National Basketball League (NBL)
Homepage: http://www.nbl.com.au/

History:
A quarter of a century old in 2004, the National Basketball League (NBL) is considered as one of the most prestigious basketball associations in the world. The idea of founding a basketball league in Australia was initiated in 1978 when New South Wales Basketball president John Raschke brought up the concept with 10 basketball aficionados. A year after, the NBL was indeed formed with nine founding teams. Since then, the NBL has catapulted into national fame, with games being played before thousands of basketball fans, numbering to more than 750,000 per season. Perhaps one of NBL’s most valued accomplishments thus far is to propel basketball into one of Australia’s most participated team sport today. An eight-man board manages the NBL, which also ensures that the league’s foremost achievers are acknowledged. Each year, the NBL awards the most valuable player, coach of the year, and rookie of the year to excellent performers.