History of Brisbane Bullets in Timeline
The Brisbane Bullets are a professional Australian basketball team in the NBL, based in Brisbane, Queensland. A foundation team of the NBL, they competed from 1979-2008 and then rejoined in 2016. The Bullets have won three NBL championships (1985, 1987, and 2007), and appeared in the grand finals in 1984, 1986 and 1990. They have a history of success, having reached the playoffs a total of 22 times.
1979: Brisbane Bullets Founded
In 1979, the Brisbane Bullets were established as one of the ten foundation teams in the National Basketball League (NBL).
1979: Bullets Established for NBL Foundation Season
In 1979, the Brisbane Bullets were established by the Brisbane Amateur Basketball Association for the inaugural season of the National Basketball League (NBL), with Bruce Fitzgerald as captain and Bob Young as head coach.
1979: Bullets Entry to NBL at Auchenflower Stadium
In 1979, upon entry to the NBL, the Brisbane Bullets were based at the Auchenflower Stadium.
1980: Finals Appearance in Second NBL Season
In 1980, the Brisbane Bullets made it to the finals in their second NBL season, finishing in third place with 17 wins out of 22 games. Dave Claxton took over as head coach. They lost to the West Adelaide Bearcats in the second semi-final.
1981: Finals Appearance
In 1981, Brisbane Bullets made it to the finals and finished in fifth place. They lost to Launceston Casino City in the first semi-final.
1982: Missed Finals Qualification
In 1982, with Rick Harden as the new coach, the Brisbane Bullets failed to qualify for the finals, finishing in eighth place.
1983: Regular Season Performance
In 1983, Brisbane Bullets had a 10-12 record.
1983: Finished Outside Finals Contention
In 1983, the Brisbane Bullets finished fifth, remaining outside of finals contention.
1983: Team Remains at Auchenflower Stadium
In 1983, the Brisbane Bullets remained at the Auchenflower Stadium.
1983: NBL Split into Divisions
In 1983, the NBL was split into Eastern and Western divisions during the regular season.
1983: Playoff miss
In 1983, was the last time Brisbane Bullets missed the playoffs until 1989.
1984: Move to Sleeman Sports Centre
At the start of the 1984 season, the Brisbane Bullets moved to the larger Sleeman Sports Centre in Chandler.
1984: Grand Final Appearance
In 1984, the Brisbane Bullets competed in the NBL Grand Final.
1984: NBL Split into Divisions
In 1984, the NBL was split into Eastern and Western divisions during the regular season.
1985: Leroy Loggins stars in Grand Final victory
In 1985, Leroy Loggins scored 41 points in the Grand Final Victory.
1985: NBL Championship Victory
In 1985, the Brisbane Bullets secured their first NBL championship.
1985: Average NBL Venue Size
In 1985, the average size NBL venue was just 3,008 seats, with the smallest venue being the 1,500 seat Perry Lakes Basketball Stadium in Perth.
1985: Leroy Loggins Player of the Game
Leroy Loggins was the Player of the Game in the 1985 NBL Grand Final win, but there was no official Grand Final MVP awarded in 1985.
1986: Departure of Cal Bruton
At the end of 1986, Cal Bruton left the Brisbane Bullets after a falling out with Brian Kerle.
1986: Move to Brisbane Entertainment Centre and Grand Final Loss
In 1986, the Brisbane Bullets moved to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. They lost the NBL Grand Final series to the Adelaide 36ers 2-1 despite Leroy Loggins winning his second MVP award. Over 11,000 fans saw the 36ers defeat the Bullets 122–119 in overtime at the Entertainment Centre in the opening game.
1986: Grand Final Appearance
In 1986, the Brisbane Bullets participated in the NBL Grand Final.
1986: Relocation to Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Midway through 1986, the Brisbane Bullets relocated to the 13,500-seat Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Boondall.
1987: Second NBL Championship
In 1987, the Brisbane Bullets won their second NBL championship, defeating the Perth Wildcats in the Grand Final series. Leroy Loggins won his third MVP award and was named Grand Final MVP.
1988: Elimination Final Loss
In 1988, the Brisbane Bullets finished the regular season in third place but lost in the elimination final. Shane Heal won the NBL's Rookie of the Year award.
1988: Bruce Palmer won NBL coach of the year
In 1993, Bruce Palmer, former NBL Coach of the Year (1988), became the new Bullets coach.
1989: Failed to Make Playoffs
In 1989, the Brisbane Bullets failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1983, finishing the regular season in eighth place.
1989: Bruce Palmer won championship
In 1993, Bruce Palmer, championship winning coach of the North Melbourne Giants (1989) became the new Bullets coach.
October 1990: Largest Attendance for Bullets Game
On 26 October 1990, the largest attendance for a Bullets game occurred when 13,221 fans saw them defeat the Perth Wildcats 106–90 in Game 2 of the 1990 Grand Final series.
1990: First NBL Grand Final Since 1990
After defeating the Sydney Kings in the semis, Brisbane made their first NBL grand final since 1990
1990: Extensive Line-up Overhaul
Following the disappointing 1989 season, the Bullets' line-up was extensively overhauled for the 1990 season.
1990: Grand Final Appearance
In 1990, the Brisbane Bullets reached the NBL Grand Final.
1990: Grand Final Loss to Perth Wildcats
In 1990, the Brisbane Bullets, boosted by Derek Rucker and Andre Moore, finished third and reached the grand final, losing to the Perth Wildcats 2-1. Brian Kerle won his second Coach of the Year award, and Derek Rucker won the NBL's MVP award.
1991: Unsuccessful Season
In 1991, the Brisbane Bullets had an unsuccessful season, finishing in ninth place with a 13-13 record, missing the finals.
1992: Growth in NBL Venue Size
By 1992, the average size of NBL venues had risen to 7,155 seats.
1992: National Tennis Centre Use by Melbourne Teams
From 1992, the South East Melbourne Magic and Melbourne Tigers started using the 15,400 capacity National Tennis Centre (now Rod Laver Arena).
1992: Reached Quarter-Finals
In 1992, the Brisbane Bullets returned to the finals, reaching the quarter-finals.
1993: Semi-Finals Appearance
In 1993, with Bruce Palmer as the new coach, the Brisbane Bullets made it to the semi-finals.
1994: Quarter-Finals Appearance
In 1994, the Brisbane Bullets made it to the quarter-finals, finishing in fifth place.
1996: Quarter-Finals Appearance
In 1996, the Brisbane Bullets made it to the quarter-finals, finishing in sixth place.
1997: David Ingham as Head Coach
David Ingham coached the Brisbane Bullets for the 1996 and 1997 seasons.
1997: End of Season at Brisbane Entertainment Centre
The Brisbane Bullets stayed at Boondall until the end of the 1997 season.
1998: Move to Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
From 1998, the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre in South Bank became the Bullets' home court.
1998: Return of Brian Kerle as Coach and Move to Smaller Venue
In 1998, Brian Kerle returned to coach the Brisbane Bullets. Due to high costs and falling attendance, the Bullets moved to the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.
2000: Brian Kerle Coaching
Brian Kerle coached the Bullets from 1998 to 2000.
2000: Failed to get to the finals
The Bullets failed to get to the finals during the early years of the 2000s.
2003: More Respectable Season
In the 2003–04 season, the Brisbane Bullets won 22 of their 33 fixtures to finish fourth on the ladder.
2004: Finals Qualification
The Brisbane Bullets qualified for the finals in the 2004-05 season.
2005: Bradtke Addition
After the 2005-06 season, Mark Bradtke joined Brisbane Bullets
2005: Finals Qualification
The Brisbane Bullets qualified for the finals in the 2005-06 season. They finished in fifth place.
2006: Pre-Season Title Victory
In 2006, during the pre-season Blitz, the Brisbane Bullets won all three of their group stage games, defeated the Melbourne Tigers in the final to win the pre-season title.
2006: Minor Premiership and Record-Breaking Winning Streak
In the 2006-07 season, the Brisbane Bullets won the minor premiership with a record of 28 wins and 5 losses, including a record-breaking 21-game winning streak.
2007: Grand Final Move to Brisbane Entertainment Centre
For the 2007 NBL Grand Final series against the Melbourne Tigers, the Bullets moved back to the larger capacity Brisbane Entertainment Centre, despite the Convention Centre being their home venue.
2007: Third NBL Championship
In 2007, the Brisbane Bullets achieved their third NBL championship.
2007: Bullets were NBL Champions
In March 2008, following the 2007–08 season, the Bullets were NBL Champions.
March 2008: Owner Announces Forced Sale of Club
In March 2008, Eddy Groves announced he would be forced to sell the Brisbane Bullets club due to financial difficulties.
April 2008: New Owner Announced
On 16 April 2008, David Kemp was announced as the new owner of the Brisbane Bullets.
June 2008: Bullets License Returned to NBL
On 30 June 2008, the Brisbane Bullets license was returned to the NBL due to financial difficulties faced by owner Eddy Groves and failed attempts to find new ownership.
2008: Brisbane Bullets Depart NBL
In 2008, the Brisbane Bullets ceased competing in the NBL.
2008: End of Run at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
In 2008, the Brisbane Bullets' time at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre came to an end.
August 2011: Progress Towards Return to Brisbane
In August 2011, Basketball Australia CEO Larry Sengstock revealed progress towards returning a team to Brisbane for the 2012-13 season, hoping to call the team the Bullets.
May 2012: Return Rejected
In May 2012, the NBL rejected the Bullets' return, following the Gold Coast Blaze going into administration.
2012: Record Grand Final Crowd
In 1990, game 2 of the NBL Grand Final series saw a then NBL grand final record crowd of 13,221 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. This would stand the highest ever grand final crowd for a game played outside of Melbourne until 13,527 saw Game 2 of the 2012-13 Grand Final series between the Wildcats and New Zealand Breakers at Perth Arena.
November 2013: NBL Prioritizes Bullets Return
In November 2013, CEO Fraser Neill, under new management of the NBL, declared that bringing the Brisbane Bullets back to Brisbane was a priority.
2014: NBL Hopes for Brisbane Franchise Return
During the 2014-15 season, the NBL expressed hope for the return of a Brisbane-based franchise, raising the possibility of the Bullets' resurrection.
September 2015: Bullets Return Announced for 2016-17 Season
In September 2015, moves were put in place for the Bullets to return to the NBL for the 2016–17 season, adopting maroon and gold colors and returning to the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.
September 2015: Bullets Revival Announced
On 17 September 2015, it was announced that the Brisbane Bullets would be revived, returning to the NBL in the 2016-17 season.
2016: Bullets Return to the League
In 2016, after a public outcry to bring a Brisbane team back, the Bullets returned to the league for the 2016-17 season.
2016: Brisbane Bullets Return to NBL
In 2016, the Brisbane Bullets returned to the National Basketball League (NBL).
2016: Return to Convention Centre and Entertainment Centre
Upon their return to the NBL in 2016, the Bullets chose the Convention Centre as their regular home venue and the Entertainment Centre in Boondall as their alternate venue for marquee matches.
2017: Traditional Colors Return
In the 2017-18 season, the Bullets brought back their traditional blue and gold colours.
2019: Relocation to Nissan Arena
In 2019, with the construction of Nissan Arena, the Bullets chose to relocate to combine their front office, training centre, and home stadium into one facility.
June 2024: Return to Brisbane Entertainment Centre Announced
In June 2024, the Bullets announced that they would return to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre for the 2024–25 NBL season.
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