NBL1 West
| Most recent season or competition: 2026 NBL1 West season | |
 | |
| Formerly | State Basketball League 1989–2020 |
|---|---|
| Sport | Basketball |
| Founded | 1989 |
| First season | 1989 |
| No. of teams | W: 13 M: 14 |
| Country | Australia |
| Continent | FIBA Oceania (Oceania) |
Most recent champions | W: Warwick Senators (3rd title) M: Rockingham Flames (2nd title) |
| Most titles | W: Willetton Tigers (9 titles) M: Perry Lakes Hawks (7 titles) |
| Website | NBL1.com.au/West |
NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball League (NBL) to bring NBL1 to Western Australia. NBL1 replaced the former SBL to create more professional pathways and opportunities for males and females playing basketball in Western Australia. As a result, the SBL became the west conference of NBL1.
History
The State Basketball League originated in 1972 as the District Competition.[1] The District Competition was introduced by the Western Australian Basketball Federation (WABF) as an 'elite' competition held on Friday nights, featuring eight Perth-based associations from the prominent districts of Perth, Swan Districts, Tangney/Willetton, Subiaco, East Perth, Cockburn, Stirling, and Claremont.[2]
In 1987, plans were put in place to expand the competition and include several country teams. In 1988, it was decided to form a State Basketball League for both men and women, and in 1989 the SBL made its debut season with three new franchises established in country areas: Rainbow Coast Raiders from Albany, Batavia Buccaneers from Geraldton, and Souwest Slammers from Bunbury.[1] Kanyana Kings from Mandurah and Goldfields Giants from Kalgoorlie joined in 1990.[3]
In 2017, the SBL shifted to the 40-minute game format in-line with FIBA, with games consisting of ten minute quarters as opposed to the twelve minute quarters under the previous 48-minute format.[4]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 SBL season was cancelled and later replaced by the amateur-based West Coast Classic.[5][6]
In October 2020, Basketball Western Australia and the National Basketball League (NBL) announced a new partnership to bring NBL1 to Western Australia in 2021, with NBL1 replacing the SBL. The SBL was officially renamed NBL1 West and became the west conference of NBL1.[7][8]
In 2024, an NBL1 West record grand final crowd – also a national record – of 6,460 attended RAC Arena. The 2024 men's grand final set a national viewership record of 333,865 minutes watched. In 2025, the NBL1 West led all NBL1 conferences in streaming numbers,[9] with the men's grand final being the most-viewed NBL1 match in 2025.[10]
In March 2026, it was announced that a Geraldton Buccaneers women's team would enter the 2027 NBL1 West season.[11]
Current clubs
- a Known as Wanneroo Wolves from 1989 to 2013.
- b Known as Kanyana Kings from 1990 to 1993, and Mandurah Kings from 1994 to 1995.
- c Known as Souwest Slammers from 1989 to 1994, Bunbury City Slammers from 1995 to 2004, and Bunbury Slammers from 2005 to 2008.
- d Known as Stirling Senators from 1989 to 2018
- e Folded in 2008
Former clubs
| Team | Location | Arena | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
 Rainbow Coast Raiders[a] |
Albany | Albany Sports Centre | Men: 1989–1999 Women: 1992–1994 |
 Swan City Mustangs |
Midvale, City of Swan | Swan Park Leisure Centre | 1989–1996; 1999–2003 |
 WAIS Warriors |
Mount Claremont, Town of Claremont Crawley, City of Perth |
Superdrome University of Western Australia |
Men: 1989–1991 |
- a Known as Albany Raiders from 1996-1997, and Great Southern Raiders in 1998.
League championships
The Willetton Tigers have won the most championships in the women's competition with 9 Grand Final wins, while the Perry Lakes Hawks have won the most championships in the men's competition with 7 Grand Final wins. The Hawks women have also amassed seven titles, making Perry Lakes the most successful club in league history with a total of 14 championships.
| Women | Men | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams |  | Year(s) won | Teams | | Year(s) won |
| Willetton Tigers | 9 | 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2021 | Perry Lakes Hawks | 7 | 1994, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2018, 2021 |
| Perry Lakes Hawks | 7 | 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2017 | Perth Redbacks | 4 | 1989, 1990, 1997, 2017 |
| Joondalup Wolves | 4 | 1990, 1992, 1995, 2013 | South West Slammers | 4 | 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 |
| Rockingham Flames | 4 | 2014, 2015, 2019, 2024 | Geraldton Buccaneers | 4 | 2000, 2019, 2023, 2025 |
| Swan City Mustangs† | 3 | 1991, 1993, 1996 | Lakeside Lightning | 4 | 2005, 2006, 2009, 2013 |
| Warwick Senators | 3 | 1994, 2022, 2026 | Cockburn Cougars | 3 | 1992, 2012, 2016 |
| Perth Redbacks | 2 | 1989, 2000 | Joondalup Wolves | 3 | 1993, 2011, 2015 |
| Lakeside Lightning | 2 | 2006, 2018 | Goldfields Giants | 2 | 2007, 2008 |
| Cockburn Cougars | 2 | 2023, 2025 | Rockingham Flames | 2 | 2022, 2026 |
| South West Slammers | 1 | 2012 | Swan City Mustangs† | 1 | 1991 |
| Willetton Tigers | 1 | 2010 | |||
| East Perth Eagles | 1 | 2014 | |||
| Mandurah Magic | 1 | 2024 | |||
| † indicates club is not a current member of NBL1 West | |||||
See also
References
- 1 2 McDonald's State Basketball League Handbook 1989. Western Australian Basketball Federation (Inc.). 1989. pp. 7–9.
- ↑ Pekin, Lyndsay (29 September 2009). "Perry Lakes Hawks to Farewell Home Stadium - Perry Lakes Hawks". GameDay. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
- ↑ "History of the Buccs". GeraldtonBuccaneers.com.au. Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
- ↑ "SBL Moves to 40 Minute Game Format". SBL.asn.au. 12 October 2016. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020.
- ↑ Garlepp, Josh (12 June 2020). "West Coast Classic tournament replaces SBL for 2020". The West Australian. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
- ↑ "Classic opportunity for lesser lights: Buccs boss". Geraldton Guardian. 21 June 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "NBL1 West to tip off in 2021". NBL1.com.au. 30 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- ↑ Garlepp, Josh (30 October 2020). "State Basketball League to become NBL 1 West as WA clubs agree to unite under national second-tier banner". The West Australian. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- ↑ Fris, Justin (21 August 2025). "WA basketball continues growth, as RAC Arena prepares for NBL1 West grand final". Business News. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ↑ Fris, Justin (14 August 2026). "Big crowd, atmosphere tipped for NBL1 West deciders". Business News. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Geraldton Buccaneers Women edge closer to entering NBL1 in 2027". NBL1.com.au. 14 March 2026. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
External links
