1987 NBL season
The 1987 NBL season was the ninth season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 14 teams contested the league. Three of the Melbourne based clubs rebranded themselves in the off season, with the Nundawading Spectres renaming themselves Eastside Melbourne, Coburg Giants became North Melbourne Giants and the St. Kilda Saints became Westside Saints.
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 |  Gary Fox |
| Brisbane Bullets |  Brisbane, Queensland | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | 13,500 | 1979 |  Brian Kerle |
| Canberra Cannons |  Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | AIS Arena | 5,200 | 1979 | Bob Turner |
| Eastside Spectres |  Melbourne, Victoria | Burwood Stadium | 2,000 | 1979 | |
| 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 |
| North Melbourne Giants | Melbourne, Victoria | The Glass House | 7,200 | 1980 | Bruce Palmer |
| Perth Wildcats |  Perth, Western Australia | Perth Superdome | 4,500 | 1982 | Cal Bruton |
| Sydney Supersonics | Sydney, New South Wales | State Sports Centre | 5,006 | 1982 | Ken Cole |
| Westside Melbourne Saints | Melbourne, Victoria | Keilor Stadium | 2,000 | 1979 | Andris Blicavs |
| 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 23 rounds between 24 April 1987 and 27 September 1987 with semi-final on 30 September 1987 until 4 October 1987 and grand final on 10–16 October 1987.Ladder
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
Elimination-Finals
Semi-Finals
There were four semi-finals, and then best of three grand final. All three of these finals were sudden death.| Date | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue |
| 30 September | Illawarra Hawks | 87-109 | Brisbane Bullets | Illawarra Basketball Stadium |
| 30 September | Perth Wildcats | 98-99 | Adelaide 36ers | Perth Superdrome |
| 2 October | Adelaide 36ers | 99-101 | Perth Wildcats | Apollo Stadium |
| 2 October | Brisbane Bullets | 77-78 | Illawarra Hawks | Brisbane Entertainment Centre |
| 4 October | Adelaide 36ers | 93-120 | Perth Wildcats | Apollo Stadium |
| 4 October | Brisbane Bullets | 100-82 | Illawarra Hawks | Brisbane Entertainment Centre |
Grand Final
1987 NBL statistics leaders
NBL awards
- Most Valuable Player: Mark Davis, Adelaide 36ers & Leroy Loggins, Brisbane Bullets
- Most Valuable Player Grand Final: Leroy Loggins, Brisbane Bullets
- Rookie of the Year: Greg Hubbard, Illawarra Hawks
- Coach of the Year: David Lindstrom, Illawarra Hawks
All NBL Team