2003 New Zealand NBL season
| 2003 New Zealand NBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 23 April – 16 August |
| Number of games | 18 |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Regular season | |
| Minor premiers | Waikato Titans |
| Season MVP | David Cooper (Manawatu Jets) |
| Top scorer | John Whorton (Canterbury Rams) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Wellington Saints |
| Runners-up | Waikato Titans |
The 2003 New Zealand National Basketball League season was the 22nd running of the competition. New Zealand basketball legends, Pero Cameron and Phill Jones, dominated through the 1990s, with one or the other steering their teams to a championship every year from 1994 to 2002. That string ended in 2003 with the Wellington Saints' championship win over the Waikato Titans, as the Saints claimed their fifth league title.
2003 marked the first year a league-wide MVP award winner was named, allowing imports the opportunity to be recognised; in all previous seasons, only a Kiwi MVP was named, an award given to the best New Zealand player. Australian import David Cooper of the Manawatu Jets was subsequently awarded the first league MVP. 2003 also marked the return of a Taranaki side to the NBL, with the team having pulled out of the league in 2000 due to a lack of funding. After winning the 2002 Conference Basketball League championship, the Taranaki Stormers re-entered the NBL as the Mountainairs.
Stats as of the end of the regular season
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