| S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 2025–26 S.E. Melbourne Phoenix season | |||
 | |||
| League | NBL | ||
| Founded | 2018; 8 years ago (2018) | ||
| History | South East Melbourne Phoenix 2019–present | ||
| Arena | John Cain Arena State Basketball Centre | ||
| Capacity | 10,500 (JC) 3,200 (SBC) | ||
| Location | Wantirna South,Victoria | ||
| Team colours | Black, Green, Grey | ||
| CEO | Simon Derrick[1] | ||
| General manager | Simon Mitchell | ||
| Head coach | Josh King | ||
| Team captain | Jordan Hunter Nathan Sobey | ||
| Ownership | Romie Chaudhari | ||
| Website | SEMPhoenix.com.au | ||
TheSouth East Melbourne Phoenix are an Australian professionalbasketball team based in the south–easternMelbourne suburb ofWantirna South,Victoria. The Phoenix entered theNational Basketball League (NBL) in the 2019–20 season. The team play the majority of their home games atJohn Cain Arena, which they share with fellow NBL teamMelbourne United, with some games being played at theState Basketball Centre.
With plans to expand theNational Basketball League (NBL) beginning with the 2019–20 season, the league sold a franchise licence toSwansea City co-owner Romie Chaudhari in July 2018.[2] It was later announced that the league's ninth franchise would be based insouth-eastern Melbourne.[3][4][5] On 17 November 2018, the team's name was announced as South East Melbourne Phoenix.[6] The team logo and colours were also revealed.[7][8] Former NBL playerTommy Greer was the inaugural general manager,[9] Simon Mitchell was the inaugural head coach,[10] and forwardMitch Creek was the first marquee player signing.[11][12]
The Phoenix debuted in the2019–20 NBL season, with their first game being on 3 October 2019 against cross-town rivalsMelbourne United atMelbourne Arena. The Phoenix won 91–88.[13][14] They started the season with a 3–0 record before reaching 6–6 after twelve games and then winning three of their final 16 games. They finished the season in eighth position with a 9–19 record.[15][16] The Phoenix averaged the highest crowd figures ever for a first-year start-up club in Australian Basketball, with a total of 75,179 fans attending their fourteen home games at an average of 5,369 fans per game.[17][18] Creek and American guardJohn Roberson were the standout players.[15]
In the2020–21 NBL season, the Phoenix qualified for their maiden finals berth after finishing in fourth position with a 19–17 record. The team won six out of seven games between rounds 9 and 12. In the semi-finals, the Phoenix lost 2–1 to Melbourne United. Alongside Creek, forwardYannick Wetzell and importKeifer Sykes were key players for the team.[19]
In the2024–25 NBL season, the Phoenix started by going winless over their first five games, which led to the club parting ways with head coachMike Kelly.[20] After going 2–1 under interim coachSam Mackinnon,[21][22] new coachJosh King took over from round seven.[23] The Phoenix went on finish in fourth position and earn a finals spot, becoming the first team to make the finals after starting 0–5 in the 40-minute era and the second in league history.[24] They ultimately lost 2–1 in the semi-finals series to theIllawarra Hawks.[25]
The Phoenix are headquartered and train at theState Basketball Centre, located inWantirna South, part of the South-EasternCity of Knox region that forms part of the club's strategic engagement area. The Phoenix play most of their home games atJohn Cain Arena, which is known as "The Fire Pit" during Phoenix Games. The Phoenix also play a select number of regular season games at the State Basketball Centre each season.[3] During the2020–21 NBL season,COVID-19 border closures meant that the Phoenix had to relocate their last two home games against theCairns Taipans andBrisbane Bullets toCairns Pop-Up Arena. They also hosted theirsemi-final home game atQudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
On 25 January 2022, the Phoenix played a regular season game against theCairns Taipans at the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium (GRISS) inTraralgon.[26][27] The Phoenix have played at least one game at the GRISS every season since, in a partnership with theLatrobe City Council and theVictoria State Government.[28][29]
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility atFIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
| S.E. Melbourne Phoenix roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: 29 December 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility atFIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
| Criteria |
|---|
To appear in this section a player must have either:
|
| NBL Championships: | 0 |
|---|---|
| Regular Season Champions: | 0 |
| NBL Finals Appearances: | 4 (2021, 2023, 2025, 2026) |
| NBL Grand Final appearances: | 0 |
| All-NBL First Team: | Mitch Creek (2023),Matthew Hurt (2025) |
| All-NBL Second Team: | Mitch Creek (2021, 2022, 2024) |
| NBL Rookie of the Year: | N/A |
| NBL Most Improved Player: | N/A |
| NBL Coach of the Year: | N/A |
| NBL Best Sixth Man: | N/A |
| NBL Best Defensive Player: | N/A |
| GameTime by Kmart: | Dane Pineau (2020),Kyle Adnam (2021),Reuben Te Rangi (2023) |
| NBL champions | League champions | Runners-up | Finals berth |
| Season | Tier | League | Regular season | Post-season | Head coach | Captain | Club MVP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Played | Wins | Losses | Win % | |||||||
| S.E. Melbourne Phoenix | |||||||||||
| 2019–20 | 1 | NBL | 8th | 28 | 9 | 19 | .321 | Did not qualify | Simon Mitchell | Mitch Creek Adam Gibson | Mitch Creek |
| 2020–21 | 1 | NBL | 4th | 36 | 19 | 17 | .528 | Lost semifinals (Melbourne) 1–2 | Simon Mitchell | Kyle Adnam Adam Gibson | Mitch Creek |
| 2021–22 | 1 | NBL | 6th | 28 | 15 | 13 | .536 | Did not qualify | Simon Mitchell | Kyle Adnam | Mitch Creek |
| 2022–23 | 1 | NBL | 5th | 28 | 15 | 13 | .536 | Lost play-in qualifier (Perth) 99–106 | Simon Mitchell | Kyle Adnam Ryan Broekhoff Mitch Creek | Mitch Creek |
| 2023–24 | 1 | NBL | 10th | 28 | 10 | 18 | .357 | Did not qualify | Mike Kelly | Mitch Creek | Mitch Creek |
| 2024–25 | 1 | NBL | 4th | 29 | 16 | 13 | .552 | Lost seeding qualifier (Perth) 105–122 Won play-in game (Adelaide) 85–75 Lost semifinals (Illawarra) 1–2 | Mike Kelly Sam Mackinnon (interim) Josh King | Jordan Hunter Nathan Sobey | Matthew Hurt |
| Regular season record | 177 | 84 | 93 | .475 | 0 regular season champions | ||||||
| Finals record | 9 | 3 | 6 | .333 | 0 NBL championships | ||||||
As of the end of the2024–25 season
