1996 New Zealand NBL season
| 1996 New Zealand NBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | New Zealand NBL |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Regular season | |
| Minor premiers | Auckland |
| Top scorer | Ed Book (Palmerston North) |
| Playoffs | |
| Champions | Auckland |
| Runners-up | Nelson |
The 1996 NBL season was the 15th season of the National Basketball League. Only one change occurred heading into the 1996 season, with Waitakere leaving the NBL for the second-tiered Conference Basketball League (CBL). Auckland won the championship in 1996 to claim their fourth league title. In the best-of-three championship series, Nelson took Game 1 110–95, before Auckland came back to take Game 2 109–98 and Game 3 94–90.