The Cairns Taipans are a professional basketball team based in Cairns, Australia, who ply their trade in the National Basketball League (NBL). They play their home fixtures at Cairns Convention Centre, which has been suitably nicknamed "The Snakepit."
Notably, the Taipans are the NBL's only not-for-profit club; they are funded by community sponsors, including Central Queensland University.
📜 Cairns Taipans History
The Taipans were founded in 1999 and endured an inauspicious start to life in the NBL. They finished their debut campaign with a calamitous 2-26 record, and by the end of their 3rd season in the league their overall record stood at an unenviable 17-69.
Despite their teething problems, the Taipans eventually became more competitive on the court, reaching postseason competition for the first time in 2004 and finishing the regular season with a winning record for the first time in 2006.
They reached their first NBL Grand Final in 2011 and did so again in 2015 after finishing top of the regular season standings for the first time, however on both occasions they were ultimately defeated by the New Zealand Breakers.
