NBL1 replaced the former QBL to create more professional pathways and opportunities for males and females playing basketball in Queensland.

In 2022, the league expanded into the Northern Territory with the addition of a club from Darwin.

[1] In 1994, the league joined the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) to become the competition's North Conference.

[5][6] Around this time, the QABL set up a division system to separate the north and south teams within the state: the Sunstate (North Queensland) and Southern Cross (South Queensland) divisions.

It saw the NBL1 become the first Australian sport league to have clubs based in and playing out of every state and territory in Australia.