National Wheelchair Basketball League (Australia)

The National Wheelchair Basketball League (NWBL) is Australia's premier male wheelchair basketball league. It was established in 1988.^[1]

The competition seasons in 2020 and 2021 were not completed due to the COVID-19 pandemic with no team declared the winner for either season.^[2][3] The 2023 Season was replaced with a Tournament style format which was not part of the NWBL.^[4]

In 2024 Basketball Australia announced the formation of Wheelchair Basketball Australia to manage the Mens and Womens National Wheelchair Basketball Leagues in Australia, with the NWBL and WNWBL competitions to re-commence.^[5]

Games are played in accordance with International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Rules^[6] with some minor variations:^[7]

• While the NWBL is a predominantly Male competition, the league also permits Female players.

• Players are classified in accordance with IWBF procedures, except that teams can apply to Wheelchair Basketball Australia for certain players to be "Red Card Players". The following players are eligible to be Red Card Players:
  • Rookie Players (First Season in NWBL)
  • Junior Players (Under 23 Years of age as at the end of the playing year)
  • Female Players

(Junior or Rookie players who have represented their country at an international competition are not eligible for a Red Card.)

• Each team may have up to 14 Points on the court at any one time, except that for each Red Card Player teams may have 1 additional point on the court (up to a maximum of 2 additional points). Teams may not have two 4.5 point players on the court at once (unless one is a Red Card Player).

In 2024, each team will play each other team 3 times in the Season with the top 4 teams playing in the Finals Weekend at one venue.

• Aussie Spinners
• Dandenong Rangers
• Kilsyth Cobras
• Queensland Spinning Bullets
• Sydney Comets
• Sydney Metro Blue Hornets
• West Sydney Slix
• West Sydney Razorbacks

• Official website