| 1979 NBL season | |
| League: | National Basketball League |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| Duration: | 24 February – 3 June 1979 (Regular season) 10 June 1979 (Grand Final) |
| No Of Games: | 90 (Regular season) 1 (Grand Final) |
| No Of Teams: | 10 |
| Tv: | ABC |
| Season: | Regular season |
| Season Champs: | St. Kilda Saints |
| Top Scorer: | Cal Bruton (Brisbane) |
| Top Scorer Link: | List of National Basketball League (Australia) annual scoring leaders |
| Mvp: | Ken Richardson (West Adelaide) |
| Mvp Link: | NBL Most Valuable Player Award |
| Finals: | Grand Final |
| Finals Link: | 1979 NBL Finals |
| Finals Champ: | St. Kilda Saints (1st title) |
| Finals Runner-Up: | Canberra Cannons |
| Grand Final Mvp: | Larry Sengstock (St. Kilda) |
| Grand Final Mvp Link: | NBL Grand Final Most Valuable Player Award |
| Seasonslist: | List of NBL seasons |
| Seasonslistnames: | NBL |
| Nextseason Link: | 1980 NBL season |
| Nextseason Year: | 1980 |
The 1979 NBL season was the inaugural season of the National Basketball League (NBL). The championship was decided by a sudden death Grand Final between first (St. Kilda Saints) and second (Canberra Cannons).
Ten teams competed in the 1979 Season.
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Founded | Head Coach | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bankstown Bruins | Sydney | Bankstown Basketball Stadium | 2,500 | 1979 | Shaun O'Connell | |
| Brisbane Bullets | Brisbane | Auchenflower Stadium | 2,000 | 1979 |  Robert Young | |
| Canberra Cannons | Canberra | Canberra Showgrounds | Unknown | 1979 |  Cal Stamp | |
| City of Sydney Astronauts | Sydney | Alexandria Stadium | Unknown | 1979 | Charlie Ammit | |
| Glenelg Tigers | Glenelg | Apollo Entertainment Centre | 3,000 | 1979 | Alan Dawe | |
| Illawarra Hawks | Wollongong | Beaton Park Stadium | 2,000 | 1979 | Joe Farrugia | |
| Newcastle Falcons | Newcastle | Newcastle Sports Entertainment Centre | 2,200 | 1979 | Bob Turner | |
| Nunawading Spectres | Melbourne | Burwood Stadium | 2,000 | 1979 | Barry Barnes | |
| St. Kilda Saints | Melbourne | Albert Park Basketball Stadium | 2,000 | 1979 | Brian Kerle | |
| West Adelaide Bearcats | Port Adelaide | Apollo Entertainment Centre | 3,000 | 1979 | Ken Richardson |
The 1979 regular season took place over 15 rounds between 24 February 1979 and 3 June 1979.
Every team played 18 games, against each opponent twice.
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The NBL tie-breaker system as outlined in the NBL Rules and Regulations states that in the case of an identical win–loss record, the results in games played between the teams will determine order of seeding.
1Head-to-Head between Canberra Cannons and Nunawading Spectres (1-1). Canberra Cannons won For and Against (+2).
2Newcastle Falcons won Head-to-Head (2-0).
3Head-to-Head between Glenelg Tigers and Bankstown Bruins (1-1). Glenelg Tigers won For and Against (+7).
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See main article: NBL All-Time Coaching Records.
| Category | Player | Team | Stat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 597 pts / 18 games[1] | ||||
| Free throw percentage | 89.7% (35/39) |
Ken Richardson (West Adelaide Bearcats)
Larry Sengstock (St. Kilda Saints)