# 1980 NBL season

The 1980 NBL season was the 2nd season of the National Basketball League (NBL).

## Off-Season Changes

* Glenelg Tigers withdrew from the league.
* Coburg Giants, West Torrens Eagles and Launceston Casino City Tigers joined.
* David Claxton replaced Robert Young as Head Coach of Brisbane Bullets.
* Adrian Hurley replaced Joe Farrugia as Head Coach of Illawarra Hawks.
* Dean Donnollon replaced Bob Turner as Head Coach of Newcastle Falcons.

## Regular season

The 1980 regular season took place over 18 rounds between 2 February 1980 and 8 June 1980. Each team played 22 games, against every opponent twice.

### Round 1

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 2/02/1980 | West Torrens Eagles | 78–64 | Nunawading Spectres | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/02/1980 | Canberra Cannons | 77–69 | Launceston Casino City | Canberra Showgrounds | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/02/1980 | Coburg Giants | 76–73 | Illawarra Hawks | Ken Watson Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/02/1980 | Newcastle Falcons | 73–69 | Bankstown Bruins | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 3/02/1980 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 78–71 | Nunawading Spectres | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 3/02/1980 | Brisbane Bullets | 83–71 | Launceston Casino City | Auchenflower Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 3/02/1980 | St. Kilda Saints | 68–74 | Illawarra Hawks | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 3/02/1980 | City of Sydney Astronauts | 74–86 | Bankstown Bruins | Alexandria Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 2

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 8/02/1980 | St. Kilda Saints | 109–70 | Canberra Cannons | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/02/1980 | Nunawading Spectres | 54–51 | Coburg Giants | Burwood Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/02/1980 | Newcastle Falcons | 86–88 | St. Kilda Saints | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/02/1980 | Bankstown Bruins | 95–74 | West Torrens Eagles | Bankstown Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/02/1980 | Canberra Cannons | 78–68 | West Adelaide Bearcats | Canberra Showgrounds | N/A | boxscore |
| 10/02/1980 | Launceston Casino City | 83–80 | Coburg Giants | Dowling Street Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 10/02/1980 | City of Sydney Astronauts | 71–84 | St. Kilda Saints | Alexandria Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 10/02/1980 | Illawarra Hawks | 101–77 | West Torrens Eagles | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 10/02/1980 | Brisbane Bullets | 91–86 | West Adelaide Bearcats | Auchenflower Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 3

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 16/02/1980 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 91–89 | Newcastle Falcons | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/02/1980 | Nunawading Spectres | 85–66 | City of Sydney Astronauts | Burwood Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/02/1980 | St. Kilda Saints | 94–74 | Brisbane Bullets | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/02/1980 | Canberra Cannons | 56–78 | Illawarra Hawks | Canberra Showgrounds | N/A | boxscore |
| 17/02/1980 | West Torrens Eagles | 86–88 | Newcastle Falcons | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 17/02/1980 | Launceston Casino City | 101–77 | City of Sydney Astronauts | Dowling Street Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 17/02/1980 | Coburg Giants | 71–83 | Brisbane Bullets | Ken Watson Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 17/02/1980 | Bankstown Bruins | 66–69 | Canberra Cannons | Bankstown Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 4

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 23/02/1980 | Brisbane Bullets | 83–77 | Nunawading Spectres | Auchenflower Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 23/02/1980 | Coburg Giants | 85–80 | Launceston Casino City | Ken Watson Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 23/02/1980 | Newcastle Falcons | 71–73 | Illawarra Hawks | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 23/02/1980 | West Torrens Eagles | 79–73 | Bankstown Bruins | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 24/02/1980 | City of Sydney Astronauts | 75–97 | Nunawading Spectres | Alexandria Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 24/02/1980 | St. Kilda Saints | 90–74 | Launceston Casino City | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 24/02/1980 | Illawarra Hawks | 72–65 | Canberra Cannons | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 24/02/1980 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 84–82 | Bankstown Bruins | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 5

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 27/02/1980 | Bankstown Bruins | 82–83 | Illawarra Hawks | Bankstown Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 1/03/1980 | Newcastle Falcons | 71–68 | Coburg Giants | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 1/03/1980 | Bankstown Bruins | 84–100 | St. Kilda Saints | Bankstown Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 1/03/1980 | Canberra Cannons | 81–65 | West Torrens Eagles | Canberra Showgrounds | N/A | boxscore |
| 1/03/1980 | Nunawading Spectres | 83–73 | West Adelaide Bearcats | Burwood Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/03/1980 | City of Sydney Astronauts | 73–70 | Coburg Giants | Alexandria Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/03/1980 | Illawarra Hawks | 83–101 | St. Kilda Saints | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/03/1980 | Brisbane Bullets | 84–80 | West Torrens Eagles | Auchenflower Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 2/03/1980 | Launceston Casino City | 65–84 | West Adelaide Bearcats | Dowling Street Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 6

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 8/03/1980 | Illawarra Hawks | 101–98 | Newcastle Falcons | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/03/1980 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 93–70 | City of Sydney Astronauts | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/03/1980 | Launceston Casino City | 81–99 | Brisbane Bullets | Dowling Street Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/03/1980 | Bankstown Bruins | 105–95 | Newcastle Falcons | Bankstown Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/03/1980 | West Torrens Eagles | 70–72 | City of Sydney Astronauts | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/03/1980 | Nunawading Spectres | 58–56 | Brisbane Bullets | Burwood Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 9/03/1980 | Coburg Giants | 58–73 | Canberra Cannons | Ken Watson Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 7

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 15/03/1980 | Coburg Giants | 47–69 | Nunawading Spectres | Ken Watson Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 15/03/1980 | Newcastle Falcons | 86–87 | Launceston Casino City | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 15/03/1980 | West Torrens Eagles | 66–83 | Illawarra Hawks | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 15/03/1980 | Canberra Cannons | 69–68 | Bankstown Bruins | Canberra Showgrounds | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/03/1980 | St. Kilda Saints | 94–84 | Nunawading Spectres | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/03/1980 | City of Sydney Astronauts | 87–86 | Launceston Casino City | Alexandria Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/03/1980 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 104–68 | Illawarra Hawks | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 16/03/1980 | Brisbane Bullets | 104–53 | Bankstown Bruins | Auchenflower Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 8

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 19/03/1980 | Bankstown Bruins | 73–82 | City of Sydney Astronauts | Bankstown Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 22/03/1980 | Bankstown Bruins | 65–94 | Coburg Giants | Bankstown Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 22/03/1980 | Canberra Cannons | 95–69 | St. Kilda Saints | Canberra Showgrounds | N/A | boxscore |
| 22/03/1980 | Launceston Casino City | 96–71 | West Torrens Eagles | Dowling Street Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 22/03/1980 | Newcastle Falcons | 81–77 | West Adelaide Bearcats | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 23/03/1980 | Illawarra Hawks | 70–74 | Coburg Giants | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 23/03/1980 | Brisbane Bullets | 94–75 | St. Kilda Saints | Auchenflower Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 23/03/1980 | Nunawading Spectres | 83–71 | West Torrens Eagles | Burwood Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 23/03/1980 | City of Sydney Astronauts | 85–86 | West Adelaide Bearcats | Alexandria Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 9

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 29/03/1980 | St. Kilda Saints | 112–92 | Newcastle Falcons | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 29/03/1980 | Illawarra Hawks | 89–82 | City of Sydney Astronauts | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 29/03/1980 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 92–70 | Brisbane Bullets | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 29/03/1980 | Launceston Casino City | 59–81 | Canberra Cannons | Dowling Street Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 30/03/1980 | Coburg Giants | 75–76 | Newcastle Falcons | Ken Watson Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 30/03/1980 | West Torrens Eagles | 91–88 | Brisbane Bullets | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 30/03/1980 | Nunawading Spectres | 73–59 | Canberra Cannons | Burwood Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 10

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 12/04/1980 | Bankstown Bruins | 63–76 | Nunawading Spectres | Bankstown Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 12/04/1980 | West Torrens Eagles | 77–61 | Coburg Giants | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 12/04/1980 | Brisbane Bullets | 89–99 | Newcastle Falcons | Auchenflower Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/04/1980 | Illawarra Hawks | 88–89 | Nunawading Spectres | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/04/1980 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 93–81 | Coburg Giants | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 13/04/1980 | Canberra Cannons | 74–78 | Newcastle Falcons | Canberra Showgrounds | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 11

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 19/04/1980 | Brisbane Bullets | 95–78 | Canberra Cannons | Auchenflower Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/04/1980 | Newcastle Falcons | 88–65 | City of Sydney Astronauts | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/04/1980 | Illawarra Hawks | 84–81 | Bankstown Bruins | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/04/1980 | Nunawading Spectres | 69–68 | Launceston Casino City | Burwood Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/04/1980 | Coburg Giants | 84–91 | St. Kilda Saints | Ken Watson Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 19/04/1980 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 109–76 | West Torrens Eagles | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 12

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 25/04/1980 | Canberra Cannons | 82–60 | City of Sydney Astronauts | Canberra Showgrounds | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/04/1980 | Coburg Giants | 98–71 | West Torrens Eagles | Ken Watson Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 26/04/1980 | Nunawading Spectres | 83–85 | Illawarra Hawks | Burwood Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 26/04/1980 | Newcastle Falcons | 85–86 | Brisbane Bullets | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 27/04/1980 | Launceston Casino City | 95–83 | Illawarra Hawks | Dowling Street Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 27/04/1980 | St. Kilda Saints | 117–88 | West Torrens Eagles | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 27/04/1980 | City of Sydney Astronauts | 75–74 | Brisbane Bullets | Alexandria Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 13

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 3/05/1980 | Newcastle Falcons | 71–79 | Nunawading Spectres | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 3/05/1980 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 102–93 | Launceston Casino City | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 3/05/1980 | Brisbane Bullets | 81–84 | Illawarra Hawks | Auchenflower Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 3/05/1980 | St. Kilda Saints | 115–78 | Bankstown Bruins | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/05/1980 | Canberra Cannons | 84–56 | Nunawading Spectres | Canberra Showgrounds | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/05/1980 | West Torrens Eagles | 92–89 | Launceston Casino City | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/05/1980 | City of Sydney Astronauts | 79–82 | Illawarra Hawks | Alexandria Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 4/05/1980 | Coburg Giants | 93–71 | Bankstown Bruins | Ken Watson Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 14

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 10/05/1980 | Brisbane Bullets | 98–95 | Coburg Giants | Auchenflower Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 10/05/1980 | Nunawading Spectres | 77–99 | St. Kilda Saints | Burwood Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 10/05/1980 | Newcastle Falcons | 84–72 | West Torrens Eagles | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 10/05/1980 | Bankstown Bruins | 80–81 | West Adelaide Bearcats | Bankstown Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 11/05/1980 | Canberra Cannons | 96–87 | Coburg Giants | Canberra Showgrounds | N/A | boxscore |
| 11/05/1980 | Launceston Casino City | 106–92 | St. Kilda Saints | Dowling Street Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 11/05/1980 | City of Sydney Astronauts | 101–77 | West Torrens Eagles | Alexandria Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 11/05/1980 | Illawarra Hawks | 85–95 | West Adelaide Bearcats | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 15

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 17/05/1980 | Coburg Giants | 101–76 | City of Sydney Astronauts | Ken Watson Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 17/05/1980 | Bankstown Bruins | 96–108 | Brisbane Bullets | Bankstown Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 17/05/1980 | West Torrens Eagles | 75–71 | Canberra Cannons | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 17/05/1980 | Launceston Casino City | 95–104 | Newcastle Falcons | Dowling Street Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/05/1980 | Nunawading Spectres | 54–56 | Newcastle Falcons | Burwood Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/05/1980 | St. Kilda Saints | 113–105 | City of Sydney Astronauts | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/05/1980 | Illawarra Hawks | 80–87 | Brisbane Bullets | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 18/05/1980 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 68–67 | Canberra Cannons | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 16

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 24/05/1980 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 94–104 | St. Kilda Saints | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 24/05/1980 | Illawarra Hawks | 79–80 | Launceston Casino City | Beaton Park Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 24/05/1980 | Brisbane Bullets | 103–72 | City of Sydney Astronauts | Auchenflower Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/05/1980 | West Torrens Eagles | 94–101 | St. Kilda Saints | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 25/05/1980 | Bankstown Bruins | 84–96 | Launceston Casino City | Bankstown Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 17

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 31/05/1980 | West Torrens Eagles | 77–101 | West Adelaide Bearcats | Apollo Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 31/05/1980 | St. Kilda Saints | 105–89 | Coburg Giants | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 1/06/1980 | City of Sydney Astronauts | 80-87 | Newcastle Falcons | Alexandria Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 1/06/1980 | Canberra Cannons | 87–98 | Brisbane Bullets | Canberra Showgrounds | N/A | boxscore |
| 1/06/1980 | Launceston Casino City | 71–81 | Nunawading Spectres | Dowling Street Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Round 18

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 7/06/1980 | St. Kilda Saints | 88–90 | West Adelaide Bearcats | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 7/06/1980 | Newcastle Falcons | 70–68 | Canberra Cannons | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | N/A | boxscore |
| 7/06/1980 | Launceston Casino City | 118-103 | Bankstown Bruins | Dowling Street Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/06/1980 | Nunawading Spectres | 98–64 | Bankstown Bruins | Burwood Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/06/1980 | Coburg Giants | 89–92 | West Adelaide Bearcats | Ken Watson Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 8/06/1980 | City of Sydney Astronauts | 90–81 | Canberra Cannons | Alexandria Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

## Ladder

| Pos | 1980 NBL season vte | 1980 NBL season vte | 1980 NBL season vte | 1980 NBL season vte | 1980 NBL season vte | 1980 NBL season vte | 1980 NBL season vte | 1980 NBL season vte | 1980 NBL season vte | 1980 NBL season vte | 1980 NBL season vte | 1980 NBL season vte |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PCT | Last 5 | Streak | Home | Away | PF | PA | PP |
| 1 | St. Kilda Saints$^1$ | 22 | 17 | 5 | 77.27% | 4–1 | L1 | 9–2 | 8–3 | 2109 | 1886 | 111.82% |
| 2 | West Adelaide Bearcats$^1$ | 22 | 17 | 5 | 77.27% | 4–1 | W3 | 10–1 | 7–4 | 1941 | 1773 | 109.48% |
| 3 | Brisbane Bullets | 22 | 15 | 7 | 68.18% | 5–0 | W5 | 9–2 | 6–5 | 1928 | 1780 | 108.31% |
| 4 | Nunawading Spectres | 22 | 14 | 8 | 63.64% | 2–3 | W2 | 8–3 | 6–5 | 1660 | 1580 | 105.06% |
| 5 | Illawarra Hawks$^2$ | 22 | 13 | 9 | 59.09% | 2–3 | L3 | 5–6 | 8–3 | 1798 | 1790 | 100.45% |
| 6 | Newcastle Falcons$^2$ | 22 | 13 | 9 | 59.09% | 5–0 | W5 | 6–5 | 7–4 | 1828 | 1794 | 101.90% |
| 7 | Canberra Cannons | 22 | 11 | 11 | 50.00% | 0–5 | L5 | 8–3 | 3–8 | 1661 | 1631 | 101.84% |
| 8 | Launceston Casino City | 22 | 9 | 13 | 40.91% | 3–2 | W1 | 6–5 | 3–8 | 1863 | 1889 | 98.62% |
| 9 | Coburg Giants$^3$ | 22 | 7 | 15 | 31.82% | 1-4 | L2 | 5–6 | 2–9 | 1727 | 1740 | 99.25% |
| 10 | City of Sydney Astronauts$^3$ | 22 | 7 | 15 | 31.82% | 1–4 | W1 | 5–6 | 2–9 | 1717 | 1908 | 89.99% |
| 11 | West Torrens Eagles | 22 | 6 | 16 | 27.27% | 1–4 | L2 | 6–5 | 0–11 | 1707 | 1940 | 87.99% |
| 12 | Bankstown Bruins | 22 | 3 | 19 | 13.64% | 0–5 | L13 | 2–9 | 1–10 | 1721 | 1949 | 88.30% |
Updated to match(es) played on 8 June 1980. 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.
$^1$Head-to-Head between St. Kilda Saints and West Adelaide Bearcats (1-1). St. Kilda Saints won For and Against (+8).
$^2$Illawarra Hawks won Head-to-Head (2-0).
$^3$Head-to-Head between Coburg Giants and City of Sydney Astronauts (1-1). Coburg Giants won For and Against (+22).

## Finals

The NBL finals series in 1980 consisted of two semifinal games, and one championship-deciding grand final. All three of these finals games were sudden death.

### Playoff bracket

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Grand Final | Grand Final | Grand Final |
| 1 | St. Kilda Saints | 101 | | | |
| 4 | Nunawading Spectres | 77 | | | |
| 4 | Nunawading Spectres | 77 | 1 | St. Kilda Saints | 113 |
| | | | 2 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 88 |
| 2 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 101 | 2 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 88 |
| 3 | Brisbane Bullets | 94 | | | |

### Semifinals

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 14/06/1980 | St. Kilda Saints | 101–77 | Nunawading Spectres | Dowling Street Stadium | N/A | boxscore |
| 14/06/1980 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 101–94 | Brisbane Bullets | Dowling Street Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

### Grand Final

| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Crowd | Box Score |
| 15/06/1980 | St. Kilda Saints | 113–88 | West Adelaide Bearcats | Dowling Street Stadium | N/A | boxscore |

## Awards
### Statistics leaders

| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
| Points | Rocky Smith | St Kilda Saints | 737 pts / 22 games |
| Free throw percentage | Jim Slacke | Illawarra Hawks | 87.2% (68/78) |

### Regular season

* Most Valuable Player: Rocky Smith (St Kilda Saints)
* Best Defensive Player: Ray Wood (West Adelaide Bearcats)
* Coach of the Year: Barry Barnes (Nunawading Spectres)
* All-NBL Team:
** Cal Stamp (Canberra Cannons)
** Danny Morseu (St Kilda Saints)
** Brian Banks (Brisbane Bullets)
** Herb McEachin (Canberra Cannons)
** Ian Davies (Launceston Casino City)
** Ken Richardson (West Adelaide Bearcats)

### Finals

* Grand Final MVP: Rocky Smith (St Kilda Saints)