The 2025–26 S.E. Melbourne Phoenix season was the 7th season of the franchise in the National Basketball League (NBL), and their second under the leadership of head coach Josh King.
Roster
Depth chart
Standings
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 overall points percentage will determine order of seeding.
Ladder progression
Game log
Pre-season
The 2025 NBL Blitz will run from 27 to 31 August 2025 with games being played at the AIS Arena, Canberra.
|-style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 1 | 29 August | New Zealand | L 101–109 | Jordan Hunter (21) | Lewis, Sobey (6) | Foxwell, Sobey (5) | AIS Arenan/a | 0–1 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 2 | 31 August | @ Sydney | W 81–102 | Angus Glover (20) | Nathan Sobey (9) | Owen Foxwell (9) | AIS Arenan/a | 1–1
NBLxNBA games
|-style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 1 | 5 October | @ New Orleans | | Jordan Hunter (17) | John Brown (7) | Nathan Sobey (5) | Rod Laver Arena15,164 | 0–1
Regular season
The regular season will begin on 18 September 2025. It will consist of 165 games (33 games each) spread across 22 rounds, with the final game being played on 20 February 2026.
|-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 1 | 20 September | Cairns | W 114–77 | Angus Glover (18) | Hunter, Lewis (8) | Nathan Sobey (8) | John Cain Arena5,371 | 1–0 |-style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 2 | 25 September | @ Melbourne | L 103–83 | Nathan Sobey (26) | Glover, Gak (6) | Hunter Maldonado (7) | John Cain Arena10,035 | 1–1
|-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 3 | 12 October | @ New Zealand | W 81–87 | Owen Foxwell (19) | Jordan Hunter (7) | Foxwell, Sobey (7) | Spark Arena4,520 | 2–1 |-style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 4 | 16 October | @ Adelaide | L 88–71 | Jordan Hunter (16) | Hunter, Sobey (7) | Hunter Maldonado (7) | Adelaide Entertainment Centre9,802 | 2–2 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 5 | 18 October | Illawarra | W 116–76 | Angus Glover (26) | Jordan Hunter (9) | Hunter Maldonado (9) | John Cain Arena5,615 | 3–2 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 6 | 23 October | Sydney | W 112–95 | Nathan Sobey (33) | Owen Foxwell (6) | Owen Foxwell (8) | John Cain Arena3,786 | 4–2 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 7 | 25 October | @ Brisbane | W 86–109 | Nathan Sobey (29) | Malique Lewis (8) | Hunter Maldonado (7) | Brisbane Entertainment Centre5,244 | 5–2
|-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 8 | 2 November | Perth | W 94–89 | Nathan Sobey (22) | Malique Lewis (11) | Malique Lewis (6) | John Cain Arena9,386 | 6–2 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 9 | 6 November | @ Tasmania | W 102–103 | Nathan Sobey (28) | John Brown (14) | three players (4) | Silverdome3,255 | 7–2 |-style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 10 | 8 November | Melbourne | L 81–92 | Nathan Sobey (15) | John Brown (8) | Foster, Foxwell (7) | John Cain Arena8,806 | 7–3 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 11 | 14 November | @ Cairns | W 90–101 | Angus Glover (24) | John Brown (6) | Owen Foxwell (7) | Cairns Convention Centre3,567 | 8–3 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 12 | 20 November | @ Brisbane | W 76–103 | Jordan Hunter (24) | Jordan Hunter (9) | Nathan Sobey (6) | Brisbane Entertainment Centre3,429 | 9–3 |-style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 13 | 22 November | Adelaide | L 81–94 | Nathan Sobey (26) | Jordan Hunter (12) | Wes Iwundu (6) | John Cain Arena5,906 | 9–4
|-style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 14 | 4 December | @ Illawarra | L 113–109 (OT) | Wes Iwundu (22) | John Brown (10) | Hunter Maldonado (7) | Wollongong Entertainment Centre3,432 | 9–5 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 15 | 7 December | Melbourne | W 111–86 | Nathan Sobey (25) | Akech Aliir (8) | John Brown (5) | John Cain Arena10,175 | 10–5 |-style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 16 | 10 December | Tasmania | L 81–89 | Wes Iwundu (17) | Hunter, Iwundu (8) | Wes Iwundu (4) | Gippsland Indoor Stadium1,953 | 10–6 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 17 | 13 December | New Zealand | W 92–80 | Nathan Sobey (36) | Jordan Hunter (9) | Brown, Sobey (5) | Gippsland Indoor Stadium2,581 | 11–6 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 18 | 18 December | @ Perth | W 76–77 | Jordan Hunter (18) | Jordan Hunter (8) | Nathan Sobey (5) | Perth Arena10,802 | 12–6 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 19 | 20 December | Brisbane | W 107–78 | Nathan Sobey (20) | Hunter Maldonado (5) | Nathan Sobey (8) | John Cain Arena10,175 | 13–6 |-style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 20 | 29 December | @ Tasmania | L 87–84 | Nathan Sobey (27) | John Brown (10) | Nathan Sobey (5) | Derwent Entertainment Centre4,340 | 13–7 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 21 | 31 December | @ Cairns | W 96–111 | Nathan Sobey (31) | three players (5) | Nathan Sobey (10) | Cairns Convention Centre4,870 | 14–7
|-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 22 | 5 January | @ Sydney | W 117–124 | Nathan Sobey (26) | John Brown (8) | Nathan Sobey (5) | Sydney SuperDome10,825 | 15–7 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 23 | 8 January | Illawarra | W 124–113 (OT) | Nathan Sobey (37) | Foxwell, Iwundu (7) | Owen Foxwell (6) | State Basketball Centre3,422 | 16–7 |-style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 24 | 10 January | Perth | L 97–107 | Wes Iwundu (27) | Angus Glover (7) | Nathan Sobey (8) | State Basketball Centre3,422 | 16–8 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 25 | 18 January | @ Adelaide | W 89–108 | Ian Clark (27) | Jordan Hunter (9) | Owen Foxwell (12) | Perth Arena6,953 | 17–8 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 26 | 21 January | New Zealand | W 123–116 | Ian Clark (24) | John Brown (9) | Nathan Sobey (7) | State Basketball Centre3,422 | 18–8 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 27 | 24 January | Cairns | W 118–91 | Angus Glover (22) | John Brown (8) | Nathan Sobey (9) | State Basketball Centre3,422 | 19–8 |-style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 28 | 28 January | @ Perth | L 101–93 | Nathan Sobey (28) | John Brown (14) | Wes Iwundu (4) | Perth Arena6,245 | 19–9 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 29 | 31 January | @ Adelaide | W 77–97 | Nathan Sobey (19) | John Brown (13) | Brown, Foxwell (5) | Adelaide Entertainment Centre10,047 | 20–9
|-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 30 | 5 February | @ New Zealand | W 83–114 | Ian Clark (23) | Hunter, Lewis (10) | Malique Lewis (6) | Eventfinda Stadium1,703 | 21–9 |-style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 31 | 8 February | Sydney | L 88–114 | Brown, Sobey (15) | Jordan Hunter (7) | Owen Foxwell (7) | John Cain Arena10,175 | 21–10 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 32 | 14 February | Tasmania | W 120–104 | Angus Glover (21) | Angus Glover (7) | Nathan Sobey (9) | John Cain Arena7,328 | 22–10 |-style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 33 | 19 February | @ Melbourne | L 95–91 | Nathan Sobey (29) | Nathan Sobey (7) | Malique Lewis (4) | John Cain Arena8,919 | 22–11
NBL Ignite Cup
The NBL introduced the new NBL Ignite Cup tournament for the 2025–26 season, with all games except the championship final counting towards the regular-season standings.
Postseason
|-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 1 | 4 March | Perth | W 111–94 | Nathan Sobey (24) | John Brown (8) | Nathan Sobey (7) | John Cain Arena3,891 | 1–0
|-style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 1 | 10 March | @ Adelaide | L 104–97 | Nathan Sobey (23) | Nathan Sobey (10) | Nathan Sobey (7) | Adelaide Entertainment Centre10,055 | 0–1 |-style="background:#BBF3BB;" | 2 | 14 March | Adelaide | W 101–92 | Nathan Sobey (41) | John Brown (7) | Owen Foxwell (7) | John Cain Arena5,600 | 1–1 |-style="background:#FFBBBB;" | 3 | 17 March | @ Adelaide | L 108–96 | Ian Clark (32) | John Brown (10) | Nathan Sobey (8) | Adelaide Entertainment Centre10,018 | 1–2
Transactions Free agency began on 4 April 2025. Re-signed Player Date Signed Contract Ref. Malique Lewis 11 June 2025 1-year deal
Additions Player Date Signed Contract Former team Ref. Akech Aliir 10 April 2025 1-year deal Melbourne United Daniel Foster 29 April 2025 1-year deal Nevada Wolf Pack D. J. Mitchell 15 May 2025 2-year deal (mutual option) Manchester Basketball Gorjok Gak 17 May 2025 1-year deal Tasmania JackJumpers Hunter Maldonado 5 August 2025 1-year deal Riesen Ludwigsburg Wes Iwundu 10 October 2025 2-year deal Promitheas Patras Ian Clark 27 December 2025 1-year deal Cangrejeros de Santurce
Subtractions Player Reason left Date Left New team Ref. Matt Kenyon Free agent 15 May 2025 Adelaide 36ers Vrenz Bleijenbergh Released 16 September 2025 Yukatel Merkezefendi Gorjok Gak Parted ways 18 December 2025 Sichuan Blue Whales Hunter Maldonado Released 27 December 2025 Brisbane Bullets
Awards Club awards Club MVP: Nathan Sobey Fan Voted Player of the Year: John Brown The Locker Room Award: John Brown Defensive Player of the Year: John Brown Staff Member of the Year: Simon Wigg Heartland Crew Member of the Year: Tracey Helman Life Member Award: Tommy Greer Community Impact Award: Malique Lewis
See also 2025–26 NBL season South East Melbourne Phoenix
References
External links
Official Website