The National Basketball League was a professional basketball league based in Canada that lasted only one and a half seasons in 1993 and 1994. It rose from the ashes of the World Basketball League which folded after the 1992 season, which had teams in various Canadian and American cities; the new league combined several former WBL teams based in Canada and new franchises. The NBL's first game was played on May 1, 1993 when the Cape Breton Breakers visited the Halifax Windjammers. The Breakers won the regular season championship with a 30-16 record, but they lost the championship finals to Saskatoon three games to one.
During the 1994 season there were rumours that the Cape Breton team was going to move to Saint John in mid-season, which never happened before the league folded on July 9, 1994. Halifax, which finished last in 1993, was in first place at the time the league had folded.
The league's president was Sam Katz and the commissioner was Tom Nissalke.
NBL teams
| Team | City | Arena | Seasons | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary Outlaws | Calgary, Alberta | Jack Simpson Gymnasium (University of Calgary) Olympic Saddledome |
1994 | Expansion team |
| Cape Breton Breakers | Sydney, Nova Scotia | Centre 200 | 1993-94 | Expansion team |
| Halifax Windjammers | Halifax, Nova Scotia | Halifax Metro Centre | 1993-94 | Holdover from the WBL |
| Edmonton Skyhawks | Edmonton, Alberta | Northlands Coliseum | 1993 (playoffs)-94 | Moved from Hamilton |
| Hamilton Skyhawks | Hamilton, Ontario | Copps Coliseum | 1993 | Holdover from the WBL, moved to Edmonton |
| Montreal Dragons | Montreal, Quebec | Verdun Auditorium | 1993 | Expansion team |
| Saskatoon Slam | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan Place | 1993-94 | Holdover from WBL. Ownership changed the name of the franchise in the new league. Originally known as the “Saskatchewan Storm” in the WBL. |
| Winnipeg Thunder | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Winnipeg Arena | 1993-94 | Holdover from the WBL |
1993
| 1993 NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE | |||||||||||
| TEAM | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Breton Breakers | 46 | 30 | 16 | .652 | - | ||||||
| Winnipeg Thunder | 46 | 29 | 17 | .630 | 1 | ||||||
| Saskatoon Slam | 46 | 25 | 21 | .543 | 5 | ||||||
| Hamilton Skyhawks | 46 | 24 | 22 | .522 | 6 | ||||||
| Halifax Windjammers | 46 | 20 | 26 | .435 | 10 | ||||||
| Montreal Dragons | 17 | 6 | 11 | .353 | |||||||
| Canadian National Team | 24 | 9 | 13 | .409 | |||||||
| ACC All-Stars | 6 | 1 | 5 | .167 | |||||||
| Big East All-Stars | 6 | 0 | 6 | .000 | |||||||
| Athletes in Action | 7 | 0 | 7 | .000 | |||||||
- Montréal Dragons folded in mid-season on June 10, 1993
- Hamilton Skyhawks transferred to Edmonton prior to the start of the playoffs
PLAYOFFS - SEMI-FINALS
- Cape Breton defeated Edmonton 2 games to 1; Saskatoon defeated Winnipeg 2 games to 1
FINALS
- Saskatoon defeated Cape Breton 3 games to 1
Touring teams
In 1993, league teams also played games against some touring teams which counted in the league standings. These teams were:
- Atlantic Coast Conference All-Stars (replaced Atlantic 10 All-Stars)
- Athletes in Action
- Big East All-Stars
- Canadian National Team
1994
| 1994 NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE | |||||||||||
| TEAM | GP | W | L | PCT | GB | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax Windjammers | 21 | 15 | 6 | .714 | - | ||||||
| Calgary Outlaws | 24 | 13 | 11 | .542 | 3½ | ||||||
| Cape Breton Breakers | 21 | 11 | 10 | .524 | 4 | ||||||
| Saskatoon Slam | 23 | 10 | 13 | .435 | 6 | ||||||
| Edmonton Skyhawks | 24 | 10 | 14 | .417 | 6½ | ||||||
| Winnipeg Thunder | 25 | 10 | 15 | .400 | 7 | ||||||
- National Basketball League disbanded on July 9, 1994
League champions
| Year | Winner | Runner Up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Saskatoon Slam | Cape Breton Breakers | 3-1 Series win |
| 1994 | Halifax Windjammers | Calgary Outlaws | Declared champions due to folding mid-season |
References
- Zwarun, Robert; and Anderson, Chris. National Basketball, The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Accessed February 4, 2024.
- National Basketball League, From Naismith to Nash. Accessed February 4, 2024. "A short-lived primarily Canadian-based league that folded midway through its second season. It was comprised of the Canadian franchises of the World Basketball League, which folded after the 1991-92 season."
- Morgan, T. Kent. "A breezy history of pro basketball in Winnipeg", Winnipeg Free Press, November 30, 2022. Accessed February 4, 2024. "Thunder then played in the National Basketball League, not to be confused with the NBA, in the 1993 season. The all-Canadian pro league with Katz as president and Nissalke as commissioner had teams from the Maritimes to the Prairies."