The Brisbane Bullets were, until 2008, a professional basketball team competing in Australia's National Basketball League. The Bullets were one of only two teams that survived since the NBL's inception in 1979; the only surviving team is now the Wollongong Hawks. The team played in Midnight Navy and Maize colours.
The Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre was the home court for the Brisbane Bullets from 1998-2008. When the NBL first started the team was based at the Auchenflower Stadium and remained there until 1985 when they started playing at the larger Sleeman Sports Centre during the 1985 season. The Bullets remained at Chandler until they moved into the 13,500 seat Brisbane Entertainment Centre midway through 1986, staying at Boondall until the end of the 1997 season. From 1986 until the South East Melbourne Magic and Melbourne Tigers started using the 14,820 seat National Tennis Centre (now Rod Laver Arena) in 1992, the BEC was the largest venue used in the NBL.
The Bullets won three NBL Championships in their history, being successful in the 1985 and 1987 seasons and again in 2007, as well as having competed in the 1984, 1986 and 1990 grand finals. The team reached the play-offs 21 times in their illustrious 30 year history.
On 30 June 2008, it was announced that the Bullets license had been returned to the NBL, following financial difficulties for the owner, Eddy Groves and the failure of attempts to find a new ownership group.
On 23rd August 2011, Basketball Australia CEO Larry Sengstock told ABC radio's Spencer Howson that the success of the Boomers upcoming game against New Zealand in Brisbane was important to the bid to revive an NBL team in the Queensland capital.
Sengstock told Howson that fan support for the Boomers Olympic qualification game against the New Zealand Tall Blacks on Friday 9 September at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre would be an important barometer for those looking to relaunch the Brisbane Bullets.
The BA CEO also said that there had been significant progress towards returning a team to Brisbane for the 2012/13 season and that he wanted the team to be called the Bullets.
Read more about Brisbane Bullets: History, 2011: Hope For Revival, Retired Jerseys, Honour Roll, Season-by-Season
Famous quotes containing the word bullets:
“There will be mud on the carpet tonight
and blood in the gravy as well.
The wifebeater is out,
the childbeater is out
eating soil and drinking bullets from a cup.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)