NBL to launch In-Season Tournament for 2025-26 season

The National Basketball League is taking a significant step forward in its basketball calendar with plans to introduce an exciting in-season tournament for the 2025-26 season, reports ESPN.

The new in-season tournament will add 20 games to the NBL regular season schedule, according to sources close to the league. These games will count toward each team's regular season record, creating meaningful competition from the outset.

Tournament Structure and Format

Set to begin in Round 4 of the 2025-26 season, the tournament will feature games scheduled exclusively for Wednesday evenings, creating a dedicated midweek showcase for basketball fans across Australia.

The format introduces an innovative scoring system designed to reward consistent performance. Teams will receive:

• One point for each quarter they win
• Three points for winning the entire game

This system creates excitement throughout each contest, as every quarter becomes its own mini-battle with points at stake. Teams that might be trailing on the scoreboard still have incentive to fight for individual quarters, keeping games competitive from start to finish.

Each team will play a balanced schedule of four games during the tournament phase – two at home and two on the road – ensuring fair competition and ample opportunity for fans across the country to experience tournament action in person.

The tournament will reach its climax with a Grand Final in February. The two highest-ranked teams based on accumulated points will advance to this showcase event, which will coincide with the Andrew Gaze MVP and Awards night.

The Grand Final will stand apart from the regular season – unlike the preliminary tournament games, the championship match will not count toward regular season standings. This creates a true knockout final with nothing at stake but the trophy and prize money designated for the winner.

By pairing the Grand Final with the league's prestigious awards night, the NBL will create a celebration of basketball excellence, recognising both individual achievement and team success on the same stage.

The NBL's move follows a similar innovation by the NBA, which introduced its own in-season tournament – the NBA Cup – ahead of the 2023-24 season. The NBA's tournament has been widely praised for creating high-intensity games during the regular season and offering teams an additional championship opportunity.

The introduction of the in-season tournament represents part of a broader expansion of the NBL calendar. Combined with the continuation of HoopsFest, the changes will increase each team's regular season schedule from 29 games in previous seasons to 33 games for the 2025-26 campaign.

With four additional games per team, the NBL is making a substantial commitment to growing the sport while providing value to basketball followers around the country.

Preseason Movement: Blitz Heads to Canberra

In addition to the in-season tournament news, sources indicate the NBL is also finalising plans to hold the 2025 NBL Blitz in Canberra. This marks a change from the previous two years when the league's preseason tournament was hosted on the Gold Coast.

The tentative start date for the Blitz is August 28, 2025, giving fans in the nation's capital an opportunity to see all NBL teams in action before the regular season begins.

This move continues the NBL's strategy of taking elite basketball to different regions across Australia. Canberra, with its strong basketball community but no current NBL franchise, represents an ideal location to showcase their potential to the league of reacquiring a team.

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