Misplaced Pages

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Basketball Australia" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Basketball Australia

Sport	Basketball
Jurisdiction	Australia
Abbreviation	BA
Founded	1939; 86 years ago (1939)
Affiliation	FIBA
Affiliation date	1949; 76 years ago (1949)
Regional affiliation	FIBA Oceania
Headquarters	State Basketball Centre, Wantirna South, Victoria
Chairman	John Carey
CEO	Matt Scriven
Official website
australia.basketball

Basketball Australia (BA), officially registered as BA Limited, is the governing body for basketball in Australia. Established in 1939, BA is a not-for-profit organisation responsible for overseeing basketball at all levels in Australia, from grassroots participation to elite competitions.

BA is a member of FIBA and organises international competitions for Australian teams. The organisation also operates the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and manages the Centre of Excellence at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra.

History

Early development

Basketball in Australia traces its roots back to the early 20th century, with the sport first recorded in Melbourne around 1905. Victoria was the first state to establish a basketball association in 1931, known as the Victorian Basketball Association (VBA). Early venues included church and army drill halls, which were often unavailable due to competing uses, limiting the sport's growth. Associations were later formed in South Australia (1936), New South Wales (1938), and, post-World War II, in Queensland, Western Australia, and Tasmania.

Formation of a National Body

In 1939, the National Federation of Basketball was formed, later becoming the Amateur Basketball Union of Australia. This body established objectives to promote the game, coordinate national championships, and manage Australian representative teams. However, it did not become fully effective until 1946, when the first Australian Championships were held.

In 1949, Australia became the 52nd member of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). This marked a significant step in aligning Australian basketball with international standards, including adopting uniform rules and establishing player eligibility criteria.

Evolution of coaching

The development of basketball coaching in Australia was influenced by international figures and techniques. Ivor Burge, who studied physical education in the United States, introduced strategies like the zone defense during the 1930s. The arrival of American servicemen during World War II and European migrants post-war further diversified playing styles, with contributions from figures like Leon Baltrunis and De Lyle Condie.

Prominent Australian coaches such as Ken Watson and Lindsay Gaze were instrumental in advancing the game. Watson's use of the shuffle offence during the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne and Gaze’s long-standing Olympic coaching career (1972–1984) exemplified Australia's growing basketball expertise.

International influence and modern era

By the 1960s, exchange programs with U.S. high schools and colleges helped Australian teams adopt advanced techniques. Visits from American and European teams, such as the Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Cibona Club of Zagreb, further elevated competition standards. The inclusion of prominent players like Andrew Gaze and Michelle Timms in international leagues marked Australia's arrival on the global stage.

The transition to the modern era saw the rebranding of the national governing body to Basketball Australia in 1996, aligning with professional standards and expanding its role in managing domestic leagues like the NBL and WNBL.

State and Territory members

Basketball Australia operates in partnership with its State and Territory associations, which govern and promote basketball at regional and community levels. These members are:

• Basketball ACT
• Basketball New South Wales
• Basketball Northern Territory
• Basketball Queensland
• Basketball South Australia
• Basketball Tasmania
• Basketball Victoria
• Basketball Western Australia

These associations play a central role in nurturing local talent, organising competitions, and implementing Basketball Australia’s policies at the grassroots level.

National Teams

Each national team and their performance at the most recent international events are listed above.

1. ^ The 2014 Summer Youth Olympics was the last in which full-court basketball was contested. From 2018 forward, the only form of basketball contested is the half-court 3x3 variant.

Leagues

Partnerships

Basketball Australia maintains partnerships with key organisations to enhance the sport's reach and impact. Notable partnerships include:

• A collaboration with the Japan Basketball Association since 2018, focusing on international knowledge exchange.
• A multi-year sponsorship deal with Ford Australia announced in 2023, featuring the Ford logo on national team jerseys.

See also

• Australia men's national basketball team
• Australia women's national basketball team
• List of Australian NBA players
• Women's National Basketball League

Sources

• Jack Small - papers concerning Basketball Australia (Australian Basketball Federation Incorporated), 1929-1991, 1929, retrieved 3 December 2024
• Hillman, Robert (2004), Basketball, Echidna, ISBN 978-1-74070-766-4

Further reading

• Basketball Australia history, 1900, retrieved 3 December 2024
• Amateur Basketball Union of Australia (1965), Official basketball rules / as adopted by the Amateur Basketball Union of Australia, [Amateur Basketball Union of Australia – via National Library of Australia

References

1. "Australian Business Register". Australian Government.
2. ^ "Who We Are". Basketball Australia.
3. ^ "Basketball in Australia: A Brief History". Spalding Australia.
4. "History of Victorian Basketball". Basketball Victoria. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
5. ^ "About Basketball Australia". Basketball Australia.
6. "Hobart To Stage Australian Basketball Championship". The Mercury. Vol. CLXX, no. 24, 539. Tasmania, Australia. 5 August 1949. p. 12. Retrieved 4 December 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "FIBA Official Site".
8. "Burge Men's Basketball". The Telegraph. Queensland, Australia. 25 September 1946. p. 14. Retrieved 4 December 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
9. "Jack Small - Papers concerning Basketball Australia". Trove.
10. "History of Victorian Basketball". Basketball Victoria.
11. "State and Territory members". Basketball Australia.
12. "Basketball Australia renews partnership with Japan". Inside the Games.
13. "Welcome to the team, Ford!". Basketball Australia.

External links

• Official website

v t e National members of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA)
FIBA Africa	ALG ANG BEN BOT BUR BDI CMR CPV CAF CHA COM CGO COD CIV DJI EGY GEQ ERI ETH GAB GAM GHA GUI GBA KEN LES LBR LBA MAD MAW MLI MTN MRI MAR MOZ NAM NIG NGR RWA RSA STP SENl SEY SLE SOM SSD SUD SWZ TAN TGA TUN UGA ZAM ZIM
FIBA Americas	ANT ARG AUR BAH BAR BER BIZ BOL BRA BVI CAN CAY CHI COL CRC CUB DMA DOM ECU ESA GRN GUA GUY HAI HON JAM MEX MSR AHO NCA PAN PAR PER PUR MSR SKN VIN SUR TCA TRI URU USA ISV VEN
FIBA Asia	AFG BRN BAN BHU BRN CAM CHN PRK HKG IND INA IRI IRQ JPN JOR KAZ KGZ KOR KUW LAO LIB MAC MAS MDV MGL MYA NEP OMA PAK PLE PHI QAT KSA SIN SRI SYR TJK THA TKM TPE UAE UZB VIE YEM
FIBA Europe	ALB AND ARM AUT AZE BLR BEL BIH BUL CRO CYP CZE DEN ENG EST ESP FIN FRA GEO GER GIB GBR GRE HUN ISL IRL ISR ITA KOS LAT LTU LUX MDA MKD MLT MNE MON NED NOR POL POR ROM RUS SMR SCO SRB SVK SLO SWE SUI TUR UKR WAL
FIBA Oceania	ASA AUS COK FIJ FSM GUM KIR MHL NRU NCL NZL NMI PLW PNG SAM SOL TAH TGA TUV VAN Wallis & Futuna
Pinnacle Events Olympics World Cup

• National members of FIBA Oceania
• Basketball governing bodies in Australia
• 1939 establishments in Australia
• Sports organizations established in 1939