Basketball Australia
Encyclopedia
Basketball Australia is the governing and controlling body of basketball
in Australia
, responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels.
Formed in 1939 (as the Australian Basketball Federation) the organisation was constituted in 1946. Basketball Australia became a member of FIBA in 1949 and was incorporated in 1982.
Basketball Australia sanctions Australia's two professional leagues, the National Basketball League
(NBL) and the Women's National Basketball League
(WNBL) as well as the semi-professional Australian Basketball Association
(ABA) which features over 120 member teams from major cities and key regional centres.
Basketball Australia also fields representative teams in FIBA and Olympic
competition.
Australian basketball has extensive national and state-based programs to ensure that pathways are provided for all participants in the sport, which includes the National Intensive Training Centre Program and the Australian Institute of Sport
.
Basketball Australia provides juniors with the opportunity to compete in national representative competitions from the U16 age group, with the National Junior Championships providing a high level of competition between state teams. U14 Club Championships and the National Schools Basketball Tournament provide elite level competition for younger players.
Basketball Australia's Aussie Hoops program is the sports grass roots program for primary school children launched in 2002.
Basketball Australia is not-for-profit and is funded through membership, sponsorship, fund raising and government grants.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels.
Formed in 1939 (as the Australian Basketball Federation) the organisation was constituted in 1946. Basketball Australia became a member of FIBA in 1949 and was incorporated in 1982.
Basketball Australia sanctions Australia's two professional leagues, the National Basketball League
National Basketball League (Australia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
(NBL) and the Women's National Basketball League
Women's National Basketball League
The Women's National Basketball League is the pre-eminent women's professional basketball league in Australia. It currently is composed of ten teams. The league was founded in 1981 and is the women's counterpart to the National Basketball League...
(WNBL) as well as the semi-professional Australian Basketball Association
Australian Basketball Association
The Australian Basketball Association, often abbreviated to the ABA, is the second-tiered semi-professional men's and women's basketball minor leagues in Australia which sit under the professional National Basketball League and Women's National Basketball League .The ABA is representative of the...
(ABA) which features over 120 member teams from major cities and key regional centres.
Basketball Australia also fields representative teams in FIBA and Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
competition.
Australian basketball has extensive national and state-based programs to ensure that pathways are provided for all participants in the sport, which includes the National Intensive Training Centre Program and the Australian Institute of Sport
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
.
Basketball Australia provides juniors with the opportunity to compete in national representative competitions from the U16 age group, with the National Junior Championships providing a high level of competition between state teams. U14 Club Championships and the National Schools Basketball Tournament provide elite level competition for younger players.
Basketball Australia's Aussie Hoops program is the sports grass roots program for primary school children launched in 2002.
Basketball Australia is not-for-profit and is funded through membership, sponsorship, fund raising and government grants.
International representative teams
- the BoomersAustralia national basketball teamThe Australian national basketball team is the men's basketball side that represents Australia in international competitions. The team is known in Australia as the Boomers, an Australian slang term for Kangaroo. Australia is ranked 9th in the world and finished 7th at the 2008 Beijing Olympic...
, Australia's senior men's team. The Boomers finished ninth at the 2004 Summer Olympics2004 Summer OlympicsThe 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens, and made the quarter-finals at the 2008 Summer Olympics2008 Summer OlympicsThe 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing, losing to the United States of America.
- the OpalsAustralia women's national basketball teamThe Australia Women's National Basketball Team is the women's National Basketball team for Australia. They won Gold at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games 2006 defeating New Zealand's Tall Ferns in the final match with a score of 77–39. They then followed it up with a gold medal at the 2006 FIBA...
, Australia's senior women's team. The Opals took the silver medal in Athens and Beijing, finishing behind the USAUnited States women's national basketball teamThe United States women's national basketball team are the defending Olympic champions in women's basketball. The team is composed of some of the top American players in the WNBA and the women's college game....
in both tournaments. They are also the current FIBA World Champions, defeating RussiaRussia women's national basketball teamThe Russia women's national basketball team represents Russia in international basketball competitions for Women. The team has participated in the FIBA World Championship for Women since 1998 and their best finish has been a silver medal in 1998, 2002 and 2006...
in 2006.
- the RollersAustralia men's national wheelchair basketball teamThe Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team is the men's wheelchair basketball side that represents Australia in international competitions. The team is known as the Rollers...
, Australia's senior men's wheelchair basketball team. The Rollers took the silver medal at the 2004 Summer Paralympics2004 Summer ParalympicsThe 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as...
in Athens, finishing behind Canada and took gold at the 2008 Summer Paralympics2008 Summer ParalympicsThe 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
in Beijing.
- the Gliders, Australia's senior women's wheelchair basketball team. The Gliders took the silver medal in the Athens Paralympics, finishing behind the United States of America.
- the Crocodiles, Australia's junior (under-21) men's team. (Not to be confused with the NBL's Townsville CrocodilesTownsville CrocodilesThe Townsville Crocodiles are a professional Australian basketball team based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in the National Basketball League...
.) Were Runners Up' to Greece at the World Championships 1995 and were the winners on home soil at the World Championships in 1997.
- the Gems, Australia's junior (under-21) women's team. 2nd place at the World Championships 1997 behind the USA.
- The Emus, Australia's junior (under 19) men's team
- The Gems, Australia's junior (under 19) woman's team