The 1996 NBL season was the 15th season of the National Basketball League. Only one change occurred heading into the 1996 season, with Waitakere leaving the NBL for the second-tiered Conference Basketball League (CBL). Auckland won the championship in 1996 to claim their fourth league title.^[1] In the best-of-three championship series, Nelson took Game 1 110–95,^[2] before Auckland came back to take Game 2 109–98 and Game 3 94–90.^[3]

#	Team
	Auckland
	Nelson
3	North Harbour
4	Hawke's Bay
5	Wellington
6	Hutt Valley
7	Otago
8	Canterbury
9	Palmerston North
10	Taranaki
11	Northland
12	Waikato

• NZ Most Valuable Player: Phill Jones (Nelson)^[1]
• Most Outstanding Guard: Tony Bennett (North Harbour)
• Most Outstanding NZ Guard: Phill Jones (Nelson)^[4]
• Most Outstanding Forward: Ed Book (Palmerston North)
• Most Outstanding NZ Forward/Centre: Pero Cameron (Auckland)
• Scoring Champion: Ed Book (Palmerston North)
• Rebounding Champion: Jeff Daniels (North Harbour)
• Assist Champion: Scott Stewart (Canterbury)
• Rookie of the Year: Paora Winitana (North Harbour)
• Coach of the Year: Nenad Vučinić (Nelson)
• All-Star Five:
  • G: Tony Bennett (North Harbour)
  • G: Phill Jones (Nelson)
  • F: Darryl Johnson (Hutt Valley)
  • F: Pero Cameron (Auckland)
  • C: Ed Book (Palmerston North)