NBL Communications

Vale Ken Cole. The NBL is saddened by the passing of Ken Cole. A member of the Basketball Australia and Adelaide 36ers Hall of Fame, Cole coached the 36ers to the 1986 NBL Championship with a team known as “The Invincibles” going 24-2 and being named Coach of the Year that same season. He also represented the Australian Boomers as a player at the 1964 Olympic Games. Ken remained a passionate supporter of the 36ers, attending numerous games this season as the club’s number one ticket holder as they pushed toward the playoffs. Our thoughts are with the Cole family and who were close to him.

Illawarra Hawks player QJ Peterson has received a formal warning following an investigation under the NBL Code of Conduct. The sanction relates to an incident involving Spark Arena facilities and an arena staff member during the New Zealand Breakers and Illawarra Hawks game on Saturday, 7 February. Peterson has been directed to provide a written apology to the staff member involved and will be required to cover any costs associated with damage to stadium facilities. The Illawarra Hawks have been formally notified.

Sydney Kings Head Coach Brian Goorjian has been fined $775 following an investigation under the NBL Code of Conduct. The sanction was determined following an on-court interaction between Goorjian and Owen Foxwell during Sunday’s game between Sydney and the South East Melbourne Phoenix. The club has been formally notified.

NBL Statement - Club Conduct: nbl.com.au/news/nbl-state…

The issues affecting the Disney+ stream have now been resolved.

The NBL is aware of the current streaming issues on Disney+, which is actively being investigated.

The NBL has issued a statement following an on-court incident during the Adelaide 36ers vs Brisbane Bullets game on January 28. Read more: bit.ly/4qWuXpi

The NBL GRP has received requests for review by the NBL Head of Referees in relation to the following players and coaches, following last night’s on-court incident (Q4, 3:02 remaining): Adelaide (ADL) Zylan Cheatham Nick Rakocevic Assistant Coach Kerry Williams Brisbane (BNE) Hunter Maldonado Terry Taylor Alex Ducas Sam McDaniel Taine Murray Casey Prather Assistant Coach Patrick Ewing Jr. Both Brisbane and Adelaide have been notified and have until 11:35pm AEDT today to submit any player and coach submissions.

An on-court incident involving multiple players occurred during tonight’s Ignite Cup game between the Brisbane Bullets and Adelaide 36ers, with 3:02 remaining in the fourth quarter. The incident has been referred to the NBL’s Game Review Panel for consideration in accordance with the NBL Tribunal Rules. Relevant parties will be notified of the next steps in the process. No further comment will be made by the NBL while the matter is under review.

The National Basketball League confirms the game between the Cairns Taipans and the Brisbane Bullets has been rescheduled to Monday, 12 January, with tip-off at 7:30pm AEDT, to be played at Cairns Convention Centre. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

NBL Statement: Game Postponed (Cairns vs Brisbane) The National Basketball League confirms Saturday’s game between the Cairns Taipans and the Brisbane Bullets at Cairns Convention Centre has been postponed due to the potential impact of a cyclone in the Cairns region. With Cairns now classified within the Warning Zone, the venue has enacted its Emergency Response Plan resulting in closure of the venue. Following consultation with local authorities and venue operators, and with the safety of all participants and the wider community paramount, the decision was made to postpone the fixture. The NBL is reviewing scheduling options for the game and will provide further updates in due course.

Due to ongoing heat conditions at Red Energy Arena, the National Basketball League confirms that quarter-time and three-quarter-time will be extended by one minute as part of the League’s standard monitoring procedures.

We’re aware of the shot clock issue affecting the game between Melbourne United and Illawarra Hawks. Our team is actively working to resolve the issue.

The National Basketball League (NBL) advises the Single Member Tribunal (SMT) has completed its hearing into the incident involving Adelaide 36ers player Nick Rakocevic that occurred during the Adelaide v Melbourne game on Friday, December 12. The SMT deemed the offence of striking as intentional conduct, medium impact, and high contact. Rakocevic has been issued with a two-game suspension, with one of those games suspended for 24 months. The NBL respects the decision of the SMT.

The Game Review Panel (GRP) has completed an assessment following an incident that occurred during Friday night’s Adelaide v Melbourne game, involving 36ers player Nick Rakocevic charged with Striking. Rakocevic was ejected from the game in the fourth quarter after commiting a disqualifying foul on United's Finn Delany. The GRP has classified Rakocevic’s conduct as intentional, high impact, and high contact. A Single Member Tribunal hearing will determine the penalty.

The National Basketball League welcomes today’s decision of the NSW Supreme Court to stay the proceedings commenced by the Illawarra Hawks and South East Melbourne Phoenix. The Court determined both clubs had breached their Licence Agreements and has permanently stayed the proceeding, and also ordered the clubs pay the NBL’s costs. The Court accepted that the purpose of the relevant provision was “to make sure that any disputes between the clubs and the NBL are resolved confidentially, not in public litigation that could damage the NBL competition as a whole”. This ruling is an important moment for the NBL, and Australian basketball. It reinforces the need for all parties to respect their contractual obligations and to act consistently within the proper governance of the League. We hope today’s decision allows all parties to move forward. The NBL remains focused on what matters most: strengthening the competition, supporting its clubs, and delivering world-class basketball to fans in Australia, New Zealand and around the world.

Please be advised that an adjustment has been made to the player statistics for the Melbourne vs Brisbane game played on Saturday, 15 November 2025. The following changes have been recorded: - BNE #8 Mitch Norton  – 1 assist added at 0:32, 4th Quarter Player season statistics have been updated accordingly.

Please be advised that an adjustment has been made to the player statistics for the Illawarra vs Melbourne game played on Wednesday, 5 November 2025. The following changes have been recorded: - ILL #6 Will Hickey – 1 FGA removed at 4:23, 4th Quarter - ILL #6 Will Hickey – 1 Off Reb removed at 4:23, 4th Quarter - MEL #2 Tyson Walker – 1 Block removed at 4:23, 4th Quarter Player season statistics have been updated accordingly.

We’re aware of technical issues affecting the broadcast of tonight’s game between the New Zealand Breakers and the Adelaide 36ers. Our team is actively working to resolve these issues.

Watch the Phoenix/Wildcats clash now via 10 📺 The NBL will be available on ESPN at the completion of the MLB World Series game.