For the first time, a team was established from outside the Australasian area, with the Singapore Slingers taking over the licence of the Hunter Pirates.

A new franchise, the South Dragons, was established in Melbourne, taking the number of teams to twelve.

The Brisbane Bullets established a new NBL record of 21 straight wins, including 18 in the regular season.

The Blitz, which is the official pre-season tournament of the Philips Championship, was held in Coffs Harbour on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales from 8–10 September and featured all 12 NBL teams including the Dragons and Slingers, who were on show for the first time.

Source: NBL.com.au The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the results in games played between the teams will determine order of seeding.