Melbourne United is a professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Australia. They compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena. The team is a prominent fixture in the Australian basketball scene.
In 1931, the Victorian Basketball Association (VBA) was established, marking the origin of the Melbourne Tigers.
In 1975, the Melbourne Tigers name was established.
In 1981, the Melbourne Tigers debuted in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL).
In 1983, the Melbourne Tigers won the SEABL championship.
In 1983, the NBL was split into Eastern and Western divisions during the regular season.
In 1984, the Melbourne Tigers debuted in the NBL, led by coach Lindsay Gaze and his son Andrew.
In 1984, the Melbourne Tigers played at the 2,000 seat Albert Park Basketball Stadium.
In 1984, the NBL was split into Eastern and Western divisions during the regular season.
In the 1984 season, the Melbourne Tigers debuted in the NBL.
In 1986, the Brisbane Entertainment Centre had been the largest venue since then.
During the 1987 season, Andrew Gaze set a still-standing NBL record with 44.1 points per game, including a 60-point game against the Newcastle Falcons.
In 1987, the Melbourne Tigers played at the 2,000 seat Albert Park Basketball Stadium.
In 1988, the Melbourne Tigers moved into the 7,200-capacity Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre, also known as The Glass House.
In 1989, the addition of imports David Colbert and Dave Simmons led the Melbourne Tigers to their first-ever finals appearance.
In 1991, the Melbourne Tigers played in The Glass House, which they shared with the North Melbourne Giants.
In 1992, the Melbourne Tigers and the South East Melbourne Magic both moved into the 14,820-seat National Tennis Centre.
In 1992, the addition of Lanard Copeland led to the Melbourne Tigers reaching their maiden NBL Grand Final series, where they were defeated 2–1 by the South East Melbourne Magic.
In 1993, it was the last time before 2024 that the NBL Grand Final MVP was awarded to a player from the losing team.
In 1993, the Melbourne Tigers won the NBL championship while playing at the National Tennis Centre.
In 1993, with the addition of Mark Bradtke, the Melbourne Tigers, led by Gaze, Copeland, Simmons, and Bradtke, won their first NBL Championship against the Perth Wildcats.
On 11 July 1994, Melbourne's all-time home game attendance record was set when 15,129 attended a Round 14 game between the Tigers and South East Melbourne at the Tennis Centre.
In 1996, the Melbourne Tigers and Magic set a then NBL record attendance of 15,366 for a regular season game at the Tennis Centre, while the Grand Final series between the two Melbourne rivals set an NBL record aggregate attendance of 43,605 over the 3-game series.
In 1996, the Melbourne Tigers returned to the NBL Grand Final but were defeated 2–1 by the South East Melbourne Magic.
In 1997, behind Gaze, Copeland, Bradtke, and Timmons, the Melbourne Tigers reached their fourth NBL Grand Final series, claiming a 2–1 victory against the Magic to win their second NBL Championship.
In 1997, the Melbourne Tigers won the NBL championship while playing at the National Tennis Centre.
In 2000, citing the rising costs of playing games at the Tennis Centre, the Melbourne Tigers moved to the newly built, 10,500 capacity Vodafone Arena (now John Cain Arena).
In 2002, the Melbourne Tigers franchise entered into private ownership to restore financial stability after accumulating a $2 million debt.
In 2002, the Melbourne Tigers moved from Vodafone Arena to the smaller (3,500 seat) State Netball and Hockey Centre.
In 2005, coach Lindsay Gaze and his son Andrew retired from the Melbourne Tigers. Mark Bradtke and Lanard Copeland also parted ways with the team.
In 2006, the Melbourne Tigers, behind the likes of Chris Anstey and Darryl McDonald, won the NBL championship, sweeping the Sydney Kings 3-0.
In 2006, the Melbourne Tigers, coached by Al Westover, reached the NBL Grand Final series and swept the Sydney Kings 3–0.
In the 2007 season, the Melbourne Tigers returned to the NBL Grand Final, where they were defeated 3–1 by the Brisbane Bullets.
In 2008, the Melbourne Tigers acquired Sam Mackinnon and Ebi Ere. The Tigers won Game 5 of the NBL Grand Final series with Anstey and Thomas each scoring 21 points.
In 2008, the Melbourne Tigers experienced financial losses for the first time in five years.
In January 2009, following an injury to Sam Mackinnon and the mid-season departure of Rod Grizzard, Dave Thomas and Luke Kendall were acquired by the Melbourne Tigers.
In May 2009, the Melbourne Tigers briefly decided to sit out the 2009–10 season due to financial losses, but ultimately continued in the competition.
In 2009, Sam Mackinnon continued with the Melbourne Tigers. The team acquired Mark Worthington and initially decided to go with an 'all-Australian' roster, but later added Julius Hodge and Mike Rose to the squad.
In 2009, the Melbourne Tigers appeared in the NBL Grand Final for the fourth consecutive year but were defeated by the South Dragons.
In 2010, the Melbourne Tigers roster was dismantled, with several players departing and retiring. Darryl McDonald became the coach after Al Westover was sacked.
In 2011, the Melbourne Tigers acquired coach Trevor Gleeson and recruited several new players, including Patty Mills during the NBA lockout.
In January 2012, Melbourne Tigers owner Seamus McPeake sacked Ayinde Ubaka after a loss to the Gold Coast Blaze.
In 2012, the Melbourne Tigers acquired several new players, and Chris Anstey became the head coach.
Since 2012, the club has split its games between John Cain Arena and the Netball Centre.
In 2013, Mark Worthington returned to the Melbourne Tigers. They reach the finals.
On May 20, 2014, the Melbourne Tigers franchise was rebranded as Melbourne United to connect with all of Victorian basketball.
In 2014, Daryl Corletto and David Barlow returned to the franchise. Following a loss in the season opener, coach Chris Anstey resigned and was replaced by Darryl McDonald.
In 2014, after 31 seasons as the Melbourne Tigers, the franchise underwent a controversial rebrand, changing the team's name to Melbourne United.
In 2015, Dean Demopoulos was hired as coach, and Todd Blanchfield was acquired. Chris Goulding returned after playing in Spain in 2014-15.
In 2015, Melbourne United also played games at the newly renovated Margaret Court Arena.
On 4 December 2016, Melbourne United's record home attendance of 10,300 was set against the New Zealand Breakers at Melbourne Arena during Round 9 of the 2016-17 NBL season.
As of the 2016-17 NBL season, the 1996 Grand Final series between the Tigers and Magic still holds the NBL record aggregate attendance of 43,605 over the 3-game series.
In 2016, Melbourne United added Tai Wesley and David Andersen to the roster. They replaced their initial imports mid-season with Casper Ware, Josh Boone, and Lasan Kromah.
In 2016, Melbourne United will play most of its games at John Cain Arena with a select number of games played at the Netball Centre during January due to the Australian Open tennis.
In the 2017 off-season, Dean Vickerman was hired as head coach. Casey Prather was also acquired. An Achilles injury to Daniel Dillon forced the team to sign Peter Hooley.
In 2018, Melbourne United won the NBL Championship, defeating the Adelaide 36ers in the Grand Final series. Chris Goulding was named Grand Final MVP.
In the 2018–19 NBL season, Melbourne United returned to the NBL Grand Final series, where they lost 3–1 to the Perth Wildcats.
Since 2018, Melbourne United have trained and had their head offices located at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre in Albert Park.
In 2021, Melbourne United won another NBL championship.
As of the end of the 2024–25 season.
In 2024, Melbourne United lost the NBL Grand Final series 3-2 to the Illawarra Hawks. Despite the loss, Matthew Dellavedova was awarded the Larry Sengstock Medal as the NBL Grand Final MVP.
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