The 2026 NBL1 season was the seventh season of the NBL1. The season consisted of five conferences: South, North, Central, West and East.
The fifth annual National Finals was held in Adelaide, with the North's Gold Coast Rollers men and South's Knox Raiders women crowned the NBL1 National champions.
Conference seasons The season began on 21 March for the Central Conference, 26 March for the West Conference, 27 March for the South Conference, 28 March for the East Conference, and 17 April for the North Conference. All conference finals were concluded by 16 August.
South The women's minor premiers were the Knox Raiders with an 18–4 record while the men's minor premiers were the Melbourne Tigers with a 17–5 record. Dallas Loughridge of the Casey Cavaliers was named women's MVP while Jacob Richards of the Hobart Chargers was named men's MVP.
On 17 July 2026, Kyle Adnam of the Sandringham Sabres scored 70 points in a 130–80 win over the Northern Force, breaking the all-time NBL1 scoring record.
A new top-ten finals format was introduced, taking place over four rounds across four weekends. The women's grand final saw the Knox Raiders defeat the Waverley Falcons 80–54 while the men's grand final saw the Frankston Blues defeat the Eltham Wildcats 78–75. Paige Bradley of the Knox Raiders was named women's grand final MVP while Jeremy Combs of the Frankston Blues was named men's grand final MVP.
North The women's minor premiers were the Logan Thunder with a 14–2 record while the men's minor premiers were the Cairns Marlins with a 16–0 record. Courtney Woods of the Townsville Flames was named women's MVP while Kody Stattmann of the Cairns Marlins was named men's MVP.
The top-six finals took place over three rounds across three weekends. The women's grand final series saw the Mackay Meteorettes defeat the Townsville Flames 2–1, with the Meteorettes winning 107–78 in game one, the Flames winning 82–76 in game two, and the Meteorettes winning 120–87 in game three, while the men's grand final series saw the Gold Coast Rollers defeat the Ipswich Force 2–0, with 118–85 in game one and 120–116 in game two. Cheyenne Bobongie of the Mackay Meteorettes was named women's grand final MVP while Preston Le Gassick of the Gold Coast Rollers was named men's grand final MVP.
Central The women's minor premiers were the West Adelaide Bearcats with a 17–1 record while the men's minor premiers were the Forestville Eagles with a 16–2 record. Cali Clark of the Norwood Flames was named women's MVP while Jeremy Smith of the South Adelaide Panthers was named men's MVP.
The top-five finals took place over four rounds across four weekends. The women's grand final saw the Sturt Sabres defeat the West Adelaide Bearcats 76–70 while the men's grand final saw the Forestville Eagles defeat the South Adelaide Panthers 77–58. Nicola Mathews of the Sturt Sabres was named women's grand final MVP while Alex Starling of the Forestville Eagles was named men's grand final MVP.
West
The women's minor premiers were the Cockburn Cougars with a 17–3 record while the men's minor premiers were the Geraldton Buccaneers with an 18–3 record. Jessie Edwards of the Cockburn Cougars was named women's MVP while Isaac White of the Rockingham Flames was named men's MVP.
The top-eight finals took place over four rounds across three weekends. The women's grand final saw the Warwick Senators defeat the Cockburn Cougars 102–76 while the men's grand final saw the Rockingham Flames defeat the Geraldton Buccaneers 66–62. Chloe Forster of the Warwick Senators was named women's grand final MVP while Isaac White of the Rockingham Flames was named men's grand final MVP.
East The women's minor premiers were the Norths Bears with a 20–0 record while the men's minor premiers were the Illawarra Hawks with a 16–4 record. Jaz Shelley of the Norths Bears was named women's MVP while Todd Blanchfield of the Illawarra Hawks was named men's MVP.
The top-eight finals took place over four rounds across four weekends. The women's grand final saw the Bankstown Bruins defeat the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles 90–85 while the men's grand final saw the Norths Bears defeat the Sutherland Sharks 76–64. Shyla Heal of the Bankstown Bruins was named women's grand final MVP while Fabijan Krslovic of the Norths Bears was named men's grand final MVP.
Champions summary Women ConferenceChampionResultRunner-upSouthKnox Raiders80 – 54Waverley FalconsNorthMackay Meteorettes2 – 1(107–78, 76–82, 120–87)Townsville FlamesCentralSturt Sabres76 – 70West Adelaide BearcatsWestWarwick Senators102 – 76Cockburn CougarsEastBankstown Bruins90 – 85Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Men ConferenceChampionResultRunner-upSouthFrankston Blues78 – 75Eltham WildcatsNorthGold Coast Rollers2 – 0(118–85, 120–116)Ipswich ForceCentralForestville Eagles77 – 58South Adelaide PanthersWestRockingham Flames66 – 62Geraldton BuccaneersEastNorths Bears76 – 64Sutherland Sharks
National Finals
The 2026 NBL1 National Finals took place at the State Basketball Centre in Adelaide, South Australia, from Friday 21 August to Sunday 23 August.
The 2025 defending champions, the Knox Raiders women and Canberra Gunners men, earned automatic qualification for the 2026 NBL1 National Finals. They were joined by the 2026 champions from each of the five conferences. With the Knox Raiders already guaranteed a place as defending champions, the Waverley Falcons, as the other South Conference women's grand finalist, also qualified for the National Finals.
Following the conclusion of the 10 Conference Grand Finals, the NBL1 confirmed the field and the seedings. In 2026, the NBL1 National Rankings were introduced, combining regular-season performance with conference weighting based on key measures of competition strength. The rankings were used to determine the seedings and first-round matchups for qualified teams at the National Finals.
Men's Field: NBL1 East Champions: Norths Bears (#1 seed) NBL1 Central Champions: Forestville Eagles (#2 seed) NBL1 West Champions: Rockingham Flames (#3 seed) NBL1 North Champions: Gold Coast Rollers (#4 seed) NBL1 South Champions: Frankston Blues (#5 seed) Reigning National Champions: Canberra Gunners (#6 seed)
Women's Field: Reigning National Champions / NBL1 South Champions: Knox Raiders (#1 seed) NBL1 East Champions: Bankstown Bruins (#2 seed) NBL1 South Runners Up: Waverley Falcons (#3 seed) NBL1 North Champions: Mackay Meteorettes (#4 seed) NBL1 West Champions: Warwick Senators (#5 seed) NBL1 Central Champions: Sturt Sabres (#6 seed)
The Friday games were for seeding, followed by semi-finals on Saturday and grand finals on Sunday. The day two fixture announcement saw two semi finals for both men and women, plus one consolation game in each.
In the Championship Games, the North's Gold Coast Rollers men and South's Knox Raiders women crowned the NBL1 National champions.
Day One – Friday Women Seed #3 vs Seed #4
Seed #2 vs Seed #5
Seed #1 vs Seed #6
Men Seed #1 vs Seed #5
Seed #3 vs Seed #6
Seed #2 vs Seed #4
Day Two – Saturday Women Consolation Game: 5th vs 6th
Semi Final: 1st vs 4th
Semi Final: 2nd vs 3rd
Men Semi Final: 2nd vs 3rd
Consolation Game: 5th vs 6th
Semi Final: 1st vs 4th
Day Three – Sunday Championship Games Women
Rosters
+Knox Raiders#PlayerStarters1Agnes Emma-Nnopu2Paige Burrows9Alicia Froling11Leah Santomaggio22Paige Bradley ()Reserves3Rachel Bell6Rachael Quirk8Tahlee Farrell25Erica Cid33Haliegh ReinoehlCoachCraig SimpsonBrad FarrellKaleb Foster
+Bankstown Bruins#PlayerStarters2Davida Dale4Kiahna Davis-White ()8Tahlia Tupaea ()11Shyla Heal45Margot De FreitasReserves5Shalome Dunlop6Kaila Proctor9Sienna Allie13Tara Kalivitis18Jane Dunlop24Jennifer TachejianCoachLauryn CurtinKristin BaldacchinoReuben Challis
Game summary
Men
Rosters
+Forestville Eagles#PlayerStarters15Greg Mays19Adam Doyle ()21Daniel Johnson25Fiston Ipassou32Alex StarlingReserves5Jordan Wilson7Isaac Jurecky8Boh Wilcox11Tom Vears13James Mackenzie52Ryan Girardi80Stefan GouldCoachAndrew SimonsJason DixTodd Grocke
+Gold Coast Rollers#PlayerStarters2Brodie McGregor6Boston Mazlin7Cooper Urquhart8Ashley McGrath33Tidjane Diop ()Reserves1Matthew Mckewin55Riley ObermanCoachAnthony PetriePero CameronScott McGregor
Game summary
All-Star Five Women Paige Bradley (Knox Raiders) Agnes Emma-Nnopu (Knox Raiders) Shyla Heal (Bankstown Bruins) Haliegh Reinoehl (Knox Raiders) Katelyn Shumate (Waverley Falcons)
Men Jeremy Combs (Frankston Blues) Daniel Johnson (Forestville Eagles) Blake Jones (Rockingham Flames) William Mayfield (Canberra Gunners) Boston Mazlin (Gold Coast Rollers)
References
External links 2026 NBL1 season ladders 2026 NBL1 season fixtures "'Waste of time': Cadee puts NBL1 National Finals on blast" at basketball.com.au "Missing in action: Top stars out for NBL1 National Finals" at basketball.com.au