The invention discloses a method for preparing nickel-cobalt lithium aluminate as an anode material of a lithium ion battery. The method comprises the following steps: (1) mixing a nickel-cobalt metal salt water solution, a sodium metaaluminate solution, a complexing agent and a precipitant, regulating the pH value of a reaction system to be 9 to 12, and then maintaining a stirring state to carrying out a reaction at the temperature of 30 to 80 DEG C for 20 to 200 hours, thereby obtaining nickel-cobalt aluminum hydroxide precipitates; (2) washing the nickel-cobalt aluminum hydroxide precipitates by using pure water of 50 to 100 DEG C, drying, screening the part of precipitates capable of passing through a sieve being 300 meshes, adding a lithium source to the precipitates, mixing evenly, and sintering at the temperature of 600 to 1000 DEG C, wherein oxygen is filled during the sintering process; and finally sintering for 5 to 50 hours, thereby obtaining the nickel-cobalt lithium aluminate. According to the method, the sodium metaaluminate is adopted as the lithium source, so that the nickel-cobalt aluminum elements can evenly form a coprecipitation, so that the aluminum is evenly distributed in the nickel-cobalt lithium aluminate material. As a result, the electrical performance of the material is improved, and especially the cycling performance of the material is improved.