"Maybe next year": Five-time champion eyes NBL return

He's a five-time NBL championship-winning coach and now Trevor Gleeson admits he is open to an Australian return.

Gleeson, who has coached Townsville, Melbourne and Perth during his 14-year stint in the NBL, is currently in charge of Japanese B League outfit the Chiba Jets, following NBA stints with Toronto and Milwaukee.

But during a recent interview on ESPN's Nothing But Net, the two-time NBL Coach of the Year admitted he would love to return to the NBL, potentially as soon as "next year".

"I love the NBL. I spent 14 years there, [which is where I learnt] my craft," Gleeson said via ESPN's Nothing But Net.

"I've since spent three years in the NBA and the last two years in Japan, but I've always said I want to finish my career there [in the NBL].

"When that happens, I don't know, maybe next year. I'm out of contract after this season. So we will see what happens."

During the 57-year-old's tenure in the NBL to date, he has a win-loss record of 274-186, which puts him as the sixth-highest all-time winning coach.

As well as winning five championships with Perth, Gleeson, who has coached the fifth-most games in NBL history, also took out the 2021 NBL Cup.