Draw Release

Wheelchair Basketball Australia (WBA) is pleased to release the 2025 draw for the National Wheelchair Basketball League (NWBL) and the Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball League (WNWBL). 

2025 will be the second year the two national leagues will be run under the guidance of WBA with the endorsement of Basketball Australia. Following a successful first season, a number of innovations will serve to enhance the sport even more this year. 

Highlights of the 2025 Schedule: 

● The introduction of two additional women’s teams will take the number of WNWBL regular season games from 18 to 45. 

● Similar to previous years, each round, teams will play three games against the same opponent. This year games will be spread across three days instead of two (where logistics allow), providing more rest time for players and giving spectators and audiences more opportunities to watch in prime time including Friday nights. 

● All eyes will be on the women’s game which launches a month before the NWBL on 30 May – 1 June. The opening round will see two of the league’s new teams Victoria and Adelaide tip off the season at Melbourne’s State Basketball Centre; fellow newcomers Gold Coast will host Perth and crosstown rivals Sydney Uni and Sydney Blues will square off at the Sydney Uni Sports & Fitness Centre. 

● The National Wheelchair Basketball League will once again boast seven teams with Queensland’s Southern Districts fielding two teams, the Spartans and the Titans, the Titans replacing the Adelaide Thunder. 

● Round 1 will tip off on 27-29 June with the Spartans and Titans hosting Perth and Red Dust respectively, while it will be an intrastate battle between Manly and Wollongong who square off in the opening round for the second straight season. 

● Defending NWBL Champions, the Darwin Salties have the bye in Round 1 before hosting the Wollongong Roller Hawks in Round 2 in a Grand Final rematch. 

● 4-6 July will be wheelchair basketball’s first ever Indigenous Round. In the NWBL (Round 2) Darwin host Wollongong, Red Dust host the Titans and Manly host Perth. In the WNWBL (Round 3) Perth host Adelaide, Victoria host Sydney Uni and Gold Coast host Sydney Blues. 

● Round 4 of the WNWBL will see Sydney Uni and Perth meet for the first time since the 2024 Grand Final. 

● 2025 will see the introduction of the 3×3 Division. Games will be played 1 hour before two of the three 5 on 5 fixtures. The 3×3 division will showcase players who are not starters for their team, providing more opportunities for players to compete and tap into the rapidly growing 3×3 game. 

● The Spartans and the Titans will have to wait until the final round before they square off. 

● Once the WNWBL tips off at the end of May, there will be 9 weekends out of 11 filled with national wheelchair basketball. One of the vacant weeks is due to the Under 23 World Championships (12 – 19 June). 

● There is a three week break between the last regular season rounds and Finals to allow a window for international games. 

● The Finals will be at Manly’s Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre on 29-31 August involving the top 4 teams from each league. 

Squad lists are due to be submitted to WBA at the end of March. 

Further announcements concerning Indigenous Round, team lists and live streaming schedule will be rolled out as we get closer to the season.