The NBL Grand Final is the championship series of the National Basketball League (NBL). The entrants are determined by the victors of the two Semi Finals series, who engage in a

best-of-five There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...

game series to determine the league champion. The winners of the Grand Final series are awarded the Dr John Raschke Trophy.

History

Prior to 1986, the NBL Grand Final was decided by a single game. From 2004 until 2009, the series was expanded to a best-of-five games. The first NBL Grand Final was played on 10 June 1979 at the Albert Park Basketball Stadium 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 ...

. The

St. Kilda Saints The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club's name originates ...

defeated the

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 thi ...

94-93 to become the inaugural NBL Champions. 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 (NBL) and play their home games at RAC Arena, known colloquially as "The Jungle". Afte ...

hold the record for most Grand Final appearances with 15 between 1987 and 2019/20. They have also won a record 10 NBL Championships. The Wildcats have not missed the

NBL Finals The National Basketball League (NBL) Finals is a tournament held at the end of each NBL season to determine the league champions. The top six teams qualify for the finals based on the regular season results. The current finals format consists ...

since 1987, a record of 35 consecutive years. No Grand Final MVP was awarded between 1981 and 1985. The

NBL Grand Final Most Valuable Player Award The National Basketball League Grand Final Most Valuable Player is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award given since the league's inaugural season to the best performing player of the Grand Final series. The winner receives the Larry ...

winner receives the Larry Sengstock Medal, which is named in honour of

Larry Sengstock Larry Sengstock (born 4 March 1960 in Maryborough, Queensland) is an Australian retired basketball player and was the CEO of Basketball Australia and the NBL until April 2012. Career Larry was born in Maryborough Qld. He was a champion swi ...

, the winner of the league's first Grand Final MVP award in 1986.

Rocky Smith Rocky Smith (born October 24, 1954) is an American retired professional basketball player. High school Born in Oroville, California, Smith graduated from Oroville High School, where he played basketball, in 1973. He was an All-Star, all four yea ...

(1980),

Leroy Loggins Leroy Loggins (born 20 December 1957) is an Australian-American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball League (NBL) from 1981 until 2001. College career Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Loggins attended F ...

(1987), Scott Fisher (1989), Chris Williams (2002/03),

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 i ...

(2005/06) and

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 ...

(2012/13) all won the Grand Final MVP and the regular season

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

awards in the same season.

Results

Grand Final Record

* Teams in bold are currently in the NBL.

References

External links

{{NBL National Basketball League (Australia) Grand finals Recurring sporting events established in 1979 1979 establishments in Australia

History

Results

Grand Final Record

See also

References

External links