Magnificent 7: Biggest must-see games of NBL26

• Listed: All 165 games of the 2025-26 NBL season
• 2025-26 NBL Team Lists and Roster Tracker
• Is the hardcore SuperCoach NBL beating justified?

Bryce Cotton vs the Perth Wildcats should have been the most unmissable first game of the NBL26 season but Kendric Davis and Montrezl Harrell said ... hold my beer!

As far as controversy goes, Davis criticism and Harrell's blistering rebuttal make the Sydney Kings vs Adelaide 36ers absolutely must-see TV.

Davis' reception in Adelaide is going to be noisy!

1. Kendric Davis vs Montrezl Harrell and Adelaide 36ers

Extra spice! Kendric Davis slammed his poor treatment by the 36ers after NBL25 only for star import Montrezl Harrell to fire back — brutally. Davis said: "It's no secret, like I felt like I was treated bad. And when they wanted to treat me good, it was because of the mark I made. So yeah, I got extra spice for that. I hate some things that went on in Adelaide."

Harrell was having none of it last week: "It's bullsh*t ... It's bullsh*t. Nobody did KD wrong. Bro, you sound like a bitter ex. Move (expletive) on, bro. Every time you get in front of a camera or a microphone why is Adelaide the first thing you got to say. You literally were too childish for us to accomplish what we wanted to last year.

“I ain’t going to go into depth on everything you did to players … (but it got) to the point where nobody wanted to be around you, bro,” Harrell said.

“Every day you blew up with somebody.

“I told him I was done with him … you want to belittle somebody else on the team and that’s not the right way to do things, bro.”

Saturday, October 11 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre at 7.30pm can't come soon enough. It will be Davis who heads into enemy territory with new teammates, including Matthew Dellavedova and Xavier Cooks to try and take down Cotton and his former running mates in Montrezl Harrell and Dejan Vasiljevic.

Fireworks are guaranteed!

2. Bryce Cotton vs Perth Wildcats

Who would have thought Bryce Cotton would ever be on the same court as the Perth Wildcats but as an opponent?

After arguably the biggest free agency signing in NBL history, the five-time MVP will take on the team he won three titles with and spent nine seasons with for the first time at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Sunday, November 9.

It will be the first time Cotton will line-up against the likes of Jesse Wagstaff and other teammates and this time, the 36ers fans will be on his side for a change.

3. Cotton's return to The Jungle

They cheered him on for the best part of a decade but the Red Army will see Bryce Cotton in action as an opponent fir the first time at RAC Arena in Round 8 on December 7.

His return to Perth will come almost a month after his first clash against the Wildcats but after so much controversy surrounding his move to Adelaide in the offseason, including The West Australian labelling him as 'The Lying King', what will be the response from Wildcats fans when Cotton hits the court in a 36ers uniform.

RAC Arena is a place where Cotton has produced some of the most iconic moments in NBL history — from his memorable moment with Corey 'Homicide' Williams in commentary, to dominant performances in the championship series and eclipsing the 50-point mark against the New Zealand Breakers last season.

Now his return will be one of the most anticipated returns in the history of the league.

4. Grand Final rematch: Illawarra Hawks and Melbourne United

After a blockbuster five-game series to decide the NBL25 championship, the Illawarra Hawks and Melbourne United will do it all again at the place where the series ended at the WIN Entertainment Centre on November 5.

The Hawks would have already hung up their second championship banner but it will be two different rosters going at each other this season in the grand final rematch.

Illawarra are expected to make some minor adjustments to their roster for the upcoming season, while Melbourne have completely transformed their team following the departure of Matthew Dellavedova and addition of Tasmania JackJumpers star Milton Doyle.

And while they will be different outfits this season, the core of United, led by coach Dean Vickerman and superstar Chris Goulding will be looking for some revenge.

5. The Throwdown is back!

Round 1 will see another edition of The Throwdown rivalry between Melbourne United and South East Melbourne Phoenix.

In its short history, the rivalry between the Melbourne teams have produced some iconic moments — enter Mitch Creek's thunderous poster on Matthew Dellavedova -and the teams will have the chance to add to that on Thursday, September 25 at John Cain Arena.

Add to it, last season's rejuvenation of the Phoenix under Josh King and Melbourne United hellbent on going one step further than last season and this will be one contest to watch to start the season.

6. Delly back at John Cain Arena

He spent three seasons with United, including two runs to the championship series, and while they missed out on both championships during his time in Melbourne, Matthew Dellavedova was a fan favourite at John Cain Arena.

It's why he headlines another major return this upcoming season when he dons the Sydney Kings jersey against United in Melbourne for the first time.

But surprisingly, the contest will be on a Monday night on November 3 from 7.30pm. A unique piece of scheduling for such a big game but there's no doubt the United fans will turn up to see the Australian basketball legend take on his former team.

7. Forde leading the Taipans into Sunshine Stoush

We thought he was gone but Adam Forde is back at the helm of the Cairns Taipans and following reports of private ownership taking over the NBL club, he may have some more resources at his disposal than he previously had in North Queensland.

Forde's first game back in charge of the Taipans will be when they host their Queensland rivals, in the Brisbane Bullets, at the Cairns Convention Centre.

We don't even need to go through what has happened, some things may include Forde himself, but the Sunshine Stoush has been known to be... spicy! And September 26 will be no different.

Additional reporting Brayden Heslehurst