The Perth Wildcats are a basketball team in Australia that competes in the National Basketball League. This team is the singular team in the league that represents the Western Australia state and is based in Perth the state capital. In the league it is a very successful team. Red, Black and White are the teams official colors.
The Wildcats made their debut in the 1982 NBL season. During the initial years the Wildcats played at Perry Lakes Stadium and could not create an impression in the league. The name of the team was changed to Perth Wildcats in 1984.
Australia
The Wildcats signed several star players which resulted in their first playoff appearance in 1987 during which the team got a Grand Final berth where they were defeated by the Brisbane Bullets. From the 1987 season the team appeared for 21 consecutive years in the playoffs.
The 1990s season began with a slow start. But in the 1995 season the Wildcats were at the top of the table and finally defeated the North Melbourne Giants in straight games in a series of three games. The Wildcats were also allowed to play against the star NBA team the Houston Rockets in which they lost 116-72 in the first game of the tournament however in the second game they were victorious against Read Madrid by a score of 93-86.
In 2002-03 after Andrew Vlahov retired from the league Ricky Grace was made the skipper of the club. In this season the Wildcats reached their seventh Grand Final where they had to face defeat at the hands of Sydney Kings.
The Wildcats currently play all their home games at the Challenge Stadium in Perth. It has a maximum capacity of 4,500. James Harvey, Matt Burston, Peter Crawford and Paul Rogers were amongst the few famous players of the team.
The 2007 season came to an end when the Wildcats were defeated by the Cairns Taipans 82-78 in the quarter finals. Currently the Wildcats have played exactly 800 NBL games. The Wildcats were the semi finalists in the 2008 NBL. At the end of the season they were seeded at the 4th position in NBL.
Major achievements
NBL Champions: 1990, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2010
