Raiders and Rollers claim NBL1 National crowns

The Knox Raiders (women) Gold Coast Rollers (men) have been crowned the 2026 Mitsubishi Motors NBL1 National Champions, capping off a thrilling three-day tournament at the State Basketball Centre at the Adelaide Showground.

Powered by a record-breaking Championship Day, which saw more than 1,400 fans attend Sunday’s deciders, the 2026 tournament produced 3,420 ticket sales as Adelaide’s basketball community turned out in force to celebrate the best of NBL1.

WOMEN'S GRAND FINAL

Champions: Knox Raiders.
Runners-up: Bankstown Bruins.
Final Score: 86-73.
Grand Final MVP: Knox Raiders' Alicia Froling.

A stellar performance by Grand Final MVP and Townsville Fire star Alicia Froling (24 points and 9 rebounds) was instrumental to Knox claiming back-to-back National Titles.

Raiders teammates Agnes Emma-Nnopu, Paige Bradley and Haliegh Reinoehl, who were all named in the All-Star Five, were also key in the victory.

Joining those three in the All-Star Five was Bruins star and Australian Opal Shyla Heal, who had a game-high 30 points in the loss.

MEN'S GRAND FINAL

Champions: Gold Coast Rollers.
Runners-up: Forestville Eagles.
Final Score: 70-67.
Grand Final MVP: Gold Coast Rollers' Ashley McGrath.

Despite being without their three highest-scoring players from the NBL1 North season — New Zealand's Preston Le Gassick, Melbourne's Jensen Bradtke and Perth’s James Whitt — the Rollers produced a gutsy performance to overcome hometown favourites, the Forestville Eagles.

Grand Final MVP Ashley McGrath top-scored for Gold Coast in the win, with 21 points, to go with his 9 rebounds and 5 assists, while Greg Mays (21) led the way for the Eagles.

The result caps off a National Finals which brought together the champions of all five NBL1 conferences alongside the reigning national title holders, showcasing the depth of talent across the competition over three days of finals basketball in Adelaide.

"Adelaide has delivered an outstanding NBL1 National Finals, and my personal thanks to Ben MacCormack and Basketball South Australia for the calibre with which they've supported this event," NBL1 General Manager Tyrone Thwaites said.

"Congratulations to the Gold Coast Rollers and Knox Raiders on their titles, and thank you to every athlete, official, volunteer and fan who made this such a special three days for our sport."

The Gold Coast Rollers and Knox Raiders join an esteemed list of NBL1 National Champions, with the competition continuing to grow as the premier national championship for community basketball in Australia.

“Hosting the tournament in Adelaide has been a fantastic opportunity to showcase the strength and passion of our basketball community," Basketball South Australia Chief Executive Officer Ben MacCormack said.

"We’ve seen massive crowds get behind the teams throughout the weekend, and that support is a real reflection of what makes basketball so special here.

"This tournament is all about bringing elite basketball to the community, creating an experience for fans and giving players the opportunity to perform in front of a passionate home crowd.”

Full results, MVP details and tournament highlights are available now at NBL1.com.au, with all games from the 2026 Mitsubishi Motors NBL1 National Finals available to watch back on Kayo Freebies.