Sleeping giant awakens, alarm bells for AFL and NRL

• The NBL recorded its highest figures in attendance, viewership and engagement
• Its nationwide reach is driving long term impact across Australian basketball
• The NBL’s is playing a major role in basketball’s expanding global market  

The National Basketball League (NBL) is pushing to reclaim its place in the national sporting conversation after years of limited mainstream recognition.

The sleeping giant of the 1990s is waking up.

The NBL is experiencing a wave of popularity, with the 2024-25 season marking its most successful season in terms of engagement, attendance and viewership, according to league's own statistics.

The league said it broke its 31-year record with 1,135,135 fans passing through gates throughout the regular and postseason. Broadcast viewership had significant growth, a 33% increase in the average audiences across its platforms while digital engagement also increased, 22% in social media followers and a 25% rise in website and app views.

CEO David Stevenson said this is just one step forward in the leagues long term ambitions.

“We’re far from satisfied and have an insatiable appetite and ambition to establish an even stronger and much larger impact on the Australian sporting landscape,” Stevenson said.

In 2024 Network 10 began broadcasting NBL games on its main free-to-air channel, the first time in more than a decade the league aired on a major Australian network. For Aussie basketball fans it marked the end of a long wait for consistent coverage.

Basketball has firmly established itself as one of Australia's most beloved team sports, with latest AusPlay data confirming about 1.3 million players now hitting courts across the nation.

The sport's remarkable growth in Australia places it second among team participation sports nationwide, appealing to Australians of all ages and backgrounds.

Despite participation rates, the NBL has traditionally struggled to gain media attention against the preference of media giants covering the Australian Football League (AFL) and the National Rugby League (NRL).

Former NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger reflected on the league's long battle to secure media coverage.

“It took a huge amount of effort to win back their attention,” told pickandroll.com.au.

“In order to maintain their interest, in order to sell newspapers — or more likely subscriptions these days — we have to give them a degree of exclusivity.

Domestically, the NBL is one of the best leagues at celebrating Australia’s young pool of talent and placing them on paths of success. Four Australians were selected in he 2025 NBA Draft, with three coming from the NBL system:

• Rocco Zikarsky – Pick #45 (Minnesota Timberwolves)
• Tyrese Proctor – Pick #49 (Cleveland Cavaliers)
• Alex Toohey – Pick #52 (Golden State Warriors)
• Lachlan Olbrich – Pick #55 (Los Angeles Lakers)

Australian fans are already familiar with these players having watched their development firsthand because Zikarsky, Toohey and Olbrich all played in the NBL last season.

The NBL’s player development system, led by its semi-professional NBL1 competition, is fast becoming one of the most comprehensive sporting pathways in Australia.

With more than 70 clubs across five conferences, the NBL1 covers every state and territory in Australia. The NBL1's omnipresence of the basketball scene in Australia makes it one of the most effective in transitioning semi-professional players into full time professional players.

NBL1 General Manager Dean Anglin revealed the pride he has in the success the semi-professional men's and women's league.

"We're putting them on a national stage and putting their clubs up in lights and that doesn't just happen like it was happening back in the old days of state league basketball," he said,

“To me, that says we've created a platform where the players want to play and they want to be there, so that probably makes me more proud than anything."

Unlike the NBL1, the NRL and AFL tier two equivalents only cover New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, limiting their reach. While the perception is that the NRL and AFL have a larger reach in Australia, the nationwide accessibility of the NBL1 and its involvement in youth setups tells a different story.

The job the NBL has done in promoting basketball in Australia and creating platforms for individual players and the national team to succeed sets it apart from most codes in Australia.

The ongoing success of the Australian Boomers comes in the background of a domestic league that is continuing to cultivate home talent and preserve high standards of basketball.

Culminating in the Boomers bronze medal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the NBL is setting the standards of basketball in Australia and cultivating a winning culture.

While the NRL and AFL continue to explore opportunities for international exposure, the NBL has already carved out a place on the global sporting stage.

Unlike its footy counterparts, which operate primarily in Australia, the NBL operates in a global market that competes with the likes of the NBA and the EuroLeague. The NRL has attempted to make up ground on the international stage, sending some of its games to Las Vegas.

Internationally, the NBL has a strong reputation with the global basketball community recognising its perpetual contribution of talent and competition to the basketball world.

Legendary players including 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony have praised the quality of basketball in Australia's professional league.

“I really got a deeper understanding of why this environment and why this league is arguably the second-best league in the world,” he said.

“I think it’s for the development aspect of it and the fact that there’s no other place, no other game in the rest of the world that is as close to the NBA as the NBL."

The NBL’s growing reputation as a breeding ground for the next generation of basketball superstars has made it a key player on the global stage.

The NBL is now a leading alternative to the traditional US college path to the NBA.

The competitive, high-quality basketball played in the NBL has drawn rising stars such as LaMelo Ball, Alex Sarr and RJ Hampton, viewing the NBL as the best preparation for the NBA.

The introduction of young players with untapped potential has brought a unique angle to the NBL, sparking interest from global audiences and enticing domestic basketball fans to attend games to witness the future faces of the sport on home soil.

This emphasis on youth development along with its ability to recruit former NBA players and household names, has elevated the league's appeal in a crowded sporting market.

The NBL has drawn Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Josh Childress and Montrezl Harrell, giving it global attention and an elevation in the standard of play.

Few Australian sporting codes are contributing more directly to the global success of its game than the NBL.

It’s rapid growth in popularity despite its historic absence from media reporting demonstrates just how far the league has come and how close it is to challenging the dominance of the AFL and the NRL.

Often viewed as an inferior league, the NBL has reshaped its identity through its strong nationwide footprint via the NBL1 competition and its proven ability to develop elite talent.

The NBL stands out for its unique ability to present sporting fans in Australia with a rare opportunity to witness both the best up and coming foreign talent and established household names late in their careers.

In a sporting landscape dominated by different codes, the NBL stands as Australia’s most underrated league.