[11] Most NLL players have full-time jobs off the floor, such as Buffalo's John Tavares, a high school teacher in Mississauga, Ontario.

[12] As of 2024, the NLL salary cap was $1,615,000, with Buffalo Business First reporter Paul Lane citing the following pay scale: Although eight of the fourteen teams are based in the U.S., less than 7% of players are American.

Darrell Russell was named Commissioner of the league, which had four teams based in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and East Rutherford, New Jersey.

[15] Coached by Bob Griebe, the Baltimore Thunder defeated the Washington Wave by a score of 11–10 to capture the league's first championship.

[15] The teams expanded to an eight-game schedule, and set up a three-team playoff with the regular season winner claiming a bye to the title game.

The Philadelphia Wings captured the league championship in front of a record postseason crowd of 16,042 at the Spectrum, defeating the New York Saints 11–10.

In the first game of the regular season, the debut of Detroit rookie twin brothers Paul and Gary Gait was successful, as they paced the Turbos to a 20–16 victory over the Baltimore Thunder.

The Bandits also defeated the Baltimore Thunder in front of a second sellout crowd, marking the first time a team sold out two games in the same season.

Philadelphia broke the league's attendance record when 17,380 fans watched the Wings defeat the Baltimore Thunder in the regular season finale.

A crowd of 16,818, the fourth largest in league history, watched the Wings defeat the Charlotte Cobras at CoreStates Spectrum in Philadelphia.

The 11th season opened with three games, including Rochester playing Buffalo at the Bandits' new home, the Marine Midland Arena, in front of a new league record crowd of 18,595 fans.

A blockbuster trade saw seven-time All-Pro Paul Gait go to the expansion Syracuse Smash in exchange for draft picks and player compensation.

Reigning league MVP Gary Gait was sent to Baltimore in a blockbuster trade involving player and cash compensation.

The Ravens defeated the Toronto Rock 13–12 in front of a crowd of 13,772, the largest to attend the first home game of an expansion franchise.

The Ottawa Rebel joined the Montreal Express in suspending operations, while the New York Saints folded altogether after sixteen seasons.

A new preseason attendance record was set as 14,084 fans came to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul for the first home exhibition game of the expansion Minnesota Swarm.

Mammoth forward Gavin Prout was named game MVP, scoring four goals and adding three assists for seven points in the win.

However, negotiations were protracted and threatened the 2008 season, to the extent that the Arizona Sting and a new Boston expansion franchise, reviving the Blazers name, announced that they would pause operations until 2009.

Tavares, who had already captured the all-time points and assists records, notched his record-breaking 597th career goal in the third quarter of Buffalo's 17–13 victory over New York.

The Washington Stealth won the championship in its first season in its new home, defeating the Toronto Rock 15–11 in front of a crowd of 8,609 at Comcast Arena.

The Toronto Rock won its record-tying sixth championship, tying the Philadelphia Wings, by defeating the Washington Stealth 8–7 in front of a crowd of 8,609 at Air Canada Centre.

The Rochester Knighthawks won its second-consecutive and fourth overall championship, defeating the Washington Stealth 11–10 in front of a crowd of 5,200 at Langley Events Centre.

[22] The 2019 NLL season was delayed when the Professional Lacrosse Players Association went on strike shortly before training camp was set to begin over negotiations for a new CBA.

On 3 February 2021, the 2021 season was also canceled due to logistical issues and uncertainties relating to the pandemic, including travel restrictions and quarantine requirements.

The return was successful, and the season ended with the Colorado Mammoth defeating the Buffalo Bandits on 18 June 2022, winning the championship series 2 games to 1.

[citation needed] The 2024 season began on December 1, 2023, and ended on May 18, 2024, with the Buffalo Bandits sweeping the Albany FireWolves 2–0 in the NLL Finals series to claim their sixth league title.

The first of these games was hosted by Castors de Montréal in February 2024, with the Toronto Rock playing the New York Riptide at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec.

For the 2008 season, due to dispute between the Professional Lacrosse Players' Association and the NLL owners in completing the collective bargaining agreement, the "Game of the Week" on Versus was cancelled.

[67][68][69] All other game broadcasts are produced in-house by the league, using a mix of on-site staff and REMI hubs (with Dome Productions, a joint venture between TSN's parent company Bell Media and rival Rogers Media, handling the hub for Canadian teams and other games broadcast by TSN).

[71] Developed by Sandbox Studios and published by Acclaim Entertainment, it was the first lacrosse video game and included all nine teams from the NLL's 15th season (2001).