The National Basketball League will partner with UniSport Australia to develop a University Basketball League.

In a first for Australian sport, the NBL and UniSport have signed a heads of agreement to establish a men’s and women’s national university league to strengthen the pathway to professional basketball in Australia.

The Chief Executive Officer of UniSport, Don Knapp, said: “Basketball, both men’s and women’s, is hugely popular on campuses across Australia and represents the largest team participation at our Nationals Div 1 and 2. This agreement expands on the existing partnership between UniSport and the NBL for 3x3 Hustle."

"The opportunity to develop the University Basketball League with the support of the NBL, is a very exciting development for UniSport and our 43 university members."

"We will be working very hard to bring a University Basketball League to fruition in partnership with the NBL, providing student-athletes with a great opportunity to represent their respective universities on the national stage.”

NBL Chief Executive Jeremy Loeliger said: “We’re excited about the opportunity to partner with UniSport Australia to develop another pathway to the elite level of the game."

"This is the first time a national university basketball league will be developed for men and women’s sport in Australia. It will create a pathway that will help not only retain but develop emerging talent in a high performance environment."

"Australian basketball has never been stronger and we want to give players the best opportunity to play at the highest level. We have record participation levels, two of the world’s premier leagues in the NBL and WNBL, and Australian players have never been more prominent on the international stage.”

UniSport is the peak body for university sport in Australia. It promotes and fosters the importance of sport as an integral part of university life at 43 member universities, who collectively represent more than one million students nationwide.