THE OFFICIAL National Basketball League (NBL) Blitz preseason tournament took place in Canberra over the weekend, with the New Zealand Breakers emerging victorious after claiming two wins from two outings.

All 10 NBL teams descended on Canberra for the biggest event on the preseason calendar, looking to make an impression ahead of the upcoming 2025/26 fixture. Following an extremely eventful offseason in which every team made significant changes, the season is looming as one of the closest ever, and the Blitz was the first true glimpse for a lot of sides, although others had played exhibition matches leading in.

The Breakers were the team of the tournament, claiming 12.5 points from their two games, with the standings calculated on points scored and overall match points, while the Tasmania JackJumpers finished in second place with nine points.

The Breakers claimed impressive wins over the SEM Phoenix and the Cairns Taipans, and looked ominous heading into the 2025/26 season. Following a disappointing campaign where they won just 10 games and finished ninth, New Zealand will be eager to get back into the postseason and the Blitz showed promising signs.

Breakers import Izaiah Brockington capped off an immense tournament where he broke onto the scene by winning the Ray Borner Medal as the tournament MVP. He averaged 20 points, nine rebounds and three assists across two games.

There were plenty of new faces playing across the competition, with the likes of Jack McVeigh (Cairns Taipans), Jaylen Adams (Brisbane Bullets) and Matthew Dellavedova (Sydney Kings) all suiting up in new colours and showing how much of a change they will bring to their respective teams.

The NBL preseason continues on September 11, when the Adelaide 36ers take on the NBL1 Select Team, while the season officially launches on September 18.

NBL Blitz results

Perth Wildcats (84) def. Melbourne United (68)
Adelaide 36ers (104) def. Illawarra Hawks (83)
Brisbane Bullets (100) def. Sydney Kings (92)
Cairns Taipans (95) def. by Tasmania JackJumpers (97)
South East Melbourne Phoenix (101) def. by New Zealand Breakers (109)
Illawarra Hawks (100) def. Perth Wildcats (92)
Melbourne United (98) def. Brisbane Bullets (60)
Tasmania JackJumpers (97) def. Adelaide 36ers (95)
Sydney Kings (81) def. by South East Melbourne Phoenix (102)
New Zealand Breakers (94) def. Cairns Taipans (75)

NBL Blitz ladder

1. New Zealand Breakers (2-0) – 13 points
2. Tasmania JackJumpers (2-0) – 9
3. Perth Wildcats (1-1) – 7
4. Brisbane Bullets (1-1) – 7
5. Illawarra Hawks (1-1) – 5.5
6. Sydney Kings (0-2) – 2
7. Cairns Taipans (0-2) – 0
8. South East Melbourne Phoenix (1-1) – 0
9. Melbourne United (1-1) – 0
10. Adelaide 36ers (1-1) – 0