The National Basketball League Cup, often shortened to the NBL Cup is an annual cup competition for the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).

History

On 21 December 2020 the Australian National Basketball League established the first NBL Cup to be held in Melbourne,

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, Seyche ...

. All nine NBL teams will take part in this tournament from 20 February to 14 March as part of a month-long basketball extravaganza. All 36 games will be mostly played 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 tennis ...

(formerly Melbourne Arena) and some other games to be played at the

State Basketball Centre The State Basketball Centre is a sports arena located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia which is mainly used for basketball. However, the centre has been used for several other events. The stadium features six courts, including one basketball s ...

Wantirna South Wantirna South is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 25 km east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Knox local government area. Wantirna South recorded a population of 20,754 at the 2021 census. ...

, Melbourne. The 36 games will count towards the

2020–21 NBL season The 2020–21 NBL season was the 43rd season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of nine teams contested in the 2020–21 season. The regular season was played between January and June 2021, followed by a p ...

and, in a first for the league, will also decide the winner of the inaugural NBL Cup with total prize money of $300,000. Every team will play each other once and the team with the most points at the end of the 36 games will be awarded the NBL Cup and $150,000 in prize money. If teams finish equal on points, then the team with the most wins will be declared the winner. The runner-up will receive $100,000 and third place $50,000. All nine NBL teams will move to the Melbourne Hub to contest the

2021 NBL Cup 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length&nb ...

. The NBL's intention, subject to COVID and scheduling issues, is for teams to host their customary 14 home games during the regular season, over and above the games played in the NBL Melbourne Hub. The only planned exception will be 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 ...

, who will start their season in Australia and hopefully return to New Zealand as soon as borders allow for home and away games. All 36 games played in the NBL Melbourne Hub will count towards the teams’ overall season record in accordance with standard ladder methodology. In addition, teams will compete for the NBL Cup, with three points awarded for a win and an extra point awarded for each quarter won and half a point with even quarters across the 36 games held. At the completion of the NBL Melbourne Hub, clubs will return to their respective home venues and complete the remainder of the home and away regular season. On 14 March 2021 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". Aft ...

won the inaugural

with a 7–1 record in eight games played.

Bryce Cotton Bryce Jiron Cotton (born August 11, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Providence Friars, where he was a two-time first-team Al ...

led all scorers with 26.9 points and teammate John Mooney led all rebounds with 12.3 per game.

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 ...

rookie

Josh Giddey Joshua Giddey (born 10 October, 2002) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Thunder with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. Gi ...

led all assists with 7.4 per game. In the 2021–22 season, the NBL returned to their normal format of 28 games with no midseason tournament.

Format

Every team in this tournament will play each other once (8 games each). The team with the most points at the end of this tournament will win the NBL Cup. All teams can get 3 points for a win, 1 point for each quarter won and for even quarters only half a point. If teams have the same number of points at the end of this tournament, then the team with the most number of wins would be the winner. If multiple teams have the same number of wins then the best points For and Against would be declared the winner. If the teams have the same plus minus record then the team with the most points For will be declared the winner. The NBL Cup will be presented to the winning team at the conclusion of this tournament.

Finals

Titles by team

References

External links