NBL Championship Series: Historical Fact File

The Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers will be, once again, hoping to write their own slices of NBL history over the coming weeks.

A new champion will be named, a new Larry Sengstock Trophy winner, new records could be set, and old ones set to tumble.

Given its history dates back to 1979, the story of NBL grand finals and Championship Series' is deep and detailed - and we'll take a look at some of the facts ahead of Game 1.

Andrew Gaze celebrates winning the 1997 NBL title.

When was the first?

June 10, 1979

The inaugural season of the NBL was decided in a sudden-death grand final between first and second on the ladder.

The St Kilda Saints – led by Aussie hoops legend Larry Sengstock - finished top on the ladder with a 15-3 record, while the Canberra Cannons – who came second – finished with a 13-5 record, and only made the grand final ahead of the Nunawading Spectres on head-to-head record.

St Kilda emerged as one-point victors from the clash in a game filled with a type of drama that has not managed to be replicated in almost 50 years of action.

Sengstock dropped 33 points to win the inaugural Grand Final MVP award, and the trophy has since been named after him.

Larry Sengstock won the inaugrual Grand Final MVP award in 1979. Here he is presenting the award, which now bears his name, to New Zealand's Tom Abercrombie in 2011.

What’s been the format?

When the NBL began in 1979, the competition used a straight, sudden-death grand final to decide the winners. This changed in 1986, when the league turned to the best-of-three format that had become popularised by the NBA.

The series was once again extended come 2004 to utilise a best-of-five format, however it reverted back to best-of-three in 2010.

Since 2017 it’s been best-of-five.

The NBL Championship Series returned to a best-of-five format in 2017, where the Wildcats swept the Hawks in three games.

Which team has won the most?

The Perth Wildcats

You don’t make the Playoffs for 35 consecutive seasons without winning a few championships.

The Perth Wildcats have established themselves as one of the greatest sporting organisations within the saturated Australian sporting landscape, and players like Andrew Vlahov, Shawn Redhage and Bryce Cotton have enabled them to win 10 championships since their introduction to the competition in 1982.

They won five titles in their first 28 years in the competition, before a dynasty saw them win the 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020 championships in the Trevor Gleeson and Damian Martin led dynasty era.

Current Perth captain Jesse Wagstaff has been a member of six of Perth's 10 title winning teams. Here he is pictured celebrating the club's 2014 triumph.

Which team has lost the most?

The Perth Wildcats

The Wildcat’s drastic level of success at the top end the competition has also led to numerous failings at the final hurdle. In addition to their ten championship triumphs, Perth has been forced to watch the opposition trophy lift up close and personal six times.

Half of those losses came against this season’s Championship Series teams. The Breakers defeated Perth in 2012 and 2013 to cement themselves as the best side of the early 2010’s, while the Kings kicked off their three-peat with a 2003 win over the Wildcats.

As well as winning a record 10 titles, the Wildcats have also lost a record six Championship Series'. Here they watch on as Melbourne United lift the trophy in 2021.

Who are the most obscure winners?

Launceston Casino City

With so many teams filtering in and out of the NBL throughout its history, there are bound to be some winners that the modern generation has never heard of.

The Victoria Titans were only in the competition for six seasons after they came into existence due to the merger of the South East Melbourne Magic and North Melbourne Giants, but made two grand final series’ – remarkably in their first two seasons in the NBL.

However they lost both of those series' to Adelaide and Perth respectively and dissolved in 2004 as the Victoria Giants.

The Nunawading Spectres were a mainstay in the NBL Playoffs in the early days of the competition – and lost the 1981 Grand Final, before rebranding to the Eastside Spectres in 1987. They dissolved in 1991, having lost the Grand Final to Perth in their final season in the competition.

Most fans would know about the Tasmania JackJumpers rising from the ashes of the Hobart Devils, but there was one other Tasmanian based side to grace the NBL – and they defeated the Spectres in the 1981 Grand Final.

Launceston Casino City.

Founded in 1980, Launceston finished eighth in its inaugural campaign under Rex Johnstone and Phil Thomas. Jim Ericksen then came in as head coach to lead the side to second on the ladder and the 1981 championship.

They followed their triumph with a dismal 5-21 record to finish bottom of the ladder in 1982, before dissolving after just three seasons, one Playoff appearance, and one title.

Kent Lockhart playing for the Spectres in 1990.

Which player has won the most Grand Final MVPs?

Ricky Grace, Brett Maher, Chris Anstey, Cedric Jackson, Bryce Cotton

Now that’s some starting five.

Despite the dominance of sides like the late 90’s 36ers, mid 2000’s Kings or early 2010’s Breakers, no individual player has ever won more than two Larry Sengstock Medals.

Perth legend Ricky Grace won the award in 1990 and 1993, and while he was a part of four championships with the Wildcats, Andrew Vlahov and Marcus Timmons pipped him to the post for the individual honour in 1995 and 2000.

Brett Maher had a slightly better strike rate of Larry Sengstock Medals to championships than Grace – he won two medals from three championships. His awards came in 1999 and 2002, with import forward Kevin Brooks taking out the honour in Adelaide’s 1998 championship triumph.

After winning his first championship as a 21-year-old role player with the South East Melbourne Magic in 1996, Chris Anstey returned from the NBA with the Melbourne Tigers and immediately established himself as the best player in the competition.

He led the Tigers to two championship victories, and won the Larry Sengstock Medal on both occasions – in 2006 and 2008. He also won the regular season MVP award in both campaigns.

Cedric Jackson personifies the dominant Breakers side of the early 2010’s. He played a key role in the 2012 and 2013 championship wins, and earned the Larry Sengstock Medal in the latter, left the club for its disappointing 2014 season, and returned to add one more championship and Grand Final MVP to his cabinet in 2015.

Should Bryce Cotton add more championships and Larry Sengstock Medals to his trophy cabinet his claim as being the greatest import in NBL history will only be strengthened. The Wildcats point guard won his first title and Larry Sengstock Medal in 2017, before completing the double again in 2020. Import Terrico White took out the medal in Perth’s 2019 title win.

This season the Larry Sengstock Medal has been replaced with the Larry Sengstock Trophy.

Cedric Jackson won a pair of Larry Sengstock Medals while at the New Zealand Breakers.

Who’s the most successful coach?

Brian Goorjian

The Australian coaching legend stands alone in terms of NBL titles won as a coach – and he’s found success everywhere he’s gone in the competition.

After eight years playing with the Melbourne Tigers, Goorjian took up his first head coaching job with the Eastside Spectres in 1988. When the club left the competition at the end of the 1991 season he headed to the South East Melbourne Magic.

He won titles in 1992 and 1996 with the Magic, before guiding the Sydney Kings to its revered three-peat between 2003 and 2005.

After his time at the Kings came to an end, Goorjian found his way to the cellar-dwelling South Dragons, and took them off the bottom of the ladder to championship glory in just one season.
Brian Goorjian has won a record six NBL titles as a coach. Here he raises the 2005 trophy with Jason Smith.

What team has won the most titles in a row?

The Sydney Kings and the New Zealand Breakers

Only two sides in the history of the NBL have pulled off a successful three-peat, and it happens to be the two teams contesting this year’s series.

RELATED: Championship History: The Sydney Kings

The Kings pulled off championship wins in 2003, 2004 and 2005 over the Wildcats, Razorbacks and Hawks respectively.

They had to opportunity to win four in a row, but were swept by the Melbourne Tigers in 2006.

The Breakers pulled off their three-peat across 2011, 2012 and 2013 by beating the Taipans, then the Wildcats twice.

RELATED: Championship History: The New Zealand Breakers 

After not making the Playoffs in 2014, the side rebounded to add one more title to its dynasty in 2015 by once again defeating the Taipans.

Current Adelaide 36ers head coach CJ Bruton played a key role in both Sydney and New Zealand's three-peats. He added two titles with the Kings and three with the Breakers to his 2007 win with the Bullets.

Has anyone ever won back-to-back titles with different teams?

Matt Garrison, David Stiff and Casey Prather

New Zealand’s Tom Vodanovich has the opportunity to join this short list of players should the Breakers emerge with the NBL23 title.

Matt Garrison was a member of the underdog Hawks side in 2001, and after just one season with Wollongong he jumped ship to the Taipans.

RELATED: Vodanovich on the Verge of NBL History

The craziest part of his story though is that after just seven games he was released by Cairns, which opened the door for him to join Adelaide and paly a role in their 2002 title win.

David Stiff is one of the most successful players in the history of the NBL, and retired having won six championships with three different teams across 15 seasons.

He, like Garrison, was a member of the Adelaide side that won the 2002 title. He then crossed to Sydney to win the first two titles of their three-peat.

He then added two championships with the Tigers to make it an even pair of titles with each of the 36ers, Kings and Tigers before retiring in 2008.

Casey Prather arrived in the NBL with the Wildcats in 2015, and after failing to make the Championship Series in his first season, he won two straight titles in 2016 and 2017.

After his successful stint at the Wildcats, Prather took his talents to Melbourne to win the first title for the club since it had rebranded to United.

He left the club after the two seasons and currently plays in Israel.

David Stiff  was the second player in NBL history to win back-to-back titles with different teams. He won two championships each with the 36ers, Kings and Tigers.

Game 1 of the NBL23 Championship Series tips off tonight - Friday March 3 - at 7:30pm AEDT, live on ESPN via Kayo Freebies.