Melbourne Tigers
| Melbourne United | ||||
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| League | NBL | |||
| Founded | 1984 | |||
| History |
Melbourne Tigers 1984–2014 Melbourne United 2014–present |
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| Arena |
Hisense Arena State Netball and Hockey Centre |
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| Capacity | HA – 10,500 SNHC – 3,500 |
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| Location | Melbourne, Victoria | |||
| Team colours | Navy Blue, White |
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| CEO | Vince Crivelli | |||
| Head coach | Dean Vickerman | |||
| Team captain | David Andersen | |||
| Ownership | Larry Kestelman & Michael Slepoy | |||
| Championships | 4 (1993, 1997, 2006, 2008) | |||
| Retired numbers | 6 (6, 8, 10, 21, 25, 50) | |||
| Website | MelbourneUtd.com.au | |||
| Uniforms | ||||
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Melbourne United is an Australian professional men's basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (NBL). United are the only team in the league representing Victoria and is based in the state capital, Melbourne. As of the 2015–16 season, the team splits its home games between the 10,500-seat Hisense Arena and the 3,500-seat State Netball and Hockey Centre (SNHC), known as "The Cage" within the NBL.
Melbourne United's history stems back to 1931 with the beginning of Victorian Basketball. The Melbourne Tigers brand came into use in 1975, and after the Tigers senior men's team won the South Eastern Basketball League (SEBL) title in 1983, a new Melbourne Tigers entity was entered into the National Basketball League (NBL), as an extension of the Melbourne Basketball Association (MBA). The NBL franchise entered into private ownership in 2002, ending the club's relation with the MBA. After 31 seasons of using the Melbourne Tigers name, the club owners decided to rename the franchise Melbourne United in May 2014, with new colours, uniform and logo to be implemented for the 2014–15 season. The change was not well received, as it created an uproar amongst Tigers fans and the wider NBL community.
Melbourne United are the equal second most successful club in the NBL alongside the Adelaide 36ers and New Zealand Breakers, with all three clubs having won four NBL championships. Only the Perth Wildcats, who have eight NBL championships, have won more.
Melbourne United, then known as the Tigers, joined the National Basketball League in 1984. Throughout the majority of the 1980s, they saw limited success, despite the number of records which superstar Andrew Gaze, son of coach Lindsay, racked up. 1987 saw Andrew average 44.1 points per game, and set the clubs single game scoring record of 60 points against the Newcastle Falcons, however, the team still failed to make the playoffs. In fact, despite Gaze's point scoring the Tigers finished with a 3–23 record with all wins coming at their home court, the Albert Park Basketball Stadium.
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