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Clearinghouse for Sport
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Basketball

A court sport where two teams compete against each other, scoring points by throwing a round ball through a hoop.

The sport of basketball was first introduced in Australia during the late 1800s with the first recorded Australian basketball game taking place in 1905. 1

The national governing body, Amateur Basketball Union (ABU), was formed in 1939. 1979 saw the creation of Australia’s first professional league, the National Basketball League (NBL). 1,3

Discover more about basketball through the Clearinghouse evidence base:

Evolution:

  • Amateur Basketball Union [1939-19??]
  • Australian Basketball Federation [19??-1990]
  • Basketball Australia [1990-]

Participation

Basketball player icon

An estimated 1,050,854 Australian adults [aged 15+] participated in basketball at least once in 2024. 2

Icon of an adult and child playing basketball

An estimated 315,731 Australian children [aged 0-14] participated in basketball at least once in 2024. 2

Basketball ring icon

An estimated 291,019 Australian women [aged 15+] and an estimated 754,081 Australian men [aged 15+] participated in basketball at least once in 2024. 2

Explore further participation statistics for basketball through the AusPlay online portal., opens in a new tab

Governing body

Basketball Australia, opens in a new tab is an organisation recognised by government at all levels as the National controlling body for the sport of basketball in Australia. Following the organisations creation in 1939, the Amateur Basketball Union changed its name to the Australian Basketball Federation before later renamed to Basketball Australia in 1990. 3

REFERENCES
  1. Who We Are, opens in a new tab, Basketball Australia, (accessed 8 December 2025)
  2. AusPlay Data Portal: Participation by activity, opens in a new tab, Australian Sports Commission, (accessed 15 October 2025)
  3. Basketball in Australia – A Brief History, opens in a new tab, Spalding, (accessed 8 December 2025)

Documents

The Clearinghouse for Sport has sought permission from relevant organisations for the inclusion of their documents in this archive. Copyright ownership remains vested with the organisation and as such permission from the copyright owner should be sought if you wish to communicate, adapt or reproduce these documents.

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