NBS Nelson Giants vs Taranaki Airs

Come cheer on the Nelson Giants as they take on the Taranaki Airs.

The NBS Nelson Giants is the only team to have competed in the NBL every year since its inception in 1982, with the NBL and the Giants jointly celebrated their 40th season in 2021. The Giants have a proud history, winning in 1994, 1998 and 2007, and making the grand final on 8 other occasions. The team has a strong record of developing local players and coaches, including current Tall Blacks star Finn Delany and former players Mika Vukona, Phill Jones, Nenad Vucinic and Michael Fitchett. The Giants have always enjoyed strong community support and Nelson is known as a ‘basketball town’, both due to its passionate fans and its legacy of producing and incubating basketball talent.

The Nelson Giants team was founded by the Nelson Basketball Association in 1982 before being transferred to private ownership in 1993. In 2017, the team was gifted by its last private owner, former Nelson Giants and Tall Blacks player and coach, Nenad Vucinic, to the Basketball Development Nelson Trust, to ensure the Nelson Giants remains an asset for the community and continues to grow local Giants and fans.