Three rounds into the NBL season and the drama shows no signs of slowing down, with Brisbane Bullets head coach Will Weaver taking aim at the league over an ongoing issue surrounding slippery court decals, while the Adelaide 36ers are calling in some championship pedigree after a winless round left the title contenders desperately searching for a spark.
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36ERS TO SIGN VETERAN
The Adelaide 36ers are wasting no time addressing their on-court issues after a winless Round 3 saw them fall to both the Illawarra Hawks and New Zealand Breakers, dropping to seventh on the ladder at 2-3 and forcing the club into some difficult decisions.
Sources have told Fox Sports Australia that the 36ers are bringing in 37-year-old NBL veteran Corey Webster, who will add championship-winning experience and much-needed outside scoring to a bench that has looked thin early in the season.
Corey Webster of the Breakers during the Round 7 NBL match between the Perth Wildcats and New Zealand Breakers at Perth Arena in Perth, Sunday, November 25, 2018. (AAP Image/Tony McDonough) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLYSource: AAP
Webster, a three-time NBL champion with the New Zealand Breakers, has played 286 games across 13 seasons in the league, most recently with the Perth Wildcats during the 2023-24 season.
His best NBL campaign came in 2015-16, when he averaged 19.6 points per game, and he remains a proven threat from beyond the arc, having connected on 448 of 1,235 three-point attempts across his career at 35.8%.
The 6’2 guard has spent the past few years playing in the New Zealand NBL, most recently with the Manawatu Jets, where he averaged 18.7 points across 10 appearances while shooting 40.2% from three.
Corey Webster of the Breakers during the Round 7 NBL match between New Zealand Breakers and Perth Wildcats at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand, Friday, November 23, 2018. (AAP Image/David Rowland) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLYSource: AAP
Webster will now finally get the chance to play under Trevor Gleeson after originally signing with the Perth Wildcats in 2017.
At the time, Gleeson was full of praise for the sharpshooter.
“Corey’s a world class shooter,” Gleeson said.
Webster would later request a release from his contract to pursue an overseas opportunity after joining the Dallas Mavericks for the 2017 NBA Summer League, with the Wildcats mutually agreeing to the move.
Wildcats’ Corey Webster in the NBL elimination final match between the Cairns Taipans and the Perth Wildcats at the Cairns Convention Centre. Picture: Brendan RadkeSource: News Corp Australia
Now, almost a decade later, Gleeson will finally get his chance to coach Webster.
Fox Sports Australia understands Webster could be available for Adelaide’s upcoming clash against Melbourne United on Wednesday night, in what shapes as an important game for both sides as they look to steady their respective starts to the season.
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‘DISAPPOINTED’ COACH PUTS LEAGUE ON NOTICE
Player safety concerns surrounding slippery on-court decals have resurfaced in the NBL, with Brisbane Bullets head coach Will Weaver calling for change after several players lost their footing during Saturday night’s overtime loss to the Tasmania JackJumpers.
It’s an issue Weaver has been vocal about before, dating back to his time with the Sydney Kings in 2019, and one he believes needs to be addressed to protect players from potentially serious injuries.
Bullets Coach Will Weaver during the round three NBL match between Brisbane Bullets and Tasmania Jackjumpers at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, on October 03, 2026, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
According to CODE Sports, the NBL has already been exploring potential solutions, including virtual graphics technology that could eventually remove the need for physical advertising decals on the court.
The technology, which is used across other major sporting leagues in Australia and overseas, would allow branding to be digitally inserted into broadcasts rather than physically placed on the playing surface.
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Weaver raised his concerns following Brisbane’s loss to Tasmania after speaking with officials about the decals at three-quarter-time.
“Really disappointed to see another time a player slipped on a sticker,” Weaver said.
“It’s really concerning to me about our players’ health and safety on that and that’s something that we’ve voiced and so I hope that changes are coming there.”
The current on-court graphics used by the NBL are understood to meet FIBA guidelines, but the league remains open to exploring alternatives.
There would still be a number of commercial considerations to work through before virtual graphics could be introduced, but the technology could provide a potential long-term solution to an issue that has followed the league for several years.
For Weaver, those concerns are nothing new.
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 03: Bullets Coach Will Weaver during the round three NBL match between Brisbane Bullets and Tasmania Jackjumpers at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, on October 03, 2026, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
During his time as Sydney Kings head coach in 2019, he warned that players slipping on decals, particularly around the basket, could eventually result in a serious or even career-ending injury.
“Just continues to happen night in, night out. Like, right under the basket, the most dangerous place on the court,” Weaver said at the time.
“A little bit of nothing, moisture, and it doesn’t happen anywhere else on the court.
Will Weaver head coach of the Bullets reacts during the round three NBL match between Sydney Kings and Brisbane Bullets at Afterpay Arena on September 30, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“Every time it happens, I see people’s career flash before my eyes.
“The health of our league depends on the health of our players.
“And so I just get passionate about those aspects where people are doing the right thing and are at risk because of a screen or a sticker.”
Seven years later, Weaver is once again raising the alarm, but this time the NBL could have a technological solution that removes the need for physical decals altogether.