I like to partake in the small details. In the spirit of last year’s post, here is a collection of random trivial information regarding players on the rosters of NBL teams. Only players on the main roster are considered so no development players, nominated/injured replacement players or Next Stars have been included.

Teams

Teams by number of league most valuable players

There are only two active league most valuable players still around and they are on the two top teams from last season: Bryce Cotton of the Adelaide 36ers and Xavier Cooks of the Sydney Kings.

1. 1 MVP: Adelaide 36ers (B. Cotton) / Sydney Kings (X. Cooks)
2. 0 MVPs: Cairns Taipans / Illawarra Hawks / Melbourne United / New Zealand Breakers / Perth Wildcats / South East Melbourne Phoenix / Tasmania JackJumpers

Teams by number of league finals most valuable players

The Sydney Kings now possess an abundance of players who did their best when it mattered most with three Finals MVP awardees on their roster: Cooks, Kendric Davis and Matthew Dellavedova (who errantly won his during Melbourne United’s loss in 2025). The Adelaide 36ers have Cotton, the Cairns Taipans have Jack McVeigh and Melbourne United have Chris Goulding.

1. 3 Finals MVPs: Sydney Kings (X. Cooks, K. Davis, M. Dellavedova)
2. 1 Finals MVP: Adelaide 36ers (B. Cotton) / Cairns Taipans (J. McVeigh) / Melbourne United (C. Goulding)
3. 0 Finals MVPs: Brisbane Bullets / Illawarra Hawks / New Zealand Breakers / South East Melbourne Phoenix / Tasmania JackJumpers

Teams by number of league best defensive players

Best defensive players never stick around for long. The only two active league best defensive players are Shea Ili of Melbourne United and Torrey Craig of Sydney Kings. The other recent winners of the award are either imports or retired locals.

1. 1 Best Defensive Player: Melbourne United (S. Ili), Sydney Kings (T. Craig)
2. 0 Best Defensive Players: Adelaide 36ers / Brisbane Bullets / Cairns Taipans / Illawarra Hawks / New Zealand Breakers / Perth Wildcats / South East Melbourne Phoenix / Tasmania JackJumpers

Teams by number of league best sixth man players

Players who are chosen as best sixth men are valuable commodities: they know their role and perform it above expectation. The New Zealand Breakers with Kouat Noi and Reuben Te Rangi join the Perth Wildcats’ Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. and Jesse Wagstaff by having two such winners on their rosters. Two teams have one former top reserve on their rosters: Ili of Melbourne United and reigning winner Angus Glover of the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

1. 2 Best Sixth Men: New Zealand Breakers (K. Noi, R. Te Rangi) / Perth Wildcats (J. Lual-Acuil Jr., J. Wagstaff)
2. 1 Best Sixth Man: Melbourne United (S. Ili) / South East Melbourne Phoenix (A. Glover)
3. 0 Best Sixth Men: Adelaide 36ers / Brisbane Bullets / Cairns Taipans / Illawarra Hawks / Tasmania JackJumpers

Teams by number of league most improved players

I remain surprised while writing this to see how many of the recent league most improved players stick around; it is now only Clint Steindl (retired) who is no longer from the last decade of winners. The title for this accomplishment is solely possessed by the Illawarra Hawks with Todd Blanchfield and Sam Froling. Other active players are reigning winner Flynn Cameron of the Adelaide 36ers, Tyrell Harrison of the Brisbane Bullets, Keanu Pinder of the Cairns Taipans, Ili of Melbourne United, Te Rangi of the New Zealand Breakers and Nathan Sobey of the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

1. 2 Most Improved Players: Illawarra Hawks (T. Blanchfield, S. Froling)
2. 1 Most Improved Player: Adelaide 36ers (F. Cameron) / Brisbane Bullets (T. Harrison) / Cairns Taipans (K. Pinder) / Melbourne United (S. Ili) / New Zealand Breakers (R. Te Rangi) / South East Melbourne Phoenix (N. Sobey) / Tasmania JackJumpers (W. Magnay)
3. 0 Most Improved Players: Perth Wildcats / Sydney Kings

Teams coached by a league coach of the year

It continues that half of the teams in the league are coached by a head coach who was once awarded as coach of the year: six-time winner Brian Goorjian of the Sydney Kings, two-time winner Trevor Gleeson of the Adelaide 36ers, and one-time winners Adam Forde of the Cairns Taipans, Justin Tatum of the Illawarra Hawks and Scott Roth of the Tasmania JackJumpers.

1. Yes: Adelaide 36ers (T. Gleeson) / Cairns Taipans (A. Forde) / Illawarra Hawks (J. Tatum) / Sydney Kings (B. Goorjian) / Tasmania JackJumpers (S. Roth)
2. No: Brisbane Bullets / Melbourne United / New Zealand Breakers / Perth Wildcats / South East Melbourne Phoenix

Teams by players that have NBA experience

The presence of players who have reached the highest level of basketball in the league continues. Two teams begin this season with four players with NBA experience on their roster: the Adelaide 36ers with Zylan Cheatham, Cotton, John Jenkins and Isaac Humphries, and Melbourne United with Cole Anthony, Joe Ingles, Josh Oduro and Luke Travers. Seven other teams have at least one former NBA player on their roster; the New Zealand Breakers are the only team without.

1. 4 players: Adelaide 36ers (Z. Cheatham, B. Cotton, J. Jenkins, I. Humphries) / Melbourne United (C. Anthony, J. Ingles, J. Oduro, L. Travers)
2. 3 players: Illawarra Hawks (D. Days, M. Doyle, K. Martin) / Sydney Kings (X. Cooks, T. Craig, M. Dellavedova) / Tasmania JackJumpers (D. Johnson, W. Magnay, D. Mathias)
3. 2 players: Cairns Taipans (J. Bolden, J. McVeigh) / Perth Wildcats (B. Knight, D. Windler)
4. 1 player: Brisbane Bullets (N. Hinton) / South East Melbourne Phoenix (S. Mays)
5. 0 players: New Zealand Breakers

Teams by number of rookies on main roster

The Sydney Kings have a breadth of experience from veterans to the rookies; they are the only team with three on their roster in college returnees Will Johnston, Jayden Stone and Harry Wessels. The Brisbane Bullets, New Zealand Breakers, Perth Wildcats, South East Melbourne Phoenix and Tasmania JackJumpers all sport one player who has never played professionally. My definition of rookies are players who have never played in an NBL game; there are development players who have been elevated to the main roster after making appearances who would fit a different definition.

1. 3 rookies: Sydney Kings (W. Johnston, J. Stone, H. Wessels)
2. 1 rookie: Brisbane Bullets (H. Rouhliadeff) / New Zealand Breakers (P. Le Gassick) / Perth Wildcats (A. Dell’Orso) / South East Melbourne Phoenix (S. Davidson) / Tasmania JackJumpers (B. Gold)
3. 0 rookies: Adelaide 36ers / Cairns Taipans / Illawarra Hawks / Melbourne United

Players

Shortest players

The title for shortest in the league is still shared by two of the league’s standouts who also happen to stand two inches above the national Australian average for men: 5’11” import guards Davis of the Sydney Kings and Parker Jackson-Cartwright of the New Zealand Breakers.

• Kendric Davis (Sydney Kings) / Parker Jackson-Cartwright (New Zealand Breakers) – 1.80m / 5’11”

Tallest players

The three-way tie for tallest player held by a group of straight 7 footers last season has now been surpassed by Wessels of the Sydney Kings who stands one inch taller at 7’1″.

• Harry Wessels (Sydney Kings) – 2.16m / 7’1″

Players by NBA appearances

Melbourne United added over 1,100 games of NBA experience by signing Ingles and Anthony to their roster which means they became the most NBA-experienced team in the league. Ingles tops the list with 750 games and is followed by his Boomers teammate Dellavedova of the Kings with 479. The Kings’ Craig and Wildcats’ Brandon Knight both have over 450 games with Anthony rounding out the top five with 355 games. Other players with more than 100 include Jenkins of the 36ers, Skylar Mays of the Phoenix and Dylan Windler of the Wildcats. Other new additions to the league with NBA experience are Kelan Martin of the Hawks, Nate Hinton of the Bullets and Oduro of United. Luke Travers of United returns to the league after making 24 NBA appearances over the last two years.

1. Joe Ingles (Melbourne United) – 750 games
2. Matthew Dellavedova (Sydney Kings) – 479 games
3. Torrey Craig (Sydney Kings) – 458 games
4. Brandon Knight (Perth Wildcats) – 451 games
5. Cole Anthony (Melbourne United) – 355 games
6. John Jenkins (Adelaide 36ers) – 171 games
7. Skylar Mays (South East Melbourne Phoenix) – 105 games
8. Dylan Windler (Perth Wildcats) – 101 games
9. Kelan Martin (Illawarra Hawks) – 96 games
10. Jonah Bolden (Cairns Taipans) – 51 games
11. Nate Hinton (Brisbane Bullets) – 38 games
12. Luke Travers (Melbourne United) – 24 games
13. Bryce Cotton (Adelaide 36ers) – 23 games
14. Dakota Mathias (Tasmania JackJumpers) – 14 games
15. Xavier Cooks (Sydney Kings) / Milton Doyle (Illawarra Hawks) – 10 games
16. Jack McVeigh (Cairns Taipans) – 9 games
17. Zylan Cheatham (Adelaide 36ers) / Isaac Humphries (Adelaide 36ers) – 5 games
18. Darius Days (Illawarra Hawks) – 4 games
19. Josh Oduro (Melbourne United) – 3 games
20. David Johnson (Tasmania JackJumpers) – 2 games
21. Will Magnay (Tasmania JackJumpers) – 1 game