# 2008–09 NBL season

The 2008–09 NBL season was the 31st season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 10 teams contested the league.

## 2008–09 league participants

| Team | Region | CEO | Coach | Home ground | Capacity |
| Adelaide 36ers | SA | Mal Hemmerling | Scott Ninnis | Distinctive Homes Dome | 8,000 |
| Cairns Taipans | QLD | Denis Keeffe | Mark Beecroft | Cairns Convention Centre | 5,300 |
| Gold Coast Blaze | QLD | David Claxton | Brendan Joyce | Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre | 5,269 |
| Melbourne Tigers | VIC | Seamus McPeake | Alan Westover | State Netball Centre | 3,500 |
| New Zealand Breakers | NZL | Richard Clarke | Andrej Lemanis | North Shore Events Centre | 4,400 |
| Perth Wildcats | WA | Nick Marvin | Conner Henry | Challenge Stadium | 4,500 |
| South Dragons | VIC | Ryan Gardiner | Brian Goorjian | Hisense Arena | 10,500 |
| Sydney Spirit | NSW | Steve Aquilina | Rob Beveridge | State Sports Centre | 5,006 |
| Townsville Crocodiles | QLD | Ian Smythe | Trevor Gleeson | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 5,257 |
| Wollongong Hawks | NSW | TBD | Eric Cooks | WIN Entertainment Centre | 6,000 |
* On 30 June 2008 the Brisbane Bullets confirmed they would be handing back the team's license to the NBL. The NBL confirmed there will be no Brisbane team participating in the 2008/09 season.
* On 2 July 2008 the NBL announced that two bids for the Sydney Kings license had failed and that there would be no second Sydney team in the 2008/09 season.
* On 29 July 2008 the Singapore Slingers announced that they had decided to withdraw from the competition permanently due to the dramatic increase in international travel costs.

## Preseason transactions

| Coach | Recruited From | Signed By |
| Phil Smyth | Adelaide 36ers | Released |
| Scott Ninnis | 36ers Academy | Adelaide 36ers |
| Scott Fisher | Perth Wildcats | Released |
| Bill Tomlinson | Sydney Kings | Sydney Kings |
| Brian Goorjian | Sydney Kings | South Dragons |
| Conner Henry | Perth Wildcats | Perth Wildcats |
| Player | Recruited From | Signed By |
| Lanard Copeland | Adelaide 36ers | Retired |
| Darryl McDonald | Melbourne Tigers | Retired |
| Jason Crowe | Gold Coast Blaze | Released |
| Nic Campbell | Gold Coast Blaze | Released |
| Jared Newson | Cairns Taipans | Released |
| Sean Lampley | Melbourne Tigers | Released |
| Galen Young | Townsville Crocodiles | Released |
| Mike Helms | Singapore Slingers | Released |
| John Philip | Wollongong Hawks | Released |
| Darren Ng | Adelaide 36ers | Singapore Slingers |
| Jacob Holmes | South Dragons | Adelaide 36ers |
| Mark Worthington | Sydney Kings | South Dragons |
| Mika Vukona | New Zealand Breakers | South Dragons |
| Daniel Johnson | Pepperdine University | Melbourne Tigers |
| Brad Hill | South Dragons | Adelaide 36ers |
| Rod Grizzard | Singapore Slingers | Melbourne Tigers |
| Jason Smith | Sydney Kings | Sydney Spirit |
| Luke Schenscher | Brose Baskets | Adelaide 36ers |
| C. J. Bruton | Brisbane Bullets | New Zealand Breakers |
| Dillon Boucher | Brisbane Bullets | New Zealand Breakers |
| Ryan Kersten | New Zealand Breakers | Adelaide 36ers |
| Sam Harris | Old Dominion | Singapore Slingers |
| Jayson Castro | Harbour Centre Batang Pier | Singapore Slingers |
| Drew Williamson | Townsville Crocodiles | West Sydney Razorbacks |
| Cameron Rigby | Wollongong Hawks | Brisbane Bullets |
| Chris Daniel | New Zealand Breakers | Singapore Slingers |
| Brad Williamson | Brisbane Bullets | Townsville Crocodiles |
| Shane Heal | South Dragons | Gold Coast Blaze |
| Paora Winitana | New Zealand Breakers | Adelaide 36ers |
| David Gruber | Frankston Blues | West Sydney Razorbacks |
| Steven Broom | Brisbane Bullets | Townsville Crocodiles |
| Darnell Hinson | West Sydney Razorbacks | Perth Wildcats |
| Darius Rice | Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants | Singapore Slingers |
| Thomas Abercrombie | Washington State | New Zealand Breakers |
| Corey Webster | Lambeth College | New Zealand Breakers |
| Rhys Martin | Brisbane Bullets | Wollongong Hawks |
| Adam Tanner | University of Denver | New Zealand Breakers |
| Glen Saville | Sydney Kings | Wollongong Hawks |
| Eric Sandrin | Ulsan Mobis Phoebus | Singapore Slingers |
| Kerry Williams | Cairns Marlins | Cairns Taipans |
| Adam Gibson | Brisbane Bullets | South Dragons |
| Stephen Weigh | University of Utah | Perth Wildcats |
| Anthony Petrie | West Sydney Razorbacks | Wollongong Hawks |
| Russell Hinder | Sydney Kings | Townsville Crocodiles |
| Ian Crosswhite | Sydney Kings | Cairns Taipans |
| Dave Thomas | Melbourne Tigers | Cairns Taipans |
| Sam Mackinnon | Brisbane Bullets | Melbourne Tigers |
| Jason Smith | Sydney Kings | Sydney Spirit |
| Isiah Victor | Sydney Kings | Perth Wildcats |
| Rhys Carter | West Sydney Razorbacks | South Dragons |
| Dusty Rychart | Brisbane Bullets | Wollongong Hawks |
| Derrick Low | Washington State | Sydney Spirit |
| Aaron Bruce | Baylor University | Adelaide 36ers |
| Steve Constanzo | Townsville Heat | Townsville Crocodiles |
| Greg Vanderjagt | Townsville Crocodiles | Gold Coast Blaze |
| James Quinn | Illawarra Hawks | Wollongong Hawks |
| Mark Tyndale | Temple University | Adelaide 36ers |
| Chris Goulding | Brisbane Bullets | Perth Wildcats |
| Cameron Tovey | Sydney Kings | Townsville Crocodiles |
| Ben Knight | Singapore Slingers | Perth Wildcats |
| Tim Labka | Bankstown Bruins | Wollongong Hawks |
| Anthony Olah | Gold Coast Goannas | Gold Coast Blaze |
| James Orr | Frankston Blues | South Dragons |
| Peter Hoban | Forestville Eagles | Adelaide 36ers |
| Zac Carter | Southern Districts Spartans | Gold Coast Blaze |
| Ebi Ere | Brisbane Bullets | Melbourne Tigers |
| Tremmell Darden | Spirou Charleroi | South Dragons |
| Daniel Dillon | University of Arizona | South Dragons |

## Mid-season transactions

| Coach | Recruited From | Signed By |
| Alan Black | Cairns Taipans | Released |
| Mark Beecroft | Cairns Taipans | Cairns Taipans |
| Player | Recruited From | Signed By |
| Tariq Naqqash | East Central University | South Dragons |
| Luke Kendall | Sydney Kings | Perth Wildcats |
| Anthony Susnjara | Keflavik | Townsville Crocodiles |
| Juaquin Hawkins | Gold Coast Blaze | Released |
| Justin Bowen | Austin Toros | Gold Coast Blaze |
| Mark Tyndale | Adelaide 36ers | Released |
| Julius Hodge | Free Agent | Adelaide 36ers |
| Cortez Groves | South Dragons | Released |
| Liam Rush | Sydney Spirit | Sundsvall Dragons |
| Larry Abney | Cairns Taipans | Released |
| Blagoj Janev | Singapore Slingers | Sydney Spirit |
| Stephen Black | Cairns Taipans | Released |
| Donta Smith | Shanxi Zhongyu | South Dragons |
| Luke Kendall | Perth Wildcats | Melbourne Tigers |
| Dave Thomas | Cairns Taipans | Melbourne Tigers |
| Rod Grizzard | Melbourne Tigers | Released |
| Julian Khazzouh | Sydney Spirit | Hanzevast Capitals |
| Shane McDonald | Singapore Slingers | Perth Wildcats |
| Julius Hodge | Adelaide 36ers | Released |
| Rod Grizzard | Melbourne Tigers | Adelaide 36ers |

## Sponsors

| Team | Major sponsor |
| Adelaide 36ers | Sprint Auto Parts |
| Cairns Taipans | Skytrans Airlines |
| Gold Coast Blaze | QDeck |
| Melbourne Tigers | OAMPS Insurance Brokers |
| New Zealand Breakers | Bartercard |
| Perth Wildcats | Saville Australia |
| South Dragons | Crazy John's |
| Townsville Crocodiles | McDonald's |
| West Sydney Razorbacks | Westbus |
| Wollongong Hawks | Australian Health Management |

## Apparel

| Team | Provider | Home colour | Away colour |
| Adelaide 36ers | Adidas | Blue | Yellow |
| Cairns Taipans | Kombat | Orange | White |
| Gold Coast Blaze | G2 Game Gear | Sky Blue | White |
| Melbourne Tigers | Kombat | Red | Yellow |
| New Zealand Breakers | SAS Sports | Black | White |
| Perth Wildcats | Hoop 2 Hoop | Red | White |
| South Dragons | Kombat | Black | White |
| Townsville Crocodiles | Kombat | Green | White |
| Sydney Spirit | Blades | Blue | White |
| Wollongong Hawks | G2 Game Gear | Red | White |

## Regular season

The 2008-09 regular season took place over 22 rounds between 13 September 2008 and 14 February 2009.

### Round 1

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 13/09/2008 | Cairns Taipans | 98–92 | South Dragons | Cairns Convention Centre | 3,830 | boxscore |
| 14/09/2008 | Sydney Spirit | 102–112 | Melbourne Tigers | State Sports Centre | 1,573 | boxscore |
| 17/09/2008 | South Dragons | 97–81 | Perth Wildcats | Hisense Arena | 3,202 | boxscore |
| 18/09/2008 | New Zealand Breakers | 114–93 | Illawarra Hawks | North Shore Events Centre | 3,492 | boxscore |
| 19/09/2008 | Adelaide 36ers | 109–82 | Townsville Crocodiles | Adelaide Arena | 4,749 | boxscore |
| 19/09/2008 | Gold Coast Blaze | 75–85 | Cairns Taipans | Gold Coast Convention Centre | 3,031 | boxscore |
| 20/09/2008 | Melbourne Tigers | 92–76 | Gold Coast Blaze | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 2,497 | boxscore |
| 20/09/2008 | Illawarra Hawks | 111–99 | Sydney Spirit | WIN Entertainment Centre | 2,834 | boxscore |
| 21/09/2008 | Perth Wildcats | 87–91 | South Dragons | Challenge Stadium | 4,400 | boxscore |

### Round 2

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 24/09/2008 | Adelaide 36ers | 99–89 | Sydney Spirit | Adelaide Arena | 4,010 | boxscore |
| 25/09/2008 | New Zealand Breakers | 120–111 | Melbourne Tigers | North Shore Events Centre | 3,751 | boxscore |
| 25/09/2008 | South Dragons | 89–91 | Townsville Crocodiles | Hisense Arena | 3,413 | boxscore |
| 26/09/2008 | Perth Wildcats | 94–80 | Gold Coast Blaze | Challenge Stadium | 4,000 | boxscore |
| 27/09/2008 | Sydney Spirit | 112–105 | Adelaide 36ers | AIS Arena | 1,322 | boxscore |
| 27/09/2008 | Townsville Crocodiles | 100–96 | Cairns Taipans | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 4,511 | boxscore |

### Round 3

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 1/10/2008 | Perth Wildcats | 105–92 | Illawarra Hawks | Challenge Stadium | 4,200 | boxscore |
| 2/10/2008 | New Zealand Breakers | 118–80 | Adelaide 36ers | North Shore Events Centre | 3,200 | boxscore |
| 2/10/2008 | Gold Coast Blaze | 90–107 | South Dragons | Gold Coast Convention Centre | 2,786 | boxscore |
| 3/10/2008 | Cairns Taipans | 77–101 | Melbourne Tigers | Cairns Convention Centre | 3,969 | boxscore |
| 4/10/2008 | Illawarra Hawks | 95–114 | South Dragons | WIN Entertainment Centre | 2,516 | boxscore |
| 4/10/2008 | Townsville Crocodiles | 97–80 | Perth Wildcats | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 4,184 | boxscore |

### Round 4

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 8/10/2008 | Melbourne Tigers | 101–105 | Perth Wildcats | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 2,074 | boxscore |
| 9/10/2008 | New Zealand Breakers | 111–122 | Cairns Taipans | North Shore Events Centre | 4,066 | boxscore |
| 10/10/2008 | Illawarra Hawks | 85–82 | Perth Wildcats | WIN Entertainment Centre | 2,338 | boxscore |
| 10/10/2008 | Gold Coast Blaze | 92–98 | Sydney Spirit | Gold Coast Convention Centre | 3,091 | boxscore |
| 11/10/2008 | Melbourne Tigers | 119–91 | Adelaide 36ers | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 2,636 | boxscore |
| 11/10/2008 | Sydney Spirit | 101–86 | Perth Wildcats | State Sports Centre | 1,624 | boxscore |

### Round 5

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 15/10/2008 | Perth Wildcats | 89–77 | Illawarra Hawks | Challenge Stadium | 3,800 | boxscore |
| 16/10/2008 | New Zealand Breakers | 120–108 | Gold Coast Blaze | North Shore Events Centre | 3,500 | boxscore |
| 17/10/2008 | Illawarra Hawks | 105–95 | Adelaide 36ers | WIN Entertainment Centre | 2,329 | boxscore |
| 17/10/2008 | Sydney Spirit | 101–106 | South Dragons | Sydney Entertainment Centre | 1,476 | boxscore |
| 17/10/2008 | Townsville Crocodiles | 93–107 | Perth Wildcats | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 4,274 | boxscore |
| 18/10/2008 | South Dragons | 108–80 | Melbourne Tigers | Hisense Arena | 9,308 | boxscore |
| 18/10/2008 | Cairns Taipans | 102–87 | Gold Coast Blaze | Cairns Convention Centre | 4,368 | boxscore |

### Round 6

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 22/10/2008 | Townsville Crocodiles | 103–101 | Sydney Spirit | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 3,858 | boxscore |
| 22/10/2008 | Cairns Taipans | 101–92 | New Zealand Breakers | Cairns Convention Centre | 3,258 | boxscore |
| 24/10/2008 | Illawarra Hawks | 98–96 | Gold Coast Blaze | WIN Entertainment Centre | 2,646 | boxscore |
| 25/10/2008 | Melbourne Tigers | 110–97 | Townsville Crocodiles | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 2,780 | boxscore |
| 25/10/2008 | South Dragons | 94–65 | Cairns Taipans | Hisense Arena | 4,200 | boxscore |
| 25/10/2008 | Gold Coast Blaze | 113–116 | New Zealand Breakers | Gold Coast Convention Centre | 3,269 | boxscore |
| 25/10/2008 | Adelaide 36ers | 93–104 | Perth Wildcats | Adelaide Arena | 5,238 | boxscore |
| 26/10/2008 | Sydney Spirit | 99–86 | Illawarra Hawks | State Sports Centre | 1,350 | boxscore |

### Round 7

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 29/10/2008 | Illawarra Hawks | 101–93 | Cairns Taipans | WIN Entertainment Centre | 1,877 | boxscore |
| 30/10/2008 | New Zealand Breakers | 103–99 | Perth Wildcats | North Shore Events Centre | 3,532 | boxscore |
| 1/11/2008 | South Dragons | 96–87 | Sydney Spirit | Hisense Arena | 3,851 | boxscore |
| 1/11/2008 | Melbourne Tigers | 123–111 | Gold Coast Blaze | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 2,074 | boxscore |
| 1/11/2008 | Cairns Taipans | 87–89 | Illawarra Hawks | Cairns Convention Centre | 3,390 | boxscore |
| 1/11/2008 | Townsville Crocodiles | 97–106 | New Zealand Breakers | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 4,212 | boxscore |
| 2/11/2008 | Adelaide 36ers | 108–76 | Sydney Spirit | Adelaide Arena | 3,890 | boxscore |

### Round 8

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 5/11/2008 | Gold Coast Blaze | 115–106 | Townsville Crocodiles | Gold Coast Convention Centre | 2,388 | boxscore |
| 6/11/2008 | New Zealand Breakers | 86–96 | Adelaide 36ers | North Shore Events Centre | 2,974 | boxscore |
| 7/11/2008 | Sydney Spirit | 80–98 | Melbourne Tigers | State Sports Centre | 1,680 | boxscore |
| 8/11/2008 | Melbourne Tigers | 84–86 | New Zealand Breakers | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 3,387 | boxscore |
| 8/11/2008 | South Dragons | 95–83 | Gold Coast Blaze | Hisense Arena | 3,812 | boxscore |
| 8/11/2008 | Adelaide 36ers | 70–71 | Cairns Taipans | Adelaide Arena | 4,565 | boxscore |
| 8/11/2008 | Perth Wildcats | 115–78 | Townsville Crocodiles | Challenge Stadium | 4,223 | boxscore |

### Round 9

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 12/11/2008 | South Dragons | 97–82 | Adelaide 36ers | Hisense Arena | 3,318 | boxscore |
| 12/11/2008 | Sydney Spirit | 115–93 | Gold Coast Blaze | State Sports Centre | 1,430 | boxscore |
| 12/11/2008 | Cairns Taipans | 81–93 | New Zealand Breakers | Cairns Convention Centre | 3,243 | boxscore |
| 14/11/2008 | Illawarra Hawks | 110–111 | Gold Coast Blaze | WIN Entertainment Centre | 2,585 | boxscore |
| 15/11/2008 | Townsville Crocodiles | 108–119 | New Zealand Breakers | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 4,152 | boxscore |
| 15/11/2008 | Perth Wildcats | 86–78 | Cairns Taipans | Challenge Stadium | 4,200 | boxscore |
| 16/11/2008 | Gold Coast Blaze | 96–108 | Adelaide 36ers | Gold Coast Convention Centre | 2,238 | boxscore |

### Round 10

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 19/11/2008 | Melbourne Tigers | 99–98 | Cairns Taipans | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 2,480 | boxscore |
| 20/11/2008 | New Zealand Breakers | 112–98 | South Dragons | North Shore Events Centre | 3,010 | boxscore |
| 21/11/2008 | Sydney Spirit | 110–108 | Adelaide 36ers | State Sports Centre | 1,456 | boxscore |
| 22/11/2008 | Townsville Crocodiles | 121–113 | Illawarra Hawks | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 4,046 | boxscore |
| 22/11/2008 | Cairns Taipans | 85–101 | Perth Wildcats | Cairns Convention Centre | 3,340 | boxscore |
| 22/11/2008 | Adelaide 36ers | 100–106 | South Dragons | Adelaide Arena | 5,358 | boxscore |

### Round 11

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 26/11/2008 | South Dragons | 102–64 | Cairns Taipans | Hisense Arena | 3,894 | boxscore |
| 26/11/2008 | Townsville Crocodiles | 113–105 | Melbourne Tigers | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 3,762 | boxscore |
| 27/11/2008 | New Zealand Breakers | 108–94 | Perth Wildcats | North Shore Events Centre | 3,062 | boxscore |
| 29/11/2008 | Sydney Spirit | 103–94 | South Dragons | State Sports Centre | 2,572 | boxscore |
| 29/11/2008 | Cairns Taipans | 90–94 | Townsville Crocodiles | Cairns Convention Centre | 3,483 | boxscore |
| 29/11/2008 | Gold Coast Blaze | 88–110 | New Zealand Breakers | Gold Coast Convention Centre | 2,551 | boxscore |
| 29/11/2008 | Adelaide 36ers | 101–96 | Illawarra Hawks | Adelaide Arena | 4,462 | boxscore |
| 29/11/2008 | Perth Wildcats | 95–108 | Melbourne Tigers | Marrara Indoor Stadium | 1,500 | boxscore |

### Round 12

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 3/12/2008 | Illawarra Hawks | 78–112 | South Dragons | WIN Entertainment Centre | 2,059 | boxscore |
| 4/12/2008 | New Zealand Breakers | 88–104 | Townsville Crocodiles | North Shore Events Centre | 3,226 | boxscore |
| 5/12/2008 | Cairns Taipans | 78–92 | Sydney Spirit | Cairns Convention Centre | 2,954 | boxscore |
| 6/12/2008 | South Dragons | 101–83 | Illawarra Hawks | Hisense Arena | 4,812 | boxscore |
| 6/12/2008 | Townsville Crocodiles | 92–87 | Sydney Spirit | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 3,807 | boxscore |
| 6/12/2008 | Adelaide 36ers | 102–94 | Melbourne Tigers | Adelaide Arena | 4,881 | boxscore |
| 7/12/2008 | Gold Coast Blaze | 129–97 | Perth Wildcats | Gold Coast Convention Centre | 2,021 | boxscore |

### Round 13

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 10/12/2008 | Adelaide 36ers | 100–79 | Townsville Crocodiles | Adelaide Arena | 4,208 | boxscore |
| 13/12/2008 | Melbourne Tigers | 98–107 | South Dragons | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 3,500 | boxscore |
| 13/12/2008 | Gold Coast Blaze | 88–97 | Cairns Taipans | Gold Coast Convention Centre | 2,489 | boxscore |
| 13/12/2008 | Townsville Crocodiles | 104–99 | Illawarra Hawks | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 3,913 | boxscore |
| 13/12/2008 | Perth Wildcats | 129–120 | Adelaide 36ers | Challenge Stadium | 4,200 | boxscore |

### Round 14

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 17/10/2008 | Gold Coast Blaze | 91–88 | Illawarra Hawks | Gold Coast Convention Centre | 2,152 | boxscore |
| 17/12/2008 | Cairns Taipans | 63–69 | Melbourne Tigers | Cairns Convention Centre | 3,746 | boxscore |
| 18/12/2008 | New Zealand Breakers | 114–70 | Sydney Spirit | North Shore Events Centre | 3,841 | boxscore |
| 20/12/2008 | Melbourne Tigers | 128–101 | Illawarra Hawks | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 3,025 | boxscore |
| 20/12/2008 | South Dragons | 88–84 | Townsville Crocodiles | Hisense Arena | 3,814 | boxscore |
| 20/12/2008 | Adelaide 36ers | 107–104 | Gold Coast Blaze | Adelaide Arena | 4,948 | boxscore |
| 20/12/2008 | Perth Wildcats | 94–118 | New Zealand Breakers | Challenge Stadium | 4,300 | boxscore |
| 21/12/2008 | Sydney Spirit | 101–90 | Townsville Crocodiles | State Sports Centre | 1,240 | boxscore |

### Round 15

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 26/12/2008 | South Dragons | 117–87 | Gold Coast Blaze | Hisense Arena | 3,898 | boxscore |
| 27/12/2008 | Illawarra Hawks | 121–117 | Sydney Spirit | WIN Entertainment Centre | 1,874 | boxscore |
| 27/12/2008 | Melbourne Tigers | 91–109 | Adelaide 36ers | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 3,097 | boxscore |
| 27/12/2008 | Perth Wildcats | 97–76 | Townsville Crocodiles | Challenge Stadium | 4,200 | boxscore |

### Round 16

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 31/12/2008 | Townsville Crocodiles | 105–95 | South Dragons | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 4,644 | boxscore |
| 31/12/2008 | Cairns Taipans | 105–112 | Illawarra Hawks | Cairns Convention Centre | 3,853 | boxscore |
| 31/12/2008 | Gold Coast Blaze | 103–94 | Adelaide 36ers | Gold Coast Convention Centre | 2,233 | boxscore |
| 2/01/2009 | Illawarra Hawks | 111–94 | New Zealand Breakers | WIN Entertainment Centre | 2,175 | boxscore |
| 3/01/2009 | South Dragons | 90–99 | Perth Wildcats | Hisense Arena | 4,069 | boxscore |
| 3/01/2009 | Sydney Spirit | 86–85 | New Zealand Breakers | Whitlam Centre | 920 | boxscore |
| 4/01/2009 | Gold Coast Blaze | 88–105 | Townsville Crocodiles | Gold Coast Convention Centre | 2,374 | boxscore |

### Round 17

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 7/01/2009 | Adelaide 36ers | 106–99 | Illawarra Hawks | Adelaide Arena | 6,307 | boxscore |
| 9/01/2009 | Perth Wildcats | 77–81 | Cairns Taipans | Challenge Stadium | 4,100 | boxscore |
| 10/01/2009 | Sydney Spirit | 88–79 | Illawarra Hawks | State Sports Centre | 1,469 | boxscore |
| 10/01/2009 | South Dragons | 115–112 | New Zealand Breakers | Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre | 1,994 | boxscore |
| 10/01/2009 | Adelaide 36ers | 107–86 | Cairns Taipans | Adelaide Arena | 5,039 | boxscore |
| 11/01/2009 | Melbourne Tigers | 108–81 | Perth Wildcats | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 2,930 | boxscore |
| 11/01/2009 | Townsville Crocodiles | 115–92 | Gold Coast Blaze | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 4,457 | boxscore |

### Round 18

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 14/01/2009 | Melbourne Tigers | 99–79 | Sydney Spirit | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 2,922 | boxscore |
| 15/01/2009 | New Zealand Breakers | 95–86 | Townsville Crocodiles | North Shore Events Centre | 3,349 | boxscore |
| 16/01/2009 | Cairns Taipans | 79–70 | Adelaide 36ers | Cairns Convention Centre | 3,679 | boxscore |
| 16/01/2009 | Gold Coast Blaze | 107–116 | Melbourne Tigers | Gold Coast Convention Centre | 2,711 | boxscore |
| 17/01/2009 | Illawarra Hawks | 94–108 | Melbourne Tigers | WIN Entertainment Centre | 2,555 | boxscore |
| 17/01/2009 | Townsville Crocodiles | 128–105 | Adelaide 36ers | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 4,349 | boxscore |
| 17/01/2009 | Perth Wildcats | 114–84 | Sydney Spirit | Challenge Stadium | 3,800 | boxscore |

### Round 19

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 21/01/2009 | Adelaide 36ers | 110–88 | Gold Coast Blaze | Adelaide Arena | 4,965 | boxscore |
| 22/01/2009 | New Zealand Breakers | 85–103 | Melbourne Tigers | North Shore Events Centre | 3,000 | boxscore |
| 24/01/2009 | Melbourne Tigers | 96–89 | New Zealand Breakers | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 2,842 | boxscore |
| 24/01/2009 | Illawarra Hawks | 95–97 | Townsville Crocodiles | WIN Entertainment Centre | 1,983 | boxscore |
| 24/01/2009 | Cairns Taipans | 89–83 | Sydney Spirit | Cairns Convention Centre | 3,407 | boxscore |
| 24/01/2009 | Perth Wildcats | 96–90 | Gold Coast Blaze | Challenge Stadium | 4,100 | boxscore |

### Round 20

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 26/01/2009 | Melbourne Tigers | 92–86 | South Dragons | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 3,500 | boxscore |
| 28/01/2009 | Sydney Spirit | 78–88 | Perth Wildcats | State Sports Centre | 1,480 | boxscore |
| 29/01/2009 | New Zealand Breakers | 94–101 | South Dragons | North Shore Events Centre | 3,200 | boxscore |
| 30/01/2009 | Illawarra Hawks | 104–113 | Melbourne Tigers | WIN Entertainment Centre | 1,525 | boxscore |
| 31/01/2009 | Townsville Crocodiles | 123–92 | Cairns Taipans | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 4,867 | boxscore |
| 31/01/2009 | Gold Coast Blaze | 139–119 | Sydney Spirit | Gold Coast Convention Centre | 2,627 | boxscore |
| 31/01/2009 | Adelaide 36ers | 107–92 | Perth Wildcats | Adelaide Arena | 5,350 | boxscore |

### Round 21

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 4/02/2009 | South Dragons | 97–77 | Adelaide 36ers | Hisense Arena | 4,621 | boxscore |
| 4/02/2009 | Sydney Spirit | 81–89 | Cairns Taipans | State Sports Centre | 920 | boxscore |
| 6/02/2009 | Illawarra Hawks | 103–98 | New Zealand Breakers | WIN Entertainment Centre | 2,740 | boxscore |
| 6/02/2009 | Townsville Crocodiles | 101–98 | South Dragons | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 4,485 | boxscore |
| 7/02/2009 | Cairns Taipans | 88–93 | Gold Coast Blaze | Cairns Convention Centre | 4,022 | boxscore |
| 7/02/2009 | Adelaide 36ers | 102–91 | New Zealand Breakers | Adelaide Arena | 8,000 | boxscore |
| 7/02/2009 | Perth Wildcats | 106–88 | Sydney Spirit | Challenge Stadium | 4,000 | boxscore |
| 8/02/2009 | South Dragons | 93–83 | Melbourne Tigers | Hisense Arena | 8,093 | boxscore |

### Round 22

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 11/02/2009 | Melbourne Tigers | 103–87 | Townsville Crocodiles | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 2,802 | boxscore |
| 12/02/2009 | New Zealand Breakers | 103–69 | Cairns Taipans | North Shore Events Centre | 3,100 | boxscore |
| 13/02/2009 | Illawarra Hawks | 102–95 | Adelaide 36ers | WIN Entertainment Centre | 5,674 | boxscore |
| 14/02/2009 | Sydney Spirit | 97–107 | New Zealand Breakers | State Sports Centre | 1,282 | boxscore |
| 14/02/2009 | Gold Coast Blaze | 114–104 | Illawarra Hawks | Gold Coast Convention Centre | 3,347 | boxscore |
| 14/02/2009 | Cairns Taipans | 80–82 | South Dragons | Cairns Convention Centre | 4,107 | boxscore |
| 14/02/2009 | Perth Wildcats | 100–86 | Melbourne Tigers | Challenge Stadium | 4,200 | boxscore |

## Ladder

| Pos | 2008–09 NBL season vte | 2008–09 NBL season vte | 2008–09 NBL season vte | 2008–09 NBL season vte | 2008–09 NBL season vte | 2008–09 NBL season vte | 2008–09 NBL season vte | 2008–09 NBL season vte | 2008–09 NBL season vte | 2008–09 NBL season vte | 2008–09 NBL season vte | 2008–09 NBL season vte |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP |
| 1 | South Dragons | 30 | 22 | 8 | 73.33% | 4–1 | W2 | 13–2 | 9–6 | 2968 | 2692 | 110.25% |
| 2 | Melbourne Tigers | 30 | 20 | 10 | 66.67% | 3–2 | L1 | 11–4 | 9–6 | 3030 | 2846 | 106.47% |
| 3 | New Zealand Breakers | 30 | 18 | 12 | 60.00% | 2–3 | W2 | 10–5 | 8–7 | 3087 | 2910 | 106.08% |
| 4 | Perth Wildcats$^1$ | 30 | 17 | 13 | 56.67% | 4–1 | W2 | 11–4 | 6–9 | 2880 | 2822 | 102.06% |
| 5 | Townsville Crocodiles$^1$ | 30 | 17 | 13 | 56.67% | 4–1 | L1 | 12–3 | 5–10 | 2956 | 2978 | 99.26% |
| 6 | Adelaide 36ers | 30 | 15 | 15 | 50.00% | 3–2 | L1 | 12–3 | 3–12 | 2956 | 2929 | 100.92% |
| 7 | Wollongong Hawks$^2$ | 30 | 11 | 19 | 36.67% | 2–3 | L1 | 9–6 | 2–13 | 2924 | 3077 | 95.03% |
| 8 | Sydney Spirit$^2$ | 30 | 11 | 19 | 36.67% | 0–5 | L8 | 9–6 | 2–13 | 2823 | 2987 | 94.51% |
| 9 | Cairns Taipans$^2$ | 30 | 11 | 19 | 36.67% | 1–4 | L3 | 5–10 | 6–9 | 2589 | 2767 | 93.57% |
| 10 | Gold Coast Blaze | 30 | 8 | 22 | 26.67% | 3–2 | W3 | 6–9 | 2–13 | 2927 | 3132 | 93.45% |
Updated to match(es) played on 14 February 2009. Source: NBL.com.au
The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the results in games played between the teams will determine order of seeding.
$^1$Perth Wildcats won Head-to-Head (3-1).
$^2$3-way Head-to-Head between Wollongong Hawks (5-2), Sydney Spirit (3-4) and Cairns Taipans (2-4).

## Finals
### Playoff bracket

| Elimination Finals | Elimination Finals | Elimination Finals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final |
| | | | 1 | South Dragons | 94 | 77 | 101 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Perth Wildcats | 96 | 5 | Townsville Crocodiles | 81 | 82 | 78 | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Townsville Crocodiles | 103 | | | | | | 1 | South Dragons | 93 | 83 | 84 | 95 | 102 |
| | | | | | | | | 2 | Melbourne Tigers | 81 | 88 | 67 | 108 | 81 |
| | | | 2 | Melbourne Tigers | 117 | 103 | X | | | | | | | |
| 3 | New Zealand Breakers | 131 | 3 | New Zealand Breakers | 99 | 97 | X | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Adelaide 36ers | 101 | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Elimination Finals

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 18/02/2009 | Perth Wildcats | 96–103 | Townsville Crocodiles | Challenge Stadium | 4,400 | boxscore |
| 19/02/2009 | New Zealand Breakers | 131–101 | Adelaide 36ers | North Shore Events Centre | 4,000 | boxscore |

### Semi-finals

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 24/02/2009 | South Dragons | 94–81 | Townsville Crocodiles | Hisense Arena | 3,613 | boxscore |
| 25/02/2009 | Melbourne Tigers | 117–99 | New Zealand Breakers | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 2,998 | boxscore |
| 26/02/2009 | Townsville Crocodiles | 82–77 | South Dragons | Townsville Entertainment Centre | 4,505 | boxscore |
| 27/02/2009 | New Zealand Breakers | 97–103 | Melbourne Tigers | North Shore Events Centre | 4,500 | boxscore |
| 28/02/2009 | South Dragons | 101–78 | Townsville Crocodiles | Hisense Arena | 3,007 | boxscore |

### Grand Final

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Boxscore |
| 4/03/2009 | South Dragons | 93–81 | Melbourne Tigers | Hisense Arena | 4,211 | boxscore |
| 6/03/2009 | Melbourne Tigers | 88–83 | South Dragons | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 3,096 | boxscore |
| 8/03/2009 | South Dragons | 84–67 | Melbourne Tigers | Hisense Arena | 8,201 | boxscore |
| 11/03/2009 | Melbourne Tigers | 108–95 | South Dragons | State Netball and Hockey Centre | 3,500 | boxscore |
| 13/03/2009 | South Dragons | 102–81 | Melbourne Tigers | Hisense Arena | 8,922 | boxscore |

## Player of the Week

| Round | Player | Team |
| 1 | Kirk Penney | New Zealand Breakers |
| 2 | Corey Williams | Townsville Crocodiles |
| 3 | Mark Worthington | South Dragons |
| 4 | Darnell Mee | Cairns Taipans |
| 5 | Joe Ingles | South Dragons |
| 6 | Luke Schenscher | Adelaide 36ers |
| 7 | Sam Mackinnon | Melbourne Tigers |
| 8 | Kirk Penney | New Zealand Breakers |
| 9 | Rick Rickert | New Zealand Breakers |
| 10 | Julius Hodge | Adelaide 36ers |
| 11 | Matthew Knight | Sydney Spirit |
| 12 | Justin Bowen | Gold Coast Blaze |
| 13 | Ian Crosswhite | Cairns Taipans |
| 14 | Tony Ronaldson | New Zealand Breakers |
| 15 | Julius Hodge | Adelaide 36ers |
| 16 | Isiah Victor | Perth Wildcats |
| 17 | Luke Schenscher | Adelaide 36ers |
| 18 | Ebi Ere | Melbourne Tigers |
| 19 | Adam Ballinger | Adelaide 36ers |
| 20 | James Harvey | Gold Coast Blaze |
| 21 | John Rillie | Townsville Crocodiles |
| 22 | Shawn Redhage | Perth Wildcats |

## Player of the Month

| Month | Player | Team |
| September/October | Kirk Penney | New Zealand Breakers |
| November | Kirk Penney | New Zealand Breakers |
| December | Julius Hodge | Adelaide 36ers |
| January/February | Luke Schenscher | Adelaide 36ers |

## Coach of the Month

| Month | Player | Team |
| September/October | Brian Goorjian | South Dragons |
| November | Andrej Lemanis | New Zealand Breakers |
| December | Scott Ninnis | Adelaide 36ers |
| January/February | Al Westover | Melbourne Tigers |

## NBL awards

* Most Valuable Player: Kirk Penney, New Zealand Breakers
* Rookie of the Year: Aaron Bruce, Adelaide 36ers
* Best Defensive Player: Adam Gibson, South Dragons
* Best Sixth Man: Phill Jones, New Zealand Breakers
* Most Improved Player: Matthew Knight, Sydney Spirit
* Coach of the Year: Brian Goorjian, South Dragons
* Finals MVP: Donta Smith, South Dragons
* All-NBL First Team:
** Kirk Penney – New Zealand Breakers
** Chris Anstey – Melbourne Tigers
** C. J. Bruton – New Zealand Breakers
** Ebi Ere – Melbourne Tigers
** Mark Worthington – South Dragons
* All-NBL Second Team:
** Corey Williams – Townsville Crocodiles
** Luke Schenscher – Adelaide 36ers
** Adam Ballinger – Adelaide 36ers
** Shawn Redhage – Perth Wildcats
** Glen Saville – Wollongong Hawks
* All-NBL Third Team:
** Matthew Knight – Sydney Spirit
** James Harvey – Gold Coast Blaze
** David Barlow – Melbourne Tigers
** Joe Ingles – South Dragons
** Adam Gibson – South Dragons

## Television coverage

* Australia – Fox Sports
* New Zealand – Maori TV

## Radio coverage

| Team | Station |
| Adelaide 36ers | 891 ABC Adelaide |
| Cairns Taipans | 4CA FM |
| Melbourne Tigers | Tiger Radio |
| New Zealand Breakers | Radio Sport |
| Perth Wildcats | SportFM |
| South Dragons | Dragons Radio |
| Townsville Crocodiles | 4TO FM |