Perth Wildcats | |||
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League | NBL | ||
Founded | 1982 | ||
History | Westate Wildcats 1982–1983 Perth Wildcats 1984–present | ||
Arena | RAC Arena | ||
Location | Perth, Western Australia | ||
Team colours | Red, black | ||
Chairman | David Buckingham[1] | ||
General manager | Danny Mills | ||
Head coach | John Rillie | ||
Team captain | Jesse Wagstaff | ||
Ownership | Mark Arena (majority owner) | ||
Championships | 10 (1990, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020) | ||
NBL Cup titles | 1 (2021) | ||
Retired numbers | 8 (6, 7, 14, 15, 21, 30, 42, 53) | ||
Website | Wildcats.com.au | ||
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The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at RAC Arena, known colloquially as "The Jungle".
After three years of strong lobbying to the NBL, the creation of a national basketball team in Perth finally occurred in 1982. The Westate Wildcats were established and played out of the 800-seat Perry Lakes Basketball Stadium. Interest in basketball steadily grew throughout the community and in 1984 the Westate Wildcats became the Perth Wildcats. The Wildcats have gone on to become the highest-drawing and most successful team in the league, having won NBL championships in 1990, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020, placing the team four ahead of Melbourne United, who has six championships. They are also the only team in NBL history to win championships in four different decades. Between 1987 and 2021, the Wildcats made the post-season 35 straight years, an accomplishment matched by no other professional sports team in Australia.
Former iiNet CEO and current Pentanet chairman David Buckingham will be the Wildcats' Independent Chairman.