The NBL records that will NEVER be broken

Records are made to be broken. However, there are some marks in NBL history that will stand the test of time.

In all sports and leagues around the world there are records that will never be broken.

Even just in basketball, you only have to look as far as Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in the NBA, which let’s be honest, is no danger of being passed.

When it comes to the NBL, there are a few more safe records than normal due to the shift to 40-minute games.

Some from the past era, like Ian Davies’s 13 three-pointers in a game could feasibly be eclipsed one day. However, there are plenty that are NEVER going to be broken.

Career points | Andrew Gaze: 18,908

22 seasons with a career average of 30.9 points per game… good luck beating that!

We all know the legend of Andrew Gaze, but when you really dive deep into the numbers, you realise just how prolific he truly was.

The Tigers legend averaged over 35 points per game in a season five times, and only averaged under 30 per game seven times. Throw in a debut at 19 and a retirement at 39 and you have the GOAT for a reason.

To give you context when it comes to active players, Chris Goulding has 6,849 career points and Bryce Cottons sits on 5,816. Even if the current game was played with 12-minute quarters, no one is getting close to Gaze’s longevity and the style of offence from his era.

Highest single season scoring average | Andrew Gaze: 44.1ppg (1987)

This seems slightly more within reach than the overall scoring record, however, it still isn’t being broken.

1987 was a terrible year for the Melbourne Tigers who won jus three games, however the lone shining light was a 22-year-old Andrew Gaze who averaged a remarkable 44.1 points per game across 20 appearances.

Gaze had six 50+ point games, including his career-high of 60, which came against Newcastle. A fixture that the Tigers still lost, going down 127-137.

Nobody has averaged 30 or more in a season since Gaze himself did it in 1998/99.

You’re safe on this one Drewy!

Most rebounds in a game | Dean Uthoff: 34 vs Hobart (1984)

There’s cleaning the glass, and then there is Dean Uthoff.

In 1984 the big man from Iowa had 30+ rebounds on four seperate occasions, the best of which was a 34-rebound effort against Hobart on May 20.

13 of them were offensive, and he had a 20 points to go along with all of the boards. That season he had an incredible rebounding average of 18.5 per game.

Looking through the record books, the most recent entry in the top 10 came way back in 1992 (Terry Dozier). And in the most recently completed NBL season no one averaged over 10 rebounds per game.

If anyone ever gets close to this, it will be a downright shock.

Most assists in a game | Derek Rucker: 24 vs Geelong (1994)

DRuck will love this.

There have only been seven occasions that someone has cracked 20 or more assists in a single game.

Topping the list is Derek Rucker, who in 1994 racked up a remarkable 24 dimes while playing for the Newcastle Falcons. He picked Geelong apart, consistently finding teammates like Terry Dozier (20pts), Tonny Jensen (20pts), and Paul Kuiper (19pts).

Remarkably, Rucker was still the top scorer in the game across both teams with 24 points.

Kendric Davis led the league assists in the recent NBL season, and his single game high was only 13 assists. Of all of the records on the list this is the the closest to moving out of the “NEVER” category, however I’m still willing to put it on the line and say Derek Rucker is safe.

Most team points in a game | Melbourne: 186 vs Wollongong (1991)

No overtime needed, just flat out scoring.

The highest scoring game in NBL history came in 1991, with Melbourne pouring in a remarkable 186 points, including 111 in the first half, to beat the Hawks by 28.

Andrew Gaze had 59 points and 11 assists, David Colbert recorded 42 points and 20 rebounds, and David Simmons registered 36 points while shooting 82% from the field.

All Tigers scored, although Mark Gaze might not have felt like the biggest contributor, with his one point equating to 0.54% of the team’s total.

Remarkably, the Tigers only buried eight three-point baskets across the whole game, however shooting 76% from the field certainly made up for it.

Even United’s four overtime thriller against Illawarra in 2018, which saw 60 minutes of basketball played, only had a final score of 123-122.

Largest winning margin | Coburg: 88 vs Sydney 1984

88 freaking points.

A good old-fashioned bloodbath. That is what Coburg gave the Sydney Supersonics on one fateful Sunday in 1984.

The final score 154-66, with the Giants scoring 40+ points in three of the four quarters and Sydney not managing to score over 20 points in any period. Coburg’s field goal percentage was double that of the Supersonics while also taking 30 more shots.

Bennie Lewis (37pts), Ray Borner (24pts), Chuck Harmison (24pts), and Peter Blight (20pts) all hit the scoreboard in a big way, meanwhile only three players for Sydney scored more than six points.

Illawarra were the highest scoring team on average in the 2024/25 season, putting up just over 100 points per game. Their highest points total in a single game was 126, which means if they were to reach that high mark, they would need to restrict their opposition to 37 to break this record.

It. Ain’t. Happening.