Tigers reaching the finals for the first time since 2009, where they lost to the
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...
in the semis.
Melbourne United (2014–present)
![Melbourne United vs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Melbourne_United_vs._Sydney_Kings.jpg)
On 20 May 2014, the franchise was re-branded as Melbourne United. The change was made to symbolise the connection to all of Victorian basketball, with the navy blue logo of Melbourne United becoming the new face of professional basketball in Victoria, replacing the Melbourne Tigers brand. Owner Larry Kestelman wanted to end the partisan divisions between the Tigers (
Melbourne Basketball Association
The Melbourne Basketball Association (MBA) is an administrative basketball association in Melbourne, Australia. The association is responsible for two divisions: the Melbourne Tigers Junior Basketball Club and the Melbourne Tigers senior men's ...
) and other Victorian supporters and bring the state together behind one NBL team. The change was met with strong scrutiny from members, fans and past legends such as
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 ...
and
Lanard Copeland
Lanard Copeland (born July 26, 1965) is an American-Australian professional basketball coach and former player. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, he played in the National Basketball League (NBL) from 1992 to 2008.
Playing career Early years
Copeland ...
, with the latter even stating he wanted his jersey "taken down from the rafters".
![Melbourne’s banners](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Melbourne%E2%80%99s_banners.jpg)
Tigers legend
Daryl Corletto returned to the franchise in 2014 after three years with the
New Zealand Breakers
The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Sky Sport Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at ...
, while
David Barlow returned after five years in Europe following the retirement of
Tommy Greer
Tommy Greer (born 29 December 1983) is an Australian former professional basketball player who is currently the CEO of the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League (NBL). Greer played college basketball for Augusta Stat ...
.
Mark Worthington,
Lucas Walker
Lucas Walker (born 6 December 1984) is an Australian basketball player for the Illawarra Hawks of the NBL1 East. He played 10 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL) between 2010 and 2020. He played college basketball for Montana State ...
and Nate Tomlinson continued on from the Tigers to United, while
Daniel Kickert
Daniel Michael Kickert (born 29 May 1983) is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played professionally for 15 seasons througho ...
joined the squad alongside imports
Jordan McRae and
Stephen Dennis. Following an 89–61 loss to the
Cairns Taipans
The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Convention Centre, known colloquially as "The ...
in the 2014–15 season opener, coach
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 ...
resigned and was replaced by his assistant
Darryl McDonald
Darryl McDonald (born 17 June 1964) is an American-Australian professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for Melbourne United of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). Nicknamed "D-Mac", he played colle ...
in the interim.
United went on to finish their inaugural season in fifth place with a 13–15 record.
In 2015, United hired
Dean Demopoulos
Dean Demopoulos (born March 29, 1954) is an American professional basketball coach. He currently serves as head coach for the Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL).
Early life
Demopoulos was born in Philadelphia, ...
as coach and acquired swingman
Todd Blanchfield
Todd Blanchfield (born 7 November 1991) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He began his NBL career in 2009 with the Townsville Crocodiles, where he played six seasons. ...
. The franchise also welcomed back
Chris Goulding
Christopher James Goulding (born 24 October 1988) is an Australian professional basketball player for Melbourne United of the National Basketball League (NBL). He made his debut in the NBL in 2006 as a development player with the Brisbane Bull ...
after he spent the 2014–15 season in Spain. With Kickert and Tomlinson continuing on, United recruited
Majok Majok
Majok Maker Majok (born 10 December 1992) is a South Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player who last played for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Ball State Cardinals for ...
alongside imports
Hakim Warrick
Hakim Hanif Warrick (born July 8, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange from 2001 to 2005. Warrick won an NCAA championship in 2003 and blocked a potential game-tying thre ...
and
Stephen Holt.
Brad Hill was signed as an injury-replacement for Barlow prior to the season after Barlow suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Melbourne went on to claim the minor premiership in 2015–16 with a first-place finish and an 18–10 record, before losing to the fourth-seeded New Zealand Breakers in the semi-finals.
In 2016, Goulding, Blanchfield, Majok and Tomlinson were joined by new recruits
Tai Wesley
Tai William Evans Wesley (born May 13, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Utah State Aggies, where he was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2011. After begi ...
and
David Andersen
David Emil Andersen (born 23 June 1980) is an Australian-Danish former professional basketball player. One of Australia's most experienced and successful players, Andersen won 12 league championships (9 European national domestic league champ ...
. Barlow also returned to the line-up after recovering from the Achilles injury. United started the 2016–17 season with imports
Cedric Jackson
Cedric Lamar Jackson (born March 5, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He played two years of college basketball for Cleveland State University, where he made a notable game-winning full-court shot against Syracuse and hel ...
,
Devin Williams and
Ramone Moore, but ultimately replaced all three mid-season with
Casper Ware
Casper Ware Jr. (born January 17, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League. He played college basketball for the Long Beach State 49ers.
College career
Prior to the start of his senior year, War ...
,
Josh Boone and
Lasan Kromah
Lasannah V. "Lasan" Kromah (born June 24, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for Fuenlabrada of the Liga ACB. He played college basketball for George Washington University and Connecticut.
High school career
Kromah attended Ele ...
respectively. While Kromah failed to make an impact, Ware and Boone led Melbourne to a late-season finals charge, only to miss out by two games.
![Dean Vickerman coaching](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Dean_Vickerman_coaching.jpg)
The 2017 off-season saw the departure of Dean Demopoulos and the hiring of
Dean Vickerman as head coach. Under Demopoulos, United underachieved due to a one-dimensional game plan and a lack of direction at the defensive end. With Vickerman came a cultural shift based around sharing the wealth offensively and leading from within.
With a returning cast of Goulding, Ware, Boone, Wesley, Andersen, Barlow and Majok, United acquired the services of
Casey Prather, a swingman coming off back-to-back championships with the
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Perth Arena, ...
. United also signed former one-time Melbourne Tiger
Daniel Dillon, but an Achilles injury to Dillon forced the team to sign
Peter Hooley in his place. United were title favourites at the start of the 2017–18 season, but fell to a 2–3 record following a loss to the
Brisbane Bullets
The Brisbane Bullets are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL) based in Brisbane, Queensland. They competed from 1979 to 2008, and returned to the league in 2016. Brisbane were one of ten NBL f ...
in Round 4. In December, Prather went down with a possible season-ending elbow injury and was replaced by
Carrick Felix
Carrick Felix (born August 17, 1990) is an American former professional basketball player. He played three years of college basketball for Arizona State before being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 33rd overall pick in the 2013 NBA dr ...
. With defensive-minded Felix in the line-up, United went 9–1.
Felix was removed from Melbourne's active roster in mid-February following Prather's return from injury. United finished the regular season as minor premiers for the second time in three years, earning a 20–8 record. They went on to sweep the Breakers in the semi-finals to reach the 2018 NBL Grand Final series. There they faced the
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...
. With the series tied at 2–2 heading into the deciding Game 5, Ware and Goulding each scored 23 points with Prather adding 19 points, 11 rebounds and five steals to lead United to a 100–82 win, as the franchise claimed their first NBL Championship under the new moniker. Goulding was named
grand final MVP.
In the
2018–19 NBL season
The 2018–19 NBL season was the 41st season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams have contested the league. The regular season had been played between October 2018 and February 2019, followed ...
, United returned to the NBL Grand Final series, where they lost 3–1 to the Perth Wildcats.
In the
2020–21 NBL season, United were crowned minor premiers with a 28–8 record behind the likes of Goulding,
Jock Landale
Jock Landale (born 25 October 1995) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Saint Mary's Gaels.
Landale was part of the Australian ...
,
Scotty Hopson
Brian Scott "Scotty" Hopson (born August 8, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers before playing professionally in Greece, Isr ...
and
Mitch McCarron
Mitchell James Robert McCarron (born 30 June 1992) is an Australian professional basketball player who plays for the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League (NBL).
College career
In 2010, McCarron attended the Australian Institute of ...
. They reached their third grand final in four years with a 2–1 semi-final series win over their crosstown rivals the
South East Melbourne Phoenix
The South East Melbourne Phoenix are an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. The Phoenix entered the National Basketball League (NBL) in the 2019–20 season. The team play the majority of their home games at Jo ...
. They went on to sweep the Perth Wildcats in the grand final series 3–0 to win their second championship as United and sixth as a franchise. Landale was named grand final MVP.
In the
2021–22 NBL season
The 2021–22 NBL season was the 44th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams are contesting in the 2021–22 season, which commenced on 3 December 2021.
Australian broadcast rights to the ...
, United were crowned minor premiers for the second year in a row.
Home arena
The Melbourne Tigers played out of their traditional home, the 2,000 seat
Albert Park Basketball Stadium from 1984–1987 before moving into the 7,200-capacity
Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre
The Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre (originally known as the Swimming and Diving Stadium and now known commercially as the AIA Vitality Centre) is a sports administration and training facility located in the Melbourne Sports and Entert ...
(more commonly known as The Glass House) in 1988. The Tigers played in The Glass House (which it shared with the
North Melbourne Giants
The North Melbourne Giants, previously known as the Coburg Giants, were an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of ...
) from 1987–1991 before they and new team
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 ...
both moved into the 14,820-seat
National Tennis Centre in 1992. The centre could hold up to 15,400 for basketball (almost 2,000 more than the
Brisbane Entertainment Centre
The Brisbane Entertainment Centre is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the Brisbane suburb of Boondall, Queensland, Australia. The centre is managed by ASM Global.
The arena has an array of seating plans which facilitate the comfort of ...
which at 13,500 had been the largest venue since 1986), easily making it the largest venue in the NBL at the time. The Tigers enjoyed success at the Tennis Centre, winning the NBL championship in 1993 and again in 1997 as well as making the Grand Final in 1992 and 1996. In 1996, the Tigers and Magic set a then NBL record attendance of 15,366 for a regular season game at the Tennis Centre, while the 1996 Grand Final series between the two Melbourne rivals set an NBL record aggregate attendance of 43,605 over the 3-game series, a record that still stands as of the
2016–17 NBL season
The 2016–17 NBL season was the 39th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2016 and February 2017, followed by a pos ...
.
Citing the rising costs of playing games at the Tennis Centre, the Tigers moved to the newly built, 10,500 capacity
Vodafone Arena (now John Cain Arena) in 2000. Located next door to the Tennis Centre, the Tigers remained at Vodafone until 2002 before they moved again into the smaller (3,500 seat)
State Netball and Hockey Centre
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* '' State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our ...
.
Since 2012, the club has split its games between John Cain Arena and the Netball Centre, but in 2015 also played games at the newly renovated
Margaret Court Arena
Margaret Court Arena is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue located in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The arena, which was built in 1987 and redeveloped in the mid-2010s, has a capacity of 7,500.
History
Originally ...
which (as part of the Melbourne Park tennis complex) had been given a retractable-roof as well as an upgrade from 6,000 to 7,500 seats. From 2016–17, Melbourne United will play most of its games at John Cain Arena with a select number of games played at the Netball Centre during January due to the
Australian Open tennis (John Cain Arena is the second largest arena at Melbourne Park).
Melbourne's all-time home game attendance record was set on 11 July 1994 when 15,129 attended a Round 14 game between the Tigers and South East Melbourne at the Tennis Centre. As Melbourne United, the team's record home attendance of 10,300 was set on 4 December 2016 against the
New Zealand Breakers
The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Sky Sport Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at ...
at Melbourne Arena during Round 9 of the
2016–17 NBL season
The 2016–17 NBL season was the 39th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2016 and February 2017, followed by a pos ...
.
*
Albert Park Basketball Stadium (1984–1987)
*
Melbourne Entertainment Centre (1988–1991)
*
Rod Laver Arena
Rod Laver Arena is a multipurpose arena located within Melbourne Park, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The arena is the main venue for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the calendar year.
History
Replacing ...
(1992–2000)
*
John Cain Arena
John Cain Arena is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located within Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the second-largest venue and show court for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam professional tenni ...
(2000–2002, 2012–present)
*
State Netball Hockey Centre (2002–2017)
*
Margaret Court Arena
Margaret Court Arena is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue located in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The arena, which was built in 1987 and redeveloped in the mid-2010s, has a capacity of 7,500.
History
Originally ...
(2014–2016)
Since 2018, United have trained and had their head offices located at the
Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre
Melbourne Sports Centres - MSAC is an international sporting venue located in Albert Park, Victoria, Australia. The centre was opened on 24 July 1997 at a construction cost of A$65 million. The cost was funded by the State Government of Victor ...
in
Albert Park.
Honour roll
Source
Melbourne United HistoryMelbourne Tigers History
Season by season
All-time records
As of the end of the 2021–22 season
Summary
Source
Melbourne United Board
Retired jerseys
Current roster
Notable past players
Preseason games against NBA teams
References
External links
*
{{Navboxes, list=
{{Melbourne Tigers 1993 NBL champions
{{Melbourne Tigers 1997 NBL champions
{{Melbourne Tigers 2005–06 NBL champions
{{Melbourne Tigers 2007–08 NBL champions
{{Melbourne United 2017–18 NBL champions
{{Melbourne United 2020–21 NBL champions
National Basketball League (Australia) teams
1931 establishments in Australia
Basketball teams established in 1931
Basketball teams in Melbourne
Sport in the City of Melbourne (LGA)