Australia’s premier winter basketball league NBL1 will take another major step in its expansion in 2021 with the establishment of NBL1 West.

The NBL has reached a landmark agreement with Basketball Western Australia to rebrand the men’s and women’s State Basketball League (SBL) to NBL1 West.

NBL1 West will join NBL1 South (Victoria and Tasmania, including Bendigo and Ballarat), NBL1 North (Queensland) and NBL1 Central (South Australia) in an expanded conference based competition in 2021, as the NBL continues to bring basketball in Australia together.

Competing NBL1 West teams will be Cockburn Cougars, East Perth Eagles, Geraldton Buccaneers, Goldfields Giants, Joondalup Wolves, Kalamunda Eastern Suns, Lakeside Lightning, Mandurah Magic, Perry Lakes Hawks, Perth Redbacks, Rockingham Flames, South West Slammers, Warwick Senators and Willetton Tigers.

“This is an exciting day for Australian basketball and for basketball in Western Australia with the announcement of NBL1 West. NBL1 is Australia’s premier winter basketball league and we are delighted to welcome Western Australia into the family,” NBL chief operating officer Andy Crook said.

“NBL1 will open up stronger path- ways for Western Australian players to progress to the NBL, WNBL, US college and overseas leagues. It will bring bigger audiences to basketball in Western Australia and take NBL1 to a new level.

“Western Australia becomes the fourth major state league to join NBL1 in the space of just two years. The support of Basketball Western Australia and the competing clubs is a major endorsement of the league and its direction.

“After an interrupted 2020 we can’t wait to get back on the court in 2021.”

The 2020 NBL1 season was cancelled due to COVID-19, with the 2021 season to be run in a conference system in the new year.