Franklin Bulls

Team history

The Franklin Bulls were conditionally accepted into the National Basketball League in July 2019, originally for the 2021 season. After meeting the league’s requirements, their entry was moved up, and they were officially granted a spot for the 2020 season that November. Jamie Reddish and Scott Kelso co-founded the team. Before joining the NBL, the club held a competition for members to pick a name. The winning choice was Franklin “Blitz,” but the team ended up being called the Bulls, with Blitz becoming the mascot. A logo was created, and the Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre earned the nickname “The Stockyard.” At home games, Blitz is a loud presence, handing out cowbells to fans.

The 2020 season was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, then resumed in a shortened format held entirely at The Trusts Arena in Auckland, which also featured the league’s first and only player draft. Liam Simmons coached the first Bulls squad, which included FIBA 3x3 Tall Black Dom Kelman-Poto, Isaac Davidson, former Tall Black Everard Bartlett, and Sam Timmins, their first draft pick. They finished the regular season in fifth place with a 7–7 record, then lost their elimination final 99–90 to the Taranaki Mountainairs.

In 2021, the Bulls completed their first full season, ending in eighth place with a 5–13 record. Jamie Reddish took over as coach, with the roster featuring Tall Black Isaac Davidson, Denhym Brooke, American imports Zane Waterman and former NBA Draft pick Josh Selby. After Waterman broke his wrist, the team signed Kyrin Galloway from the New Zealand Breakers. Josh Selby left the team on June 1 after an injury and asked to return to the US. That same year, the Bulls hosted the New Zealand Breakers at the Stockyard on May 28, as the Breakers faced a scheduling conflict at their usual venue. The Illawarra Hawks won that game 84–73.