# 2022–23 NBL season

The 2022–23 NBL season was the 45th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams contested in the 2022–23 season.
Australian broadcast rights to the season are held by ESPN in the second season of a three-year deal. All games are available live on ESPN and the streaming platform Kayo Sports. Network 10 will broadcast two Sunday afternoon games on 10 Peach and 10 Play. In New Zealand, Sky Sport continue as the official league broadcaster.
The 2022–23 season saw a return to the traditional October start after two straight condensed seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Sydney Kings won their second consecutive championship after beating the New Zealand Breakers in the Grand Final, 3–2.

## Teams

All ten teams from the 2021–22 NBL season continued on in 2022–23. The New Zealand Breakers returned to a regular home-and-away schedule after spending the majority of the previous two seasons based in Australia due to Covid-related travel restrictions.

### Stadiums and locations

| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Adelaide 36ers | Adelaide | Adelaide Entertainment Centre | 11,300 |
| Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane | Nissan Arena | 5,000 |
| Cairns Taipans | Cairns | Cairns Convention Centre | 5,300 |
| Illawarra Hawks | Wollongong | WIN Entertainment Centre | 6,000 |
| Melbourne United | Melbourne | John Cain Arena | 10,500 |
| New Zealand Breakers | Auckland | Spark Arena | 9,300 |
| Perth Wildcats | Perth | RAC Arena | 14,800 |
| S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | Melbourne | John Cain Arena | 10,500 |
| S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | Melbourne | State Basketball Centre | 3,200 |
| Sydney Kings | Sydney | Qudos Bank Arena | 18,200 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | Hobart | MyState Bank Arena | 4,865 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | Launceston | Silverdome | 3,255 |

### Personnel and sponsorship

| Team | Coach | Captain | Main sponsor | Kit manufacturer |
| Adelaide 36ers | C. J. Bruton | Mitch McCarron | Walker Corporation | Champion |
| Brisbane Bullets | Greg Vanderjagt | Aron Baynes | St. Genevieve | Champion |
| Cairns Taipans | Adam Forde | Tahjere McCall | CQUniversity | Champion |
| Illawarra Hawks | Jacob Jackomas | Sam Froling Tyler Harvey | Multi Civil and Rail | Champion |
| Melbourne United | Dean Vickerman | Chris Goulding | DoorDash | Champion |
| New Zealand Breakers | Mody Maor | Thomas Abercrombie | Sky Sport | Champion |
| Perth Wildcats | John Rillie | Jesse Wagstaff | Pentanet | Champion |
| S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | Simon Mitchell | Kyle Adnam Ryan Broekhoff Mitch Creek | Mountain Goat Beer | Champion |
| Sydney Kings | Chase Buford | Xavier Cooks | Hostplus | Champion |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | Scott Roth | Clint Steindl | Spirit of Tasmania | Champion |

### Player transactions

Free agency began on 20 May 2022, due to the late finish of the 2021–22 season which had been delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic.

### Head coaching transactions

| Team | 2021–22 season | 2022–23 season | 2022–23 season |
| Brisbane Bullets | James Duncan | Sam Mackinnon | Greg Vanderjagt |
| Illawarra Hawks | Brian Goorjian | Jacob Jackomas | Jacob Jackomas |
| New Zealand Breakers | Dan Shamir | Mody Maor | Mody Maor |
| Perth Wildcats | Scott Morrison | John Rillie | John Rillie |
| S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | Simon Mitchell | Simon Mitchell | Simon Mitchell |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | Scott Roth | Scott Roth | Scott Roth |

## Pre-season

The pre-season games began on 9 August 2022, and ran until 6 October 2022.
The pre-season also featured the Adelaide 36ers playing two NBA teams in the United States, marking the fourth NBLxNBA tour.

### Blitz ladder

The 2022 NBL Blitz ran from 16 to 23 September with all ten teams competing. Darwin, Northern Territory will host the tournament.
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PP | BP | Pts |
| 1 | Adelaide 36ers (C) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 255 | 232 | 109.9 | 8 | 17 |
| 2 | Melbourne United | 3 | 2 | 1 | 238 | 211 | 112.8 | 8.5 | 14.5 |
| 3 | Perth Wildcats | 3 | 2 | 1 | 248 | 241 | 102.9 | 7 | 13 |
| 4 | Tasmania JackJumpers | 3 | 2 | 1 | 252 | 221 | 114.0 | 6.5 | 12.5 |
| 5 | Illawarra Hawks | 3 | 2 | 1 | 243 | 233 | 104.3 | 6.5 | 12.5 |
| 6 | Brisbane Bullets | 3 | 2 | 1 | 225 | 225 | 100.0 | 6 | 12 |
| 7 | Sydney Kings | 3 | 2 | 1 | 245 | 245 | 100.0 | 5.5 | 11.5 |
| 8 | New Zealand Breakers | 3 | 0 | 3 | 243 | 267 | 91.0 | 5 | 5 |
| 9 | Cairns Taipans | 3 | 0 | 3 | 237 | 275 | 86.2 | 4 | 4 |
| 10 | S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | 3 | 0 | 3 | 226 | 262 | 86.3 | 3 | 3 |

## Regular season

The regular season began on 1 October 2022. It consisted of 140 games spread across 18 rounds, with the final game being played on 5 February 2023.
On 30 January 2023, Sydney Kings claimed their 7th regular season championship.

### Round 18
## Ladder

| Pos | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte | 2022–23 NBL season vte |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP |
| 1 | Sydney Kings | 28 | 19 | 9 | 67.86% | 2–3 | L2 | 10–4 | 9–5 | 2679 | 2468 | 108.55% |
| 2 | New Zealand Breakers | 28 | 18 | 10 | 64.29% | 5–0 | W5 | 7–7 | 11–3 | 2423 | 2246 | 107.88% |
| 3 | Cairns Taipans | 28 | 18 | 10 | 64.29% | 2–3 | W1 | 8–6 | 10–4 | 2455 | 2376 | 103.32% |
| 4 | Tasmania JackJumpers | 28 | 16 | 12 | 57.14% | 3–2 | W2 | 7–7 | 9–5 | 2385 | 2305 | 103.47% |
| 5 | S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | 28 | 15 | 13 | 53.57% | 3–2 | L1 | 11–3 | 4–10 | 2553 | 2512 | 101.63% |
| 6 | Perth Wildcats | 28 | 15 | 13 | 53.57% | 2–3 | W1 | 9–5 | 6–8 | 2580 | 2568 | 100.47% |
| 7 | Melbourne United | 28 | 15 | 13 | 53.57% | 4–1 | W1 | 8–6 | 7–7 | 2434 | 2424 | 100.41% |
| 8 | Adelaide 36ers | 28 | 13 | 15 | 46.43% | 2–3 | L1 | 8–6 | 5–9 | 2546 | 2597 | 98.04% |
| 9 | Brisbane Bullets | 28 | 8 | 20 | 28.57% | 2–3 | L3 | 4–10 | 4–10 | 2365 | 2600 | 90.96% |
| 10 | Illawarra Hawks | 28 | 3 | 25 | 10.71% | 1–4 | L4 | 2–12 | 1–13 | 2261 | 2585 | 87.47% |
Updated to match(es) played on 5 February 2023. 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 overall points percentage will determine order of seeding.

### Ladder progression

* Leader and qualification to semifinals
* Qualification to semifinals
* Qualification to play-in games
* Last place
2022–23 NBL season :
| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Adelaide 36ers | — | — | 7 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Brisbane Bullets | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Cairns Taipans | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Illawarra Hawks | 7 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Melbourne United | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| New Zealand Breakers | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Perth Wildcats | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | 4 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Sydney Kings | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tasmania JackJumpers | 8 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |

## Finals

The 2023 NBL Finals were played in February and March 2023, consisting of three play-in games, two best-of-three semifinal series and the best-of-five Grand Final series. In the semifinals, the higher seed hosts the first and third games. In the Grand Final, the higher seed hosts the first, third and fifth games. This will be the first season the league will introduce play-in games.
The top two seeds in the regular season will automatically qualify to the semifinals. Teams ranked three to six will compete in the play-in tournament. The third seed will play the fourth seed for third spot and the loser will play the winner of fifth or sixth for the fourth seed.

### Playoff bracket

| Play-in / Seeding qualifier | Play-in / Seeding qualifier | Play-in / Seeding qualifier | Play-in game | Play-in game | Play-in game | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final |
| 5 | S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | 99 | | | | 1 | Sydney Kings | 95 | 82 | 79 | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Perth Wildcats | 106 | | | | 3 | Cairns Taipans | 87 | 93 | 64 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 3 | Cairns Taipans | 91 | | | | | | 1 | Sydney Kings | 87 | 81 | 91 | 70 | 77 |
| | | | 6 | Perth Wildcats | 78 | | | | | | 2 | New Zealand Breakers | 95 | 74 | 68 | 80 | 69 |
| 3 | Cairns Taipans | 79 | | | | 2 | New Zealand Breakers | 88 | 78 | 92 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Tasmania JackJumpers | 87 | | | | 4 | Tasmania JackJumpers | 68 | 89 | 77 | | | | | | | |

## Awards
### Pre-season

* Loggins-Bruton Cup: Adelaide 36ers
* Most Valuable Player (Ray Borner Medal): Jack McVeigh (Tasmania JackJumpers)

### Regular season
#### Awards Night

* Most Valuable Player (Andrew Gaze Trophy): Xavier Cooks (Sydney Kings)
* Next Generation Award: Sam Waardenburg (Cairns Taipans)
* Best Defensive Player (Damian Martin Trophy): Antonius Cleveland (Adelaide 36ers)
* Best Sixth Man: Barry Brown Jr. (New Zealand Breakers)
* Most Improved Player: Keanu Pinder (Cairns Taipans)
* Fans MVP: Kai Sotto (Adelaide 36ers)
* Coach of the Year (Lindsay Gaze Trophy): Adam Forde (Cairns Taipans)
* Executive of the Year: Mark Beecroft (Cairns Taipans)
* Referee of the Year: Vaughan Mayberry
* GameTime by Kmart: Reuben Te Rangi (S.E. Melbourne Phoenix)
* All-NBL First Team:
** Mitch Creek (S.E. Melbourne Phoenix)
** Xavier Cooks (Sydney Kings)
** Bryce Cotton (Perth Wildcats)
** Derrick Walton (Sydney Kings)
** Milton Doyle (Tasmania JackJumpers)
* All-NBL Second Team:
** Keanu Pinder (Cairns Taipans)
** Dererk Pardon (New Zealand Breakers)
** Barry Brown Jr. (New Zealand Breakers)
** D. J. Hogg (Cairns Taipans)
** Chris Goulding (Melbourne United)

### Post season

* Grand Final Series MVP (Larry Sengstock Medal): Derrick Walton (Sydney Kings)
* NBL Champions: Sydney Kings