NBL smashes 31-year attendance record

• A total of 1,129,449 fans have attended games this NBL season beating the previous record of 1,127,033 whoch stood for 31 years
• There have been 54 sell-outs this NBL season
• Game five of the championship series will be played on Sunday at 2.30pm AEDT at the WIN Entertainment Centre

The NBL is as popular as ever after the league announced it had broken its all-time attendance record, which has stood for 31 years, with the deciding game of the championship series still to be played.

A total of 1,129,449 fans have attended games throughout the NBL regular season and finals, eclipsing the previous record of 1,127,033. The achievement is even more remarkable considering this year's record was set in 40 less games.

The NBL also said last night's sell-out for game four of the championship series, where fans at John Cain Arena saw the Illawarra Hawks record an 80-71 win to stay alive in one of the best wins in league history, took the amount of sold-out crowds for the season to 54.

“The NBL is the fastest growing sporting league in Australia and smashing our attendance record is further validation of the world-class entertainment product our competition has become,” NBL CEO, David Stevenson, said in the release.

“The fans are the lifeblood of the competition and are at the forefront of every decision we make. There would be no NBL without the fans, so I want to thank each and every one of them who attended a game this season and helped us create history. Your passion, dedication and commitment is unmatched.

“I also want to thank and highlight our clubs, who do an amazing job at elevating the game-day experience and connecting to their supporters in the best way possible.

“While we continue to set records, our ambitions remain high, and with some exciting announcements to come, we look forward to even bigger and better things in the future.”

The NBL season comes to an end on Sunday when the Hawks host United in the winner-take-all game five of the championship series at the WIN Entertainment Centre at 2.30pm AEDT. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN and Channel 10.