New Zealand’s National Basketball League next year gets to celebrate its 40th season – and following the New Zealand men’s recent Showdown performance, says it fully expects a slam-dunk 2021.
The Kiwi men’s NBL gets to look forward to a 10-team home-and-away competition scheduled to be played next year. Rivals headed for the competition include Southland Sharks, Wellington Saints, and the Hake’s Bay Hawks. Interestingly enough, the mentioned three sides – one of which happens to be 11-time champions – all sat out the recently-concluded Showdown event, leaving only seven teams in play. The competition was played at Auckland’ Trusts Arena spanning six weeks across June-July this year.
The seven sides set to join the Hawks, the Saints, and the Sharks in next year’s championships are: the Auckland Huskies, Taranaki Mountain Airs, Nelson Giants, Franklin Bulls, Canterbury Rams, Manawatu Jets, and defending champions the Otago Nuggets.
NBL General Manager Justin Nelson has been making no secret of the fact that he wants the NZ league’s 40th season to be a season regarded worthy of a celebration of the NBL’s longevity as one of New Zealand sport’s great survivors. Also in celebration of the NBL’s 40th birthday, will be the league’s planned naming of its all-time top 40 players from the last 40 years.
Due to obvious challenges associated with the ongoing global health crisis, all players interested in competing in the 2021 NBA will be required to register themselves “free agent” from November 1st. The free agency period will officially open on November 16.
| # | Site | Bonus | Bet | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Betway |  | 5/5 | Up to $60 NZD | Bet now Review |
| 2 |  | Picklebet | | 4.9/5 | Login to see promotions | Bet now |
| 3 |  | Palmerbet | | 4.8/5 | 100% Match | Bet now |
More About Trent Wilson
Trent Wilson is OnlineBetting.nz’s resident sports news expert. He draws on his extensive sporting knowledge, his qualification in sports management and his passion for betting to provide the latest, most up to date information on sporting events in New Zealand and across the globe. Trent is a veritable treasure trove of sports information and has been betting online for several years. He prides himself in keeping his readers informed, and in always offering an unbiased standpoint that reflects exactly what’s going on in the sports world.
View Posts - Visit WebsiteYou May Also Like:
LaMarcus Alridge Makes Shock Announcement
NBA star and Brooklyn Nets cornerstone player LaMarcus Alridge on Thursday announced his retirement from career sport. According to the top player, he suffered from an irregular heart-rate during his last game with the Nets, and that this was one of the scariest moments he had ever experienced. Alridge issued ….
Alex Pledger Diagnosed With Cancer
Former Tall Blacks centre Alex Pledger says he’ll fight his recently revealed cancer diagnoses with everything he’s got. Pledger has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer and confirmed via a media statement that he is currently in hospital to undergo radiation treatment. Pledger also shared a basic timeline of his diagnoses ….
Pompallier New Sky Sport Breakers Asst. Coach
Chanel Pompallier is the latest addition to the Sky Sports Breakers professional Basketball team. She’s joining the ranks as an Assistant Coach and in so doing is becoming the first-ever female Coach in the Australia National Basketball League club’s history. She will soon start working alongside Dan Shamir, Director of ….
Hampton Leaves NZ Breakers for NBA
RJ Hampton, the guard for the New Zealand Breakers, is leaving to start preparations for the NBA draft which commences on the 25th of June 2020. His time with the club is over, and he won’t be seeing what remains of the season. Instead, He’ll be heading home to the ….
Loe Seriously Injured in Breakers Game
With scouts from the United States of America’s National Basketball Association present in the more than 8 000-strong audience at the Spark Arena in Auckland, RJ Hampton bested his fellow NBA prospect LaMelo Ball in their season’s first meeting. He went on to lead the New Zealand breakers to a ….