1986 NBL season
The 1986 NBL season was the eighth season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 14 teams contested the league.
Clubs
The NBL had 14 clubs spread across all Australian states and territories with the exception of the Northern Territory.| Club | Location | Home Venue | Capacity | Founded | Head coach |
| Adelaide 36ers |  Adelaide, South Australia | Apollo Stadium | 3,000 | 1982 |  Ken Cole |
| Brisbane Bullets |  Brisbane, Queensland | Sleeman Sports Centre Brisbane Entertainment Centre | 2,700 13,500 | 1979 | Brian Kerle |
| Canberra Cannons |  Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | AIS Arena | 5,200 | 1979 |  Bob Turner |
| Coburg Giants |  Melbourne, Victoria | The Glass House | 7,200 | 1980 | Bruce Palmer |
| Geelong Supercats | Geelong, Victoria | Geelong Arena | 2,000 | 1982 | Ken Richardson |
| Hobart Devils |  Hobart, Tasmania | Kingborough Sports Centre | 1,800 | 1983 | David Adkins |
| Illawarra Hawks |  Wollongong, New South Wales | Illawarra Basketball Stadium | 2,000 | 1979 | Dave Lindstrom |
| Melbourne Tigers | Melbourne, Victoria | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | 2,000 | 1931 | Lindsay Gaze |
| Newcastle Falcons | Newcastle, New South Wales | Broadmeadow Basketball Stadium | 2,200 | 1979 | Steve Johansen |
| Nunawading Spectres | Melbourne, Victoria | Burwood Stadium | 2,000 | 1979 | Barry Barnes |
| Perth Wildcats |  Perth, Western Australia | Perry Lakes Basketball Stadium | 1,500 | 1982 | Jay Brehmer |
| St Kilda Saints | Melbourne, Victoria | The Glass House | 7,200 | 1979 | Andris Blicavs |
| Sydney Supersonics | Sydney, New South Wales | State Sports Centre | 5,006 | 1982 | Owen Wells |
| West Sydney Westars | Sydney, New South Wales | State Sports Centre | 5,006 | 1982 | Robbie Cadee |
Regular season
The home and away season took place over 21 rounds between 25 April 1986 and 28 September 1986 with semi-final on 1 October 1986 until 4 October 1986 and grand final on 11–19 October 1986.The Adelaide 36ers had a near perfect regular season recording a 24–2 win/loss record which included an undefeated 13-0 home record at the Apollo Stadium, a feat not matched before or since in the NBL. Adelaide's only two losses of the year came away in Round 6 when they lost 89–87 to the West Sydney Westars in Sydney, and in Round 11 against the Coburg Giants in Melbourne when they went down 116–114. Both the Westars and Giants won the games on last second baskets. The 36ers were easily the best offensive team in the league, averaging 116 points per game, while they had the 5th best defence in the NBL only giving up 96.5 points per game.
6'5" Brisbane Bullets swingman Leroy Loggins was selected as the NBL's Most Valuable Player. Loggins averaged 29.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in 1986. It was Loggins' 2nd NBL MVP award having also won in 1984.
Ladder
This is the ladder at the end of season, before the finals. The top 6 teams qualified for the finals series.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.
Finals
There were two quarter finals, two semi-finals, and then best of three grand final. All of the Quarter and Semi-finals were sudden death. As the top two teams in the regular season the Adelaide 36ers and Canberra Cannons automatically qualified to host a home Semi-final.Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Grand Final
After being a single game from 1979-1985, 1986 saw the establishment of the best of three Grand Final series. Game 1 in Brisbane saw a then NBL record attendance of over 11,000. The game went into overtime with the 36ers coming out on top with a 122-119 win. Game 2 saw Adelaide lose its only game at home for the season when the Bullets kept the series alive with a 104-83 win. Adelaide wrapped up its first NBL Championship with a 113-91 win in Game 3 at the Apollo Stadium.Regular season MVP winner, Brisbane's Leroy Loggins, fouled out of both Games 1 and 3. Adelaide import Power forward Mark Davis was selected as the Grand Final MVP. Davis averaged 25.0 points, 19.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists over the series.
| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue | Attendance |
| 11 October | Brisbane Bullets | 119-122 | Adelaide 36ers | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | 11,000 |
| 17 October | Adelaide 36ers | 83-104 | Brisbane Bullets | Apollo Stadium | 3,000 |
| 19 October | Adelaide 36ers | 113-91 | Brisbane Bullets | Apollo Stadium | 3,000 |
1986 NBL statistics leaders
NBL awards
- Most Valuable Player: Leroy Loggins, Brisbane Bullets
- Most Valuable Player Grand Final: Mark Davis, Adelaide 36ers
- Rookie of the Year: Steve Lunardon, Nunawading Spectres
- Coach of the Year: Ken Cole, Adelaide 36ers
All NBL Team