History
The ABA's roots can be traced back as far as 1965, when just eight clubs competed in the South Eastern Conference (SEC). The SEC continued until 1971 when the Australian Club Championships gained pre-eminence.
In 1981, the SEC was reborn as the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) when the Australian Club Championships ceased to operate due to the rise of Australia’s first truly national competition, the now professional National Basketball League.
The SEABL was divided into a South and East Conference format in 1986 with teams from Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia.
In 1994 the bodies merged with the Queensland State League to create North, South and East Conferences and the league was renamed the Continental Basketball Association (CBA).
1998 saw further expansion with the inclusion of the Central Australian Basketball League Conference from South Australia conducting competitions for both men and women. In that same year, the switch of NBL and WNBL seasons to Summer enabled the ABA to offer professional players a showcase for their skills during the Winter months.
2000 saw the addition of Big V from Victoria and in 2001 the Waratah League from New South Wales and the league was once again renamed into the current Australian Basketball Association.
From 2002 to 2008, the champions of each of the five leagues and a number of wildcard entries competed at the inaugural Australian Basketball Club Champions Finals.
Read more about this topic: Australian Basketball Association
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