The 1986 season of the Australian Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) was the sixth season of competition since its establishment in 1981. A total of 13 teams contested the league, and Nunawading Spectres emerged as champions.
| 1986 WNBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Number of teams | 13 |
| TV partner(s) | ABC |
| Regular season | |
| Top seed | Nunawading Spectres |
| Season MVP | Kathy Foster (Hobart Islanders) |
| Top scorer | Karin Maar (Coburg Cougars) |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Nunawading Spectres |
| Runners-up | Australian Institute of Sport |
| Finals MVP | Shelley Gorman (Nunawading Spectres) |
Ladder
edit| Team | Played | Won | Lost | Won % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nunawading Spectres | 24 | 20 | 4 | 83 |
| 2 | Brisbane Lady Bullets | 24 | 18 | 6 | 75 |
| 3 | Australian Institute of Sport | 24 | 18 | 6 | 75 |
| 4 | Coburg Cougars | 24 | 17 | 7 | 71 |
| 5 | North Adelaide Rockets | 24 | 16 | 8 | 67 |
| 6 | Canberra Capitals | 24 | 16 | 8 | 67 |
| 7 | West Adelaide Bearcats | 24 | 14 | 10 | 58 |
| 8 | Noarlunga Tigers | 24 | 11 | 13 | 46 |
| 9 | Bankstown Bruins | 24 | 8 | 16 | 33 |
| 10 | Hobart Islanders | 24 | 8 | 16 | 33 |
| 11 | Geelong Cats | 24 | 5 | 19 | 21 |
| 12 | Bulleen Melbourne Boomers | 24 | 5 | 19 | 21 |
| 13 | Sutherland Sharks | 24 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
Finals
edit| Semi-finals | Grand Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Nunawading Spectres | 65 | |||||||
| 4 | Coburg Cougars | 57 | |||||||
| 1 | Nunawading Spectres | 62 | |||||||
| 3 | Australian Institute of Sport | 51 | |||||||
| 3 | Australian Institute of Sport | 64 | |||||||
| 2 | Brisbane Lady Bullets | 61 | |||||||
Season Awards
edit| Award | Winner | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player Award | Kathy Foster | Hobart Islanders |
| Grand Final MVP Award | Shelley Gorman | Nunawading Spectres |
| Top Shooter Award | Karin Maar | Coburg Cougars |