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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Use Australian English|date=December 2013}}
{{for|the Brisbane Lady Bullets WNBL team|Brisbane Blazers}}
{{Infobox basketball club
| name            = Brisbane Bullets
| logo            = Brisbane Bullets logo.svg
| current         = 2024–25 Brisbane Bullets season
| leagues         = [[National Basketball League (Australia)|NBL]]
| founded         = {{Start date and age|1979}}
| dissolved       = 
| history         = '''Brisbane Bullets'''<br />1979–2008, 2016–present
| capacity        = 10,500
| arena           = [[Brisbane Entertainment Centre]]
| location        = [[Brisbane, Queensland]]
| colors          = Blue, gold, white<br />{{Color box|#002D73}} {{Color box|#FAA21B}} {{Color box|#FFFFFF}}
| sponsor         = 
| ceo             = Malcolm Watts
| gm              = 
| coach           = [[Stu Lash]]
| ownership       = [[Kevin Martin (basketball, born 1983)|Kevin Martin]], [[Jason Levien]] & [[LK Group]]
| captain         = [[Mitch Norton]]
| championships   = '''3''' ([[1985 NBL season|1985]], [[1987 NBL season|1987]], [[2006–07 NBL season|2007]])
| ret_nums        = '''4''' ([[Larry Sengstock|7]], [[Ron Radliff|22]], [[Leroy Loggins|30]], [[Robert Sibley (basketball)|52]])
| website         = [http://www.brisbanebullets.com.au BrisbaneBullets.com.au]
| h_body          = 4169e1
| h_pattern_b     = _yellowthinlines
| h_shorts        = 4169e1
| h_pattern_s     = _yellowsides
| a_body          = #FFFFFF
| a_pattern_b     = _bluesleevelinesandsides
| a_shorts        = #FFFFFF
| a_pattern_s     = _blue stripes
}}
The '''Brisbane Bullets''' are an Australian professional men's [[basketball]] team in the [[National Basketball League (Australia)|National Basketball League]] (NBL) based in [[Brisbane|Brisbane, Queensland]]. They competed from 1979 to 2008, and returned to the league in 2016. Brisbane were one of ten NBL foundation teams and have won three NBL championships, being successful in the 1985 and 1987 seasons, and again in 2007. They have also competed in the 1984, 1986 and 1990 grand finals and have reached the playoffs 22 times.<ref>{{cite web | work=BCEC.com.au | title=Brisbane Bullets v NZ Breakers | url=http://www.bcec.com.au/www/index.cfm?fuseaction=whatson.eventdetails&eventid=316 | date=14 September 2005 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312224826/http://www.bcec.com.au/www/index.cfm?fuseaction=whatson.eventdetails&eventid=316 | archive-date=12 March 2007 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.brisbanebullets.com.au/pages/history|title=Brisbane Bullets {{!}} Official|website=brisbanebullets.com.au|language=en|access-date=2018-09-29}}</ref>

On 30 June 2008, it was announced that the Bullets license had been returned to the NBL, following financial difficulties for owner [[Eddy Groves]] and the failure of attempts to find a new ownership group.

For the 2014–15 season, the NBL hoped for the return of a Brisbane-based franchise, bringing up the possibility of a Bullets resurrection.<ref>[http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/basketball/9064686/Brisbane-to-have-NBL-team-from-next-year Brisbane to have NBL team from next year]</ref> These hopes finally came to fruition on 17 September 2015, with the Bullets being revived for a return to the NBL in 2016–17.<ref name="return">[http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/basketball/national-basketball-league-brisbane-bullets-make-comeback-after-seven-year-absence/story-fnii09gt-1227532184715 National Basketball League: Brisbane Bullets make comeback after seven-year absence]</ref>

==History==

===Early years===
The Bullets were established in 1979 by [[Brisbane Capitals|Brisbane Amateur Basketball Association]] for the foundation season of the National Basketball League,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://brisbane.basketballqld.com.au/about-us/our-story/|title=Our Story|work=brisbane.basketballqld.com.au|access-date=14 November 2018}}</ref> under the [[captain (sports)|captaincy]] of Bruce Fitzgerald, and [[head coach]] Bob Young. Of the 18 games played during the inaugural NBL season, Brisbane won 13 and lost five, finishing in fifth place. Brisbane's [[Cal Bruton]] finished as the league's highest points per game scorer of the season.

The Bullets made it to the finals in the second NBL season of 1980. Dave Claxton took over as head coach as well. Finishing in third place, winning 17 of their 22-season games, the Bullets met the [[West Adelaide Bearcats]] in the second semi-final, losing 101–94. Brian Banks made the All-NBL first team that season. Banks became the Bullets' captain the following season. After making the finals in the second season, Brisbane did so again in 1981. Brisbane finished in fifth place, but first-placed [[Southern Melbourne Saints|St. Kilda]] did not attend the finals, as they were in [[Brazil]] contesting the World Club Championship. The Bullets lost to [[Launceston Casino City]] 71–69 in the first semi-final. In 1982, with new coach Rick Harden, the Bullets missed out on qualifying for the finals, finishing eighth. In the following season, they finished fifth, still outside of finals contention. Import guard [[Ron Radliff|Ron "The Rat" Radliff]], known for his long curly hair and brilliant outside shooting, played his first season for the Bullets and in the NBL in 1983.

===Championship years===
Under new coach Brian Kerle, who would go on to win the [[NBL (Australia) Coach of the Year|1984 Coach of the Year]] award, the Bullets' first playoffs appearance since [[1981 NBL season|1981]] came about after finishing the [[1984 NBL season|1984 regular season]] in first place with a 19–5 record, a major improvement on their 10–12 record in [[1983 NBL season|1983]]. After defeating the [[Coburg Giants]] and the [[Geelong Supercats]] in [[1984 NBL Finals|the finals]], the team were into their first ever [[NBL Grand Final]] with the game to be played at [[Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre|The Glass House]] in [[Melbourne]] (1984 would be the last year that the NBL Grand Final was played at a pre-determined 'neutral' venue). Unfortunately, they were not successful in capturing their first championship, losing to the defending champion [[Canberra Cannons]] 84–82 who were led by the [[Australian boomers|Australian Boomers]] [[point guard]] [[Phil Smyth]]. Star import [[Leroy Loggins]], who had returned to the Bullets in 1984 after two seasons with the [[West Adelaide Bearcats]], capped off a great season with the Bullets by winning his first of 3 [[NBL Most Valuable Player Award]]s as well as being named at [[Small forward]] in the [[All-NBL Team]].

The Bullets had emerged as the league's most powerful team under Brian Kerle and again finished in first place the [[1985 NBL season|1985 season]] with a 20–6 record, and were again Grand Finalists after a hard-fought win over the Cannons in [[1985 NBL Finals|the finals]]. With the game being held at their home venue, the [[Chandler Arena]], the Bullets were still favourites to defeat the [[Adelaide 36ers]] (whose merger with the Bearcats in 1985 had seen them become an NBL force for the first time) in what was to be the last single game grand final in NBL history despite the 36ers defeating the [[Newcastle Falcons (basketball)|Newcastle Falcons]] by the record score of 151–103 in their semi-final. Leading 78–74 going into the last period of play, the Bullets then outscored Adelaide 42–21, setting an NBL grand final record for points scored in the final period and easily accounting for the 36ers 120–95 to record their first ever championship win.

The team's major change during the [[1986 NBL season|1986 season]] was when they moved out of the 2,700 seat Chandler Arena and into the brand new [[Brisbane Entertainment Centre]] which could seat up to 13,500 fans, easily giving the Bullets the largest and newest home arena in the NBL at the time (the next largest venue in the league was The Glass House which could only seat 7,200). Indeed, the Entertainment Centre was not only the NBL's but also Australia's then largest [[indoor arena]]. They finished the regular season in third place with a 17–8 record but progressed to their third Grand Final in a row with wins over the [[Sydney Supersonics]] and regular finals opponent Canberra in the playoffs. In the first ever [[1986 NBL Finals|NBL grand final series]] to be played over three games, the Bullets lost to the Ken Cole coached Adelaide 36ers 2–1, losing Game 3 of the series 113–91 in [[Adelaide]] (the 36ers had a league leading 24–2 record for the season including a 13–0 record at home). In the opening game, over 11,000 fans, a then indoor sports attendance record in Australia, saw the 36ers defeat the Bullets 122–119 in overtime at the Entertainment Centre, while they became the only team to defeat the 36ers in Adelaide in 1986 when they won Game 2 104–83 at the [[Apollo Stadium]]. Leroy Loggins was again voted the league's MVP in 1986, giving himself and Brisbane a second MVP title while he was again a unanimous selection to the All-NBL Team. Crucially though, Loggins fouled out of both Game 1 and 3 of the Grand Final series which limited his on court impact.

[[1987 NBL season|1987]] saw the Bullets back to second on the ladder (again behind only Adelaide) with a 20–6 season, earning themselves a bye in [[1987 NBL Finals|the playoffs]] until the semi-finals. There they defeated the [[Illawarra Hawks]] two games to one to advance to a league record fourth grand final in a row, where this time they were up against the [[Perth Wildcats]] in their first ever Grand Final series after upsetting the 36ers 2–1 in their semi-final series. Perth were player/coached by former Bullets favourite [[Cal Bruton]], who had left the club at the end of 1986 after a public falling out with Brian Kerle. Bruton had successfully turned the Wildcats into a championship contender with the addition of forwards [[Kendall Pinder|Kendall "Tiny" Pinder]] and the "Alabama Slamma" [[James Crawford (basketball)|James Crawford]]. The Bullets won their second NBL championship, winning the first game 80–79 in a thriller in [[HBF Stadium|Perth]], before taking out Game 2 106–87 at the Entertainment Centre in Brisbane. Leroy Loggins continued to star for the Bullets, and in 1987, he won his third MVP award (shared with Adelaide's 1986 [[NBL Grand Final Most Valuable Player Award|Grand Final MVP]] [[Mark Davis (basketball, born 1960)|Mark Davis]]), as well as being voted as the Grand Final MVP for the series win over the Wildcats (although the Grand Final MVP was his first official award, Loggins had also been the player of the game with 41 points in the 1985 Grand Final victory).

===Form slump===
The Bullets finished the 1988 regular season in third place with an 18–6 record, but they couldn't manage to reach their fifth grand final in a row after losing in the elimination final. A highlight of the 1988 season for the Bullets was first year player [[Shane Heal]] winning the [[NBL (Australia) Rookie of the Year|NBL's Rookie of the Year]] award. The 1989 season saw the team fail to make the playoffs for the first time since 1983 when they finished the regular season in eighth place with an 11–13 record. In the wake of this disappointing season, the Bullets' line-up was extensively overhauled: Leroy Loggins, Greg Fox, and Robert Sibley were the only players from the 1989 Bullets team to continue with the club for the 1990 season, while both Larry Sengstock and Ron Radliff left to join the NBL's second Queensland-based team, the [[Gold Coast Rollers (NBL)|Gold Coast Cougars]], for its inaugural season in 1990.

Boosted by new imports [[Derek Rucker]] and [[Andre Moore]], the Bullets made a huge turn around in 1990, finishing in third place and going 18–8 for the season. They would again win their way into the grand final, again playing the Perth Wildcats. This time however the Bullets lost 2–1, losing Game 3 at home 109–86. Game 2 of the series, with the Bullets levelling at one game all with a 106–90 win, saw a then NBL grand final record crowd of 13,221 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. This would stand the highest ever grand final crowd for a game played outside of Melbourne until 13,527 saw Game 2 of the [[2012–13 NBL season#Grand Final|2012–13 Grand Final series]] between the Wildcats and [[New Zealand Breakers]] at [[Perth Arena]]. The attendance remains the eighth largest for an NBL Grand Final game. Brian Kerle won his second Coach of the Year award, while new import guard Derek Rucker becoming the second Bullets player to win the NBL's MVP award.

The 1991 season was not nearly as successful, as the team finished in ninth place, way out of finals contention with a 13–13 record. However, in 1992, the Bullets were back in the finals, making it to the quarter-finals. In 1993, former NBL Coach of the Year (1988) and championship winning coach of the [[North Melbourne Giants]] (1989) [[Bruce Palmer (basketball)|Bruce Palmer]] became the new Bullets coach, and the team made it as far as the semi-finals.

From 1994 through to the 1996 seasons, the Bullets made it as far as the quarter-finals, finishing in fifth, sixth and eighth place respectively. David Ingham took over as head coach for the 1996 and 1997 seasons, with Brian Kerle returning to the club to coach the Bullets from 1998 to 2000. During this time, the high cost of playing home games at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre (along with falling attendances) forced the Bullets to move to the smaller (4,000) capacity Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from the 1998 season.

===Continued decline===
The Bullets failed to get to the finals during the early years of the 2000s. The [[2000–01 NBL season|2000–01 season]] was especially disappointing for the Bullets, as they finished second-last on the regular season table, winning just 4 of their 28 fixtures. Although, the Bullets won 22 of their 33 fixtures in [[2003–04 NBL season|2003–04]] to finish in a more respectable fourth place on the ladder.

The team qualified for the finals in the [[2004–05 NBL season|2004–05]] and the [[2005–06 NBL season|2005–06]] seasons. They finished in fifth place in 2005–06, and hosted the Perth Wildcats at home in Game 1, though they lost 96–91 and were eliminated.

===Back on top===
[[File:Brisbane Bullets logo (1998-2008).png|thumb|right|Brisbane Bullets logo (1998–2008)]]

The addition of veteran Australian Boomers centre and the NBL's all-time leading rebounder [[Mark Bradtke]] after the 2005–06 season saw expectations rise for the Bullets once more. During the 2006–07 pre-season Blitz, the Bullets won all three of their group stage games to finish at the top of Pool A and advance to the quarter-finals. Defeating the [[Wollongong Hawks]] and the [[Sydney Kings]] to make it into the final, the Bullets went on to defeat the [[Melbourne Tigers]] to win the pre-season title.

Following on from their pre-season success, the Bullets easily won the minor premiership for the [[2006–07 NBL season|2006–07 season]], claiming an end of season record of 28 wins and only five losses. This included an all-time NBL record-breaking 21-game winning streak, marking the Bullets' most successful season in their history. After defeating the Sydney Kings in the semis, Brisbane made their first NBL grand final since 1990. They took out the finals series 3–1 over defending champions the Melbourne Tigers to be crowned NBL champions for a third time.

===League departure===
In March 2008, following the [[2007–08 NBL season|2007–08 season]], the Bullets' childcare-centre mogul owner [[Eddy Groves]] – who had run into financial strife with his [[ABC Learning]] Centres empire – announced he would be forced to sell the club. On 16 April 2008, Logan businessman David Kemp was officially announced as the new owner. However, Kemp pulled out of the sale, and attempts to find a new ownership group were unsuccessful. On 30 June 2008, it was announced that the Bullets' license had been returned to the NBL.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-06-30/bullets-give-up-on-nbl-survival/2488772 | title=Bullets give up on NBL survival | publisher=ABC News|location=Australia | date=30 July 2008 | access-date=23 December 2012}}</ref>

===Hope for revival===
In August 2011, Basketball Australia CEO Larry Sengstock revealed that there had been significant progress towards returning a team to Brisbane for the 2012–13 season and that he wanted the team to be called the Bullets.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbl.com.au/news/article/2011/august/brisbane-boomers-game-vital-to-bullets-bid-sengstock/ |title=Brisbane Boomers game vital to Bullets bid: Sengstock |work=NBL.com.au |date=23 August 2011 |access-date=23 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927013944/http://www.nbl.com.au/news/article/2011/august/brisbane-boomers-game-vital-to-bullets-bid-sengstock/ |archive-date=27 September 2012 }}</ref> However, in May 2012, the NBL announced that the Bullets' return was rejected, on the heels of another Queensland-based team, the Gold Coast Blaze, going into administration.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Morton|first1=Jim|last2=Heming|first2=Wayne | url=http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/nbls-blaze-up-in-smoke-20120510-1yfg0.html | title=NBL's Blaze up in smoke | work=Brisbane Times | date=10 May 2012 | access-date=23 December 2012}}</ref>

In November 2013, with the NBL under new management, CEO Fraser Neill announced that bringing the Bullets back to Brisbane was a priority.<ref>{{cite web|last=Nagy|first=Boti | url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/basketball/new-nbl-chief-sees-a-future-tied-with-the-nba-more-clubs-and-a-bigger-tv-presence/story-fni2u9cl-1226759052406 | title=New NBL chief sees a future tied with the NBA, more clubs and a bigger TV presence | work=Herald Sun | date=13 November 2013 | access-date=9 March 2014}}</ref> In March 2014, the #BringBackTheBullets social media campaign across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram commenced with an aim to raise awareness for the return of professional basketball to Brisbane as soon as possible.

===Return to the league===
After years of public outcry to have a Brisbane team back in the NBL, moves were finally put in place to have the Bullets return to the league for the 2016–17 season in September 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbl.com.au/featured-news/nbl-bringing-back-the-brisbane-bullets/|title=NBL Bringing Back the Brisbane Bullets|work=NBL.com.au|date=18 September 2015 |access-date=12 October 2015}}</ref> It was announced that the team would primarily adopt the traditional Queensland sporting colours of maroon and gold as well as retaining their blue heritage colour, plus return to their former home venue at the [[Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre]], Southbank.<ref name="return" /> The Bullets' traditional colours of blue and gold was brought back for the 2017–18 season.<ref>[https://www.news.com.au/sport/basketball/brisbane-bullets-unveil-new-uniform-new-import-stephen-holt/news-story/a11c572d9dc5a5f88426e3c28b519423 Brisbane Bullets unveil new uniform, new import Stephen Holt]</ref>

==Home arena==
Upon the Bullets' entry to the NBL in 1979, the team was based at the [[Auchenflower Stadium]]. They remained there until 1983 before moving to the larger [[Chandler Arena|Sleeman Sports Centre]] in Chandler at the start of the 1984 season. The Bullets remained at Chandler until relocating to the 13,500 seat [[Brisbane Entertainment Centre]] in [[Boondall]] midway through 1986, staying at Boondall until the end of the 1997 season. From 1986 until the [[South East Melbourne Magic]] and [[Melbourne Tigers]] started using the 15,400 capacity [[Rod Laver Arena|National Tennis Centre]] (now Rod Laver Arena) in 1992, the BEC was the largest and most modern venue used in the NBL. The [[Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre]] in South Bank then became the Bullets' home court from 1998 to 2008.

Although the Convention Centre was the Bullets' home venue at the time, for the 2007 NBL Grand Final series against the Melbourne Tigers, they moved back to the larger capacity Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

The Brisbane Entertainment Centre was the site of the NBL's first 10,000-plus Grand Final attendance when 11,000 fans saw Game 1 of the 1986 Grand Final series between the Bullets and the Adelaide 36ers. The largest attendance for the Bullets was on 26 October 1990 when 13,221 fans saw them defeat the Perth Wildcats 106–90 in Game 2 of the 1990 Grand Final series.

The move to the BEC was a risky one as it was (at the time) almost twice the capacity of the NBL's next largest venue, the 7,200 seat [[Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre|Glass House]] in [[Melbourne]]. However, the move was a success, with the Bullets pulling in record attendances and it was the move to the BEC that was the catalyst for growth in the NBL. Previously teams had played out of small arenas and even local sports centres (e.g. Auchenflower Stadium) which had limited seating. Indeed, the smallest venue in the NBL at the time was the 1,500 seat [[Perry Lakes Basketball Stadium]] in [[Perth]] (in 1985 the average size NBL venue was just 3,008. By 1992, the average size had risen to 7,155). In the years following Brisbane's move, other large venues such as the [[Perth Entertainment Centre]] (8,200), [[Sydney Entertainment Centre]] (12,500), Adelaide's [[Clipsal Powerhouse]] (8,000) and the [[Rod Laver Arena|National Tennis Centre]] in Melbourne (15,300) became regular NBL venues, with other teams following the lead of the Bullets.

With their return to the NBL in 2016, the Bullets chose the Convention Centre as their regular home venue, and the Entertainment Centre in Boondall as their alternate venue for marquee matches.<ref>[http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nbl-adelaide-36ers-hammer-brisbane-bullets-on-back-of-impressive-first-quarter-showing/news-story/884a1bb5d0f8accc277c92b7512ea8e6 NBL: Adelaide 36ers hammer Brisbane Bullets on back of impressive first quarter showing]</ref> However, with the construction of [[Queensland State Netball Centre|Nissan Arena]] in 2019, the Bullets chose to relocate to combine their front office, training centre and home stadium into one facility.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://qld.netball.com.au/featured-1/netball-teams-up-with-basketball-as-bullets-become-tenants-at-qsnc/|title=Netball teams up with basketball as Bullets become tenants at QSNC|website=Netball QLD|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title='Birds, Bullets put stadium in fifth gear |url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nissan-secures-naming-rights-for-queensland-state-netball-centre/news-story/e415a1f3dc543e8f5f385077759e771c |website=The Courier-Mail |language=en |date=24 October 2019}}</ref>

In June 2024, the Bullets announced that they would return to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre for the [[2024–25 NBL season]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Bullets return to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in NBL25 |url=https://www.brisbanebullets.com.au/news/bullets-return-to-the-brisbane-entertainment-centre-in-nbl25 |website=brisbanebullets.com.au |date=19 June 2024 |access-date=19 June 2024}}</ref>

* [[Auchenflower Stadium]] (1979–1983)
* [[Chandler Arena|Sleeman Sports Centre]] (1984–1986)
* [[Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre]] (1998–2008, 2016–2019)
* [[Queensland State Netball Centre|Nissan Arena]] (2019–2024)
* [[Brisbane Entertainment Centre]] (1986–1997, 2007, 2016–2019, 2024–present)

==Retired jerseys==
[[File:Brisbane Bullets retired jerseys.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Brisbane Bullets retired jerseys hanging at Nissan Arena, December 2022]]
* #7 [[Larry Sengstock]]
* #22 [[Ron Radliff]]
* #30 [[Leroy Loggins]]
* #52 [[Robert Sibley (basketball)|Robert Sibley]]

==Honour roll==
{| class="wikitable"
|- align=left
! style="{{Basketball color cell|Brisbane Bullets}};"| NBL Championships:
| 3 (1985, 1987, 2007)
|-
! style="{{Basketball color cell|Brisbane Bullets}};"| Regular Season Champions:
| 3 (1984, 1985, 2007)
|-
! style="{{Basketball color cell|Brisbane Bullets}};"| NBL Finals Appearances:
| 22 (1980, 1981, 1984–1988, 1990, 1992–1999, 2004–2005, 2005–2006, 2006–2007, 2007–2008, 2018–2019)
|-
! style="{{Basketball color cell|Brisbane Bullets}};"| NBL Grand Final appearances:
| 6 (1984–1987, 1990, 2007)
|-
! style="{{Basketball color cell|Brisbane Bullets}};"| NBL Most Valuable Players:
| [[Leroy Loggins]] (1984, 1986–1987), [[Derek Rucker]] (1990), [[Steve Woodberry]] (1999), [[Sam Mackinnon]] (2007)
|-
! style="{{Basketball color cell|Brisbane Bullets}};"| NBL Grand Final MVPs:
| Leroy Loggins* (1987); Sam Mackinnon (2007)
|-
! style="{{Basketball color cell|Brisbane Bullets}};"| All-NBL First Team:
| [[Brian Banks (basketball)|Brian Banks]] (1980), [[Larry Sengstock]] (1982), Leroy Loggins (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994), [[Andre Moore]] (1990), Derek Rucker (1990), Steve Woodberry (1998, 1999), [[Stephen Black]] (2004), Sam Mackinnon (2007), [[Ebi Ere]] (2008)
|-
! style="{{Basketball color cell|Brisbane Bullets}};"| All-NBL Second Team:
| Leroy Loggins (1991, 1992, 1995, 1997), [[Shane Heal]] (1994), Steve Woodberry (1997), [[Chuck Kornegay]] (1998), [[Randy Rutherford]] (2002), [[Bobby Brannen]] (2004, 2005), Sam Mackinnon (2006), [[C. J. Bruton]] (2008), [[Torrey Craig]] (2017), [[Daniel Kickert]] (2017), [[Nathan Sobey]] (2024)
|-
! style="{{Basketball color cell|Brisbane Bullets}};"| All-NBL Third Team:
| Andre Moore (1993),  [[Mike Mitchell (basketball, born 1967)|Mike Mitchell]] (1996), Steve Woodberry (1996), [[Kevin Freeman (basketball)|Kevin Freeman]] (2004), Stephen Black (2005), C. J. Bruton (2007)
|-
! style="{{Basketball color cell|Brisbane Bullets}};"| NBL Coach of the Year:
| [[Brian Kerle]] (1984, 1990), [[Joey Wright]] (2004, 2007)
|-
! style="{{Basketball color cell|Brisbane Bullets}};"| NBL Rookie of the Year:
| [[Shane Heal]] (1988), [[John Rillie]] (1995)
|-
! style="{{Basketball color cell|Brisbane Bullets}};"| NBL Most Improved Player:
| [[Wade Helliwell]] (2002), [[Reuben Te Rangi]] (2019), [[Will Magnay]] (2020), [[Tyrell Harrison]] (2025)
|-
! style="{{Basketball color cell|Brisbane Bullets}};"| NBL Best Defensive Player:
| Leroy Loggins (1987, 1990), [[Ben Castle (basketball)|Ben Castle]] (2004), Sam Mackinnon (2007), Torrey Craig (2017)
|-
! style="{{Basketball color cell|Brisbane Bullets}};"| NBL Best Sixth Man:
| [[Mike McKay (basketball)|Mike McKay]] (1996)
|}
<nowiki>*</nowiki> Leroy Loggins was also the Player of the Game in the 1985 NBL Grand Final win, but there was no official Grand Final MVP awarded in 1985.

Source: [https://web.archive.org/web/20070831052320/http://www.nbl.com.au/default.aspx?s=bullets_history www.nbl.com.au]

==Season by season==

{{Brisbane Bullets Season by season}}

==Current roster==
<section begin=roster />{{Basketball roster nationality note}}
{{Basketball roster header|type=NBL|age=n|team=Brisbane Bullets}}
<!-- list of players -->
{{player3 | pos = G | num = 3 | nat = AUS | first = Kye | last = Savage | m = 1.86 | kgs = | note = DP }}
{{player3 | pos = G | num = 6 | nat = AUS | first = Tristan | last = Devers | m = 1.91 | kgs = | note = DP }}
{{player3 | pos = G | num = 8 | nat = AUS | first = Mitch | last = Norton | m = 1.84 | kgs = 90 | note = C }}
{{player3 | pos = F | num = 18 | nat = NZL | first = Tohi | last = Smith-Milner | m = 2.05 | kgs = 117 }}
{{player3 | pos = G/F | num = 23 | nat = USA | first = Casey | last = Prather | m = 1.96 | kgs = 94 | note = I }}
{{player3 | pos = C | num = 24 | nat = NZL | first = Tyrell | last = Harrison | m = 2.14 | kgs = 115 }}
{{player3 | pos = G | num = 26 | nat = AUS | first = Sam | last = McDaniel | dab = basketball | m = 1.98 | kgs = 102 }}
{{player3 | pos = F | num = | nat = CAN | first = Jacob | last = Holt | dab = basketball | m = 2.08 | kgs = 113 }}<!--local player, with his Australian citizenship status still pending-->
{{player3 | pos = G | num = | nat = NZL | first = Taine | last = Murray | m = 1.96 | kgs = 93 }}
<!-- end list of players -->
{{Basketball roster footer
| head_coach = 
* {{player||USA|[[Stu Lash]]}}
| asst_coach = 
* {{player||AUS|[[Darryl McDonald]]}}
* {{player||AUS|[[Greg Vanderjagt]]}}
<!--
| str_cond = 
* {{player||AUS|Matt Hardiman}}-->
| DP = y
| SRP = y
| NS = y
| I = y
| IN = y
| TP = y
| roster_url = https://www.brisbanebullets.com.au/players
| accessdate = 13 June 2025
}}<section end=roster />

==Notable players==
{{Basketball notable players criteria}}
{{Div col|colwidth=18em}}
*{{flagicon|SSD}}/{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Deng Adel]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Cameron Bairstow]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Stephen Black]]
*{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Dillon Boucher]]
*{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Craig Bradshaw (basketball)|Craig Bradshaw]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Mark Bradtke]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Taylor Braun]]
*{{flagicon|USA}}/{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Cal Bruton]]
*{{flagicon|USA}}/{{flagicon|AUS}} [[C. J. Bruton]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Jason Cadee]]
*{{flagicon|USA}}/{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Lanard Copeland]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Torrey Craig]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Winston Crite]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Mark Dalton (basketball)|Mark Dalton]]
*{{flagicon|FRA}}/{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Tom Digbeu]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[John Dorge]]
*{{flagicon|NGA}} [[Ebi Ere]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Kevin Freeman (basketball)|Kevin Freeman]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Alonzo Gee]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Adam Gibson (basketball)|Adam Gibson]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Cameron Gliddon]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Chris Goulding]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Shane Heal]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Wade Helliwell]]
*{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Makoto Hiejima]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Mick Hill (basketball)|Mick Hill]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Tom Jervis]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Daniel Kickert]]
*{{flagicon|USA}}/{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Chuck Kornegay]]
*{{flagicon|USA}}/{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Leroy Loggins]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Sam Mackinnon]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Will Magnay]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Dwayne McClain]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Mike McKay (basketball)|Mike McKay]]
*{{flagicon|USA}}/{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Andre Moore]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Danny Morseu]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Chris Munk]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Mark Nash (basketball)|Mark Nash]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Lamar Patterson]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Anthony Petrie]]
*{{flagicon|USA}}/{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Ron Radliff]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Paul Rees (basketball)|Paul Rees]]
*{{flagicon|USA}}/{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Derek Rucker]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Randy Rutherford]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Damien Ryan (basketball)|Damien Ryan]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Larry Sengstock]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Robert Sibley (basketball)|Robert Sibley]]
*{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Tohi Smith-Milner]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Nathan Sobey]]
*{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Reuben Te Rangi]]
*{{flagicon|NZL}} [[Mika Vukona]]
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Brad Williamson (basketball)|Brad Williamson]]
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Steve Woodberry]]
{{Div col end}}

==Preseason games against NBA teams==

{{Basketballbox|bg=#eee|time=19:00|date=13 October 2017|place=[[Footprint Center|Talking Stick Resort Arena]], [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], [[United States]]|TV=[[ESPN Australia|ESPN]]|attendance=8,297|report=[https://watch.nba.com/game/20171013/BNEPHX boxscore]
|teamA= {{flagicon|AUS}} Brisbane Bullets|scoreA=93
|teamB= {{flagicon|USA}} '''[[Phoenix Suns]]'''|scoreB='''114'''
|Q1=12–'''38'''
|Q2=33–33
|Q3='''23'''–20
|Q4='''25'''–23
|points1=[[Travis Trice|Trice]] 20
|rebounds1=[[Daniel Kickert|Kickert]] 10
|assist1=[[Travis Trice|Trice]] 5 
|points2=[[Devin Booker|Booker]] 31
|rebounds2=[[Dragan Bender|Bender]], [[Tyson Chandler|Chandler]] 9
|assist2=[[Devin Booker|Booker]] 6 
|referee=Derek Richardson, Mark Ayotte, Ron Garretson}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.brisbanebullets.com.au}}

{{Brisbane Bullets}}
{{NBL}}
{{Brisbane Sports Teams}}
{{Queensland Sports Teams}}
{{Navboxes|list=
{{Brisbane Bullets 1985 NBL champions}}
{{Brisbane Bullets 1987 NBL champions}}
{{Brisbane Bullets 2006–07 NBL champions}}
}}

[[Category:Brisbane Bullets| ]]
[[Category:National Basketball League (Australia) teams]]
[[Category:Sports clubs and teams in Brisbane]]
[[Category:Basketball teams in Queensland]]
[[Category:Basketball teams established in 1979]]
[[Category:1979 establishments in Australia]]