Why coaches are switching to GDS Basketball
Most fantasy basketball games hand you a leaderboard, a bit of merch and a reset every spring. We do it differently. GameDay Squad Basketball is free to play, pays real cash every single round, and the player cards you collect are yours to keep. The squad you build this season is the one you start with next season, just stronger.
Real money, every round. Over $23,000 in cash prizes across 21 rounds and end-of-season awards for the 2026/27 season.
Free to play, free to win. Every coach gets 153 starter cards on sign-up, and the Contender competition pays cash to the top three without you spending a cent.
Your cards, forever. Pack a Gold Bryce Cotton once and he's in your reserves for as long as you play.
Eight competitions from one collection. Starter, Contender, Classic, Challenger, Champion, plus three specials: Hero Ball, Anything Goes and Swordplay Homegrown Talent.
Cards you can collect
Every card is yours to keep. The higher the rarity, the bigger the score multiplier. A few of the cards coaches are chasing right now:
How GDS Basketball works
Open your packs. Download the app, sign up free, and you'll get 153 Bronze player cards straight away: 18 in each of the five positions. That's more than enough to fill a court.
Set your 10. Two point guards, two shooting guards, two small forwards, two power forwards and two centres. Everyone on the court scores. Everyone in your reserves doesn't.
Beat the lockout. Basketball runs a rolling lockout, so each player locks 10 minutes before their own game tips off. Thursday's players lock Thursday, and you can still tinker with Sunday's until Sunday.
Win cash and cards. Round prizes land every week, seasonal prizes at the end. Cash goes to your wallet, packs go to your collection, and better cards unlock harder competitions.
The 2026/27 prize pool
We're putting more than $23,000 in cash on the line for Basketball this season, spread across every round and topped up with end-of-season prizes. Here's what the top spot pays each round.
Competition | Round winner | Season winner |
|---|---|---|
Starter | 3 Player Common Pack + 4 Starter Packs | $50 + 2026/27 Prize Card + All Star Pack |
Contender | $25 + packs | $150 + 2026/27 Prize Card + All Star Pack |
Classic | $50 + packs | $250 + 2026/27 Prize Card + All Star Pack |
Challenger | $100 + 3 Player Rare Pack | $500 + 2026/27 Prize Card + Rare All Star Pack |
Champion | $250 + 3 Player Unique Pack | $1,000 + 2026/27 Prize Card + Unique All Star Pack |
Hero Ball | $50 + 3 Player Unique Pack | $250 + 2026/27 Prize Card |
Anything Goes | $150 + 3 Player Unique Pack | $250 + 2026/27 Prize Card |
Swordplay Homegrown Talent | $50 + 3 Player Unique Pack | $250 + 2026/27 Prize Card |
Prizes run deep, not just to the winner. Classic pays cash to the top five and packs to the top 500 every round, and the top ten in Classic, Challenger and Champion all take home a Prize Card at season's end. The full round-by-round breakdown is in our Basketball prize table.
Pick your competition
Every coach starts in Starter and climbs from there. Your court's combined salary decides which competitions you can enter, and salary is set by card rarity, never by how well a player is going. A Bronze card costs $500k all season, even if he's leading the league in scoring. Only the 10 players on your court count towards the cap, so your reserves can be as deep as you like.
Competition | Salary cap | Cards allowed | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
Starter | $5m | Bronze only | Brand new coaches. Pack prizes, level playing field. |
Contender | $5.5m | Bronze, Silver, Gold | First taste of the cap, first shot at cash. Not open to Challenger or Champion coaches. |
Classic | $6.5m | Silver to Platinum + 2 Special Cards | Everyone. The biggest comp and the one the GDS Cup is built on. |
Challenger | $8m | Gold to Legend + 3 Special Cards | Coaches with real depth. Bronze and Silver locked out. |
Champion | No cap | Platinum, Diamond, Legend + unlimited Special Cards | The top of the ladder. Biggest cash of the season. |
Three specials, new for 2026/27
Hero Ball: $50 to the round winner and $250 plus a Prize Card to the season winner.
Anything Goes: the biggest weekly cash prize outside Champion at $150 a round, plus $250 and a Prize Card for the season.
Swordplay Homegrown Talent: $50 a round, $250 and a Prize Card for the season.
All three pay Unique packs to the top three and Rare packs to the top ten every round. Squad rules for each are in the app when you enter.
How scoring works
Your round score comes from what your players actually do on the court, then multiplied by the rarity of the card you own. We reward both ends of the floor. A steal or a block is worth five points, an assist four, and an offensive board beats a defensive one.
Stat | Points |
|---|---|
Point scored | 1 |
3 point FG made | 1 |
Offensive rebound | 3 |
Defensive rebound | 2 |
Assist | 4 |
Steal | 5 |
Block | 5 |
Turnover | -3 |
Personal foul | -2 |
One thing to know: if a player has two games in a round, only his best single game counts. Inactive players score zero, even if they play. Full details on our scoring page.
The card multiplier
This is the bit no other platform has. The same player on a better card scores more.
Card | Multiplier | Salary hit |
|---|---|---|
Bronze | 1.0x | $500k |
Silver | 1.1x | $600k |
Gold | 1.2x | $700k |
Platinum | 1.3x | $800k |
Diamond | 1.4x | $900k |
Legend (current season) | 1.5x | $1m |
One knockout cup, one Classic squad
Set your Classic squad every week and you're automatically in the running for the GDS Cup. No extra entry, no extra work.
The GDS Cup: 64 coaches, head-to-head survivor format. The top 64 combined Classic scores across two qualifying rounds go in, fixtures are redrawn every week, and lose once and you're out. Survive six weeks and you're picking in the Prize Card Draft.
Every week you survive pays. Common packs for qualifying, then Rare, an All Star Card, Unique and a 9 Player Elite Pack the further you go.
Built for Australian coaches
Every lockout is shown in your local time, games are spread across the week so there's always something to set, and our community lives on Discord where coaches trade cards, argue about projections and post their squads before tip-off. In-app you'll also see which players are active in the player pool, a projection for every player every round from The Stats Lab, and real-time selected-by percentages across the standard competitions.
Ready to build your squad?
It takes about two minutes. Download GameDay Squad, open your starter packs and set your first 10 before the next tip-off. Your cards are waiting, and so is this round's prize money.
Frequently asked questions
Is GameDay Squad Basketball really free to play?
Yes. Sign-up is free, you get 153 starter cards free, and free packs keep coming. Cash prizes are paid in Starter (packs), Contender, Classic and every comp above without any entry fee. A monthly membership gets you more packs and perks, but you don't need it to win.
Can I win real money playing fantasy basketball in Australia?
You can on GameDay Squad. We're paying more than $23,000 in cash across the 2026/27 Basketball season, from $25 for a Contender round win up to $1,000 for the Champion season winner. Cash lands in your GDS wallet and you can withdraw it.
How is this different from the official fantasy game?
Three ways. We pay cash, not merch. Your team doesn't reset each season because the player cards are yours to keep. And the same player can score differently depending on the rarity of the card you own, which makes collecting and trading part of the game.
How does scoring work in GDS Basketball?
Players score from real box-score stats (points, threes, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, minus turnovers and fouls), then that score is multiplied by your card's rarity, from 1.0x for Bronze up to 1.5x for a current-season Legend. If a player has two games in a round, only his best one counts. The full table is above.
When does my squad lock?
Basketball uses a rolling lockout. Each player locks 10 minutes before his own game tips off, shown in your local time in the app, and the rest of your court stays open until their games start. Swap a player in or out inside that 10-minute window and he scores zero for the round, so get your changes in early.
How many players do I need?
Ten on the court: two point guards, two shooting guards, two small forwards, two power forwards and two centres. All ten score. Your reserves can be as big as you like but they don't score and don't count towards your salary cap. Every slot has to be filled or you score zero for the round.
What does the monthly membership include?
Members get a monthly pack drop and access to the card exchange, which is the fastest way to build a Challenger or Champion squad. The competitions and cash prizes are open to everyone regardless.
How and when are cash prizes paid?
Round prizes are settled after each round is finalised and credited to your GDS wallet. Seasonal prizes are paid after the final round. You can withdraw or spend on the marketplace.
Do I need to be 18 or over?
Yes. GameDay Squad is for coaches aged 18 and over, and it's Australian owned and operated.
Which competitions can a new coach enter?
Starter and Contender from day one with your starter cards, and Classic once you've packed some Silver or better. Challenger and Champion need Gold-or-better cards across all 10 court positions, so they come once your collection has depth. Contender is reserved for coaches who aren't in Challenger or Champion, so it stays a level playing field.