NBLxNBA is a series involving clubs from the National Basketball League (NBL) of Australia and New Zealand and the National Basketball Association (NBA) of the United States and Canada. The series started in 2017 for each league's 2017–18 season, and each season includes between two and seven games. The games have always been held in the U.S. and Canada, and typically are held during September and early October.
Despite losing all three games (including a one-point thriller), the series was marked as a success for the NBL as it brought in much higher television ratings than the teams were used to,[1] and it showed how competitive the league is. The series also drew the attention of multiple high-profile NBA players, including Australian Ben Simmons who expressed his interest in competing in a future NBLxNBA game.[2]
The Adelaide 36ers reached the highest score by the NBL teams and fell one point short of the elusive 100 points milestone, but the NBL teams failed to record a victory for a second year in a row.
Despite the NBL losing streak continuing, this series marked the first time an NBL team reached the 100 point mark against an NBA team. This happened in both Melbourne United games against the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings.
After a 3-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was announced that the Adelaide 36ers would take on the Phoenix Suns and Oklahoma City Thunder in October 2022.[5] The series saw the first NBL win over an NBA team, with the 36ers beating the Suns 134–124 in Arizona on 3 October 2022.[6]
