St. Kilda was one of the ten inaugural, foundation teams of the NBL that competed in the league's first season in
1979, operating out of
Albert Park Basketball Stadium at the time. Historically known as the
St. Kilda Saints during this time, the team was referred to as
St. Kilda Pumas by the media in 1979, 1980 and 1981. St. Kilda was the powerhouse team over the league's first three seasons behind coach
Brian Kerle, winning three straight minor premierships and claiming the first two
NBL championships. In 1981, after finishing the regular season in first place, St. Kilda decided to compete in the
FIBA Club World Cup in Brazil rather than contest the
NBL finals. The team never regained this level of success, as they failed to qualify for the semi-finals for the rest of their tenure in the NBL. In 1987, the team changed their name to incorporate a wider area of Melbourne rather than just the suburb of
St Kilda, rebranding as the
Westside Saints and moving to
Keilor Stadium. In 1991, the team changed their name again, this time to the
Southern Melbourne Saints. Prior to the 1992 season, the Saints merged with the
Eastside Spectres to become the
South East Melbourne Magic. ==Honour roll==