AFTER a long and eventful offseason, the National Basketball League (NBL) returns for the 2025/26 fixture, with the season set to begin with a clash between the Tasmania JackJumpers and Melbourne United later tonight.

There were plenty of big moves and roster changes over the past few months, and following some exciting preseason encounters, Round 1 kicks off at MyState Bank Arena, setting up what is expected to be one of the closest seasons in NBL history.

Tonight’s game will renew a rivalry that has seen the two sides lock horns in a semi-final and a Championship Series over the past five years, with the two teams splitting those results, and if tonight’s game has the same level of competitiveness, should be the perfect way to kick things off.

Tasmania JackJumpers vs. Melbourne United

MyState Bank Arena
Thursday, September 18 @ 7:30pm

There will be a bit of extra spice in tonight’s contest between the JackJumpers and United, following the blockbuster move of Milton Doyle across the Bass Strait to join Melbourne. The guard is one of the best players in the JackJumpers’ history, and it was a massive free agency signing, given Doyle is an NBL Champion with Tasmania.

He will also have to step up offensively tonight, given the absence of United star Chris Goulding, who will miss through a quad injury. There is no better stage for Doyle to announce himself as a central figure for Melbourne than against his old team, who will be looking to put him off his game whenever possible at MyState Bank Arena.

It is certainly a different looking JackJumpers side as well, with a serious change of imports thanks to the addition of Bryce Hamilton, David Johnson and Tyger Campbell, all of whom will be trusted to do a lot of the heavy lifting on the offensive end.

The clash marks the official NBL debut of Next Star and 2026 NBA Draft prospect Dash Daniels, who has been playing significant minutes throughout the preseason and should feature heavily in his first game. The younger brother of Dyson, Daniels is touted as a potential top-10 prospect, so getting off to a great start in his NBL stint could be crucial for his draft hopes.

Another to watch tonight will be United import Jesse Edwards, with the big man likely to engage in a physical and enthralling battle with star opponent Will Magnay in the frontcourt. Edwards was recruited for his shotmaking and overall defensive impact, but showed his ability as a lob threat throughout the preseason.

Magnay is established in the paint and given the amount of offseason changes, could be asked to shoulder more of the load on the offensive end. Whichever player gets on top in the frontcourt battle could be crucial in leading their side to victory, so keep an eye on how things pan out in the low block.

Both teams made wholesale changes over the offseason, and are coached by two of the sharpest minds in the competition, so it should be a seriously engaging tactical battle. With big names such as Doyle, Daniels and Edwards worth keeping an eye on and plenty of talent on both sides, it should be another thrilling instalment of one of the biggest NBL rivalries of the 2020s.