Following the 2007/08 season, head coach Scott Fisher departed the Wildcats in order to return to the United States for personal reasons, and was eventually replaced by his assistant, Connor Henry. [113][114] After averaging 30.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists over the three games, Cotton was named Grand Final MVP for the second time in four years, becoming the first player in Wildcats history to be named league MVP, Grand Final MVP and win a championship all in the same season.[113]. [31] Meanwhile, the NBL made significant changes to the competition. Additionally, Gleeson attained his fifth NBL championship, making him the second-most successful coach in league history behind six-time winner Brian Goorjian.[113]. From a zero-tolerance swearing policy to always making eye contact and acknowledging supporters, players have a 350-hour community engagement obligation, 200 hours above what the collective bargaining agreement requires. Australia - NBL, Website However, with their backs against the wall, the Spectres performed with a never-say-die attitude and upset the favourites at home by five points (86–81). [65] The only time the Wildcats have lost by a larger margin in their 32-year finals streak was in 1989 when they lost to North Melbourne by 55 points. After defeating the Melbourne Tigers in the quarter-finals and the Adelaide 36ers in the Semi-finals, the Wildcats won through to their fifth Grand Final in nine years. Alongside the core of Martin, Redhage, Wagstaff, Knight, Hire, Beal and Jervis, the Wildcats were successful in reaching the Grand Final, where they defeated the New Zealand Breakers in three games led by captain and Grand Final MVP Damian Martin. Everything looked on track when the Wildcats were able to defeat the Spectres in Game 1 in Melbourne by 26 points (109–83).

Greg Hire. Plumlee's debut game also came on the road, before the team closed out the season with five of their final six games being at home. The Wildcats swept the Grand Final series 2–0, winning Game 1 in Melbourne 84–78 before returning home to clinch the series with an 83–76 Game 2 win.

James Ennis was a prized recruit for the Wildcats and his agreement with the team was well documented, with the Miami Heat holding his draft rights and being able to recall him at any time. Their recruiting was also put under the spotlight when they axed import Jaron Johnson in December for a second time. [99], The team started the season with a 5–1 record, before slipping to 8–5 by the end of round 10 following back-to-back losses. In pursuit of back-to-back championships, the Wildcats strengthened their roster considerably in the off-season with the addition of future WA basketball legend Andrew Vlahov and Peter Hansen, an American who arrived via Venezuela, Spain and the Perry Lakes Hawks.[20]. Jesse Wagstaff. The Wildcats celebrated their 25th anniversary during the 2006/07 season and recorded their highest number of wins in a single season (23 wins), although historically they have recorded better win-loss ratios.

The Wildcats cruised to their 11th Grand Final appearance with a 2–0 Semi-final series win over the Wollongong Hawks. In Game 3 less than 48 hours later, the Wildcats crushed the 36ers with a 93–59 win, as their 2–1 series victory saw them claim their sixth NBL Championship. Due to the demanding schedule, the Wildcats had played 12 of their first 21 games away from Perth. In 2002, club legend and captain Andrew Vlahov retired after 12 seasons, leaving Ricky Grace as the only remaining Wildcat from the team's halcyon days of the early to mid 1990s. Over the three games, Grace averaged 24.7 points per game. Beveridge was instrumental in compiling a new-look team where Shawn Redhage, Stephen Weigh and Brad Robbins were surrounded by proven NBL players Damian Martin, Drew Williamson, Luke Schenscher and Martin Cattalini, and rising stars Kevin Lisch and Jesse Wagstaff.

[48], The Wildcats were relatively injury-free in 2015/16 and finished the regular season in second place with an 18–10 record. The Wildcats are the city's only major professional basketball team and are one of Western Australia's three major summer sport teams, along with the Western Warriors (cricket, Sheffield Shield) and Perth Glory (soccer, A-League). From there, the Wildcats rolled through the Finals undefeated to claim the title, an incredible achievement in what was arguably the closest season in NBL history.

Plumlee's debut game also came on the road, before the team closed out the season with five of their final six games being at home. Entering the finals as underdogs, the Wildcats swept the Melbourne Tigers in the Elimination Finals and got their revenge over the North Melbourne Giants with a 2–1 victory in the Semi-finals to again face the Brisbane Bullets in their second Grand Final appearance. The Superdrome, or Challenge Stadium as it became known, was a suburban-based arena and could only hold 5,000 compared to the 8,000-seat Perth Entertainment Centre. The run of form came at the perfect time, as the Wildcats surged towards the 2017 title, with Redhage's final game seeing him become a four-time championship player.

To replace the outgoing Angus Brandt and Tom Jervis, the Wildcats signed two new centres in import Dario Hunt and West Australian Majok Majok. A fourth coach in Jay Brehmer came into the team for the 1985 season.

[65] The Wildcats went on to lose 89–88 to the 36ers in Game 2 to bow out of the finals. Although no longer the majority shareholder, Andrew Vlahov remained in control of the team as managing director.[27][28].

[70] They also signed import Terrico White and elevated four-year development player Rhys Vague to the full-time roster. After another successful regular season, the Wildcats entered the finals brimming with confidence.

After winning Game 1 in Perth on the back of a 30-point effort from Ennis, the 36ers forced a deciding third game with an 89–84 win in Game 2. Behind coach Alan Black and centre Paul Rogers, and veterans Vlahov, Grace and Scott Fisher still around, the Wildcats won their fourth title. Tokoto. Prior to the season, Perth Wildcats owner Kerry Stokes decided to pass on the reins of the franchise to basketball great Luc Longley, fresh off being a three-time NBA championship winner with the Chicago Bulls, and Andrew Vlahov. 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. [58] Other changes to the roster included Derek Cooke Jr. coming in to replace the outgoing Jameel McKay, and Lucas Walker stepping up from a training player role to a full-time squad member in place of the retired Shawn Redhage. However, the Wildcats were dealt a major blow when Damian Martin was ruled out of the grand final series with an Achilles injury.

[38] In his third season in Perth, Lisch took home the Andrew Gaze Trophy as the league's MVP, making him just the second Wildcat to achieve the honour.[39].

[29] The NBL itself was also in strife; with the competition falling on tough times, there was a real possibility at the time that there would be no league in 2009/10. [5] In January 2017, the Wildcats became the first NBL franchise to break the 10,000-member barrier. That's it.

They then travelled to Wollongong for a must-win game against Illawarra on New Year's Eve without injured captain Damian Martin or a third import (after sacking Johnson).

To top off the season, Paul Rogers became the first Wildcat to be honoured as the regular-season MVP.

It took another three years of lobbying by the Perth basketball community, led by personalities like Gordon Ellis, before a team in Western Australia became a reality.
A fourth coach in Jay Brehmer came into the team for the 1985 season. Further additions to Gleeson's new squad included centre Tom Jervis and guards Drake U'u and Erik Burdon.

Quick access to players bio, career stats and team records. The Superdrome, or Challenge Stadium as it became known, was a suburban-based arena and could only hold 5,000 compared to the 8,000-seat Perth Entertainment Centre. Hansen was named MVP of the Grand Final series after averaging 17.3 points per game over the three games. Further additions to Gleeson's new squad included centre Tom Jervis and guards Drake U'u and Erik Burdon. The Wildcats suffered a major setback in 1986 with the loss of the high-scoring Roland Brooks, after he suffered a season-ending injury just 10 games into the season.