How long since your team won an NBL Championship?

There have been long spells of domination from a number of NBL teams throughout the history of the league. But it is always interesting to see when the last time a team secured glory for their fans and for their club.

Adelaide 36ers - 23 Years

The 36ers have won the league on 4 occasions since they were founded in 1982. Their first win was in 1986 with a 12 year wait until the first of their back to back Championship years in 1998 and 1999. They last captured the Championship Trophy in 2002 meaning it is coming up to 23 years this year since the lone South Australian team has topped the league.

Brisbane Bullets - 18 Years

The Bullets have 3 Championship banners to their name. They competed in 4 straight series between 1984 and 1987 winning 2 titles in 1985 and 1987. Their most recent success was in 2007 a year before the Brisbane team were shut down due to their owner hitting financial struggles. They re-entered the league in 2016 but have yet to feature in another Championship Series.

Cairns Taipans - Never

Cairns entered the league 25 years ago for the 1999 season and are yet to hoist a Championship Trophy. They have been involved in 2 Championship Series in 2011 and 2015 but lost both campaigns to the New Zealand Breakers.

Illawarra Hawks - 24 Years

The Hawks have had a tumultuous past going through different phases of team names through their 45 year history. Their lone title was in 2001 against the now defunct Townsville franchise but the team has returned to the big stage on 3 occasions in 2005, 2010 and 2017 all resulting in losses.

Melbourne United - 4 Years

Melbourne United are the second most successful franchise in the history of the NBL. They have won 6 championships, 4 as the Melbourne Tigers and a further 2 as Melbourne United. Their most recent foray into a Grand Final series was the 2024 loss to the Tasmania JackJumpers with their most recent Championship victory coming in 2021 against the Perth Wildcats.

New Zealand Breakers - 10 Years

The Breakers rank 5th among all teams for Championships having won a total of 4 since their inception into the league in 2003. It makes them one of the most successful franchises given their relatively short time in the competition.

New Zealand won three straight NBL titles 2011, 2012 and 2013 before hopping over to 2015 for their most recent Grand Final victory. They then went on to lose in 2016 as well as 7 years later in 2023.

Perth Wildcats - 5 Years

Perth are the most successful club in NBL history with a total of 10 Championships to their name. They have partaken in 16 Championship series (10-6) over their 42 year history dating back to 1982 when they were called the Westate Wildcats.

The Wildcats took back to back victories in the 2016 and 2017 seasons as well as the 2019 and 2020 seasons which was their most recent taste of glory.

South East Melbourne Phoenix - Never

The Phoenix are also yet to lift a Championship trophy as one of the newer expansion teams in the league. During their 6 years in the league since 2018 they are still to feature in a Grand Final series, the furthest they have come being a Semi Finals loss to cross-town rivals Melbourne United in the 2020-2021 season.

Sydney Kings - 2 Years

The Kings are one of the most famous teams in the NBL and rank 3rd in Championship wins with 5 total victories since they joined in for the 1988 season. The club spent two years out of the league between 2008-2010 due to financial difficulties but have since been a stalwart collecting 2 trophies since being re-instated. Their most recent Grand Final victories came in back to back years, first in 2022 against Tassie then 2023 against the New Zealand Breakers.

Tasmania JackJumpers - 1 Year

The JackJumpers are the newest team in the NBL only joining in the 2021-22 season. They are also the most recent champions taking their maiden Championship in NBL24 with a 3-2 series win over Melbourne United.

The win followed a loss in their first outing in a finals series in 2022 where they went down to the Sydney Kings.