NICKNAME/S: Wazza

BIO: Warrick Giddey was born in Coledale (NSW) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Illawarra basketball program. Giddey received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1986. He spent one year there and played for the program’s state league team.

FAMILY: Warrick’s son Josh Giddey also played 28 games in the NBL. His wife Kim also played for the Tigers in the Women’s National Basketball League. Giddey’s daughter, Hannah, plays forward for the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles.
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NBL EXPERIENCE

Warrick Giddey made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 19 years of age. He scored three points in his first game.

In 1987, the Hawks had their best season to date, finishing in third place (20–6). Illawarra would be led by its talented frontcourt of Jim Bateman (19.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 steals), Ray Borner (19.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.5 blocks) and Don Bickett (14.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.4 steals), who the fans collectively named ‘The Killer B’s’. Captain Gordie Mcleod (12.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 1.8 steals) and high-flying import Alphonse Hammond (19.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.9 steals). 21-year-old Greg Hubbard (11.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals) was also added to the roster, logging 28 minutes a game and becoming the first Hawk to ever win the Rookie of the Year award.

Once into the postseason, Illawarra lost a three-game series again to the eventual champions, the Brisbane Bullets.

Giddey added 3.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.9 assists across 21 games.

1988
In 1988, Giddey averaged 3.4 points, 3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists, playing a key role in the Hawks rotation, helping the team finish reach a seventh place finish in the regular season with a 11-13 record.

At the end of the season Giddey had a falling out with coach David Lindstrom and decided to leave the team. Lindsey Gaze, coach of the Melbourne Tigers encouraged Giddey to attend a training session with the team and he was signed shortly after.

MELBOURNE TIGERS
1989
In 1989 Giddey moved from his hometown Wollongong to play under legendary coach Lindsey Gaze at the Melbourne Tigers, who had moved on from imports James Bullock and Alvis Rogers and signed talented forwards Dave Simmons and David Colbert in a roster revamp. Melbourne also added local players Ray Gordon (via North Melbourne), rookie Stephen Whitehead as well as naturalised players Eric Bailey and Brad Pineau, giving the Tigers their deepest roster since entering the league in 1984.

Andrew Gaze (34.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 7.2 assists) led the league in both scoring and assists, but it was the addition of new faces Simmons (26.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks), Colbert (25.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.5 blocks) and Gordon (11.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals) that made the difference. In his first season in Melbourne, Giddey saw his numbers double from 3.0 points and 13 minutes per game to 6.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2 assists in 29 minutes per game.

Behind the Tigers’ revamped roster, they were able to jump from twelfth position (8-16) the season to prior to finish fourth (17-10) and reached the playoffs for the first time in the team’s history.

Melbourne’s inexperience became evident in the postseason, however, being eliminated in the first round by the Sydney Kings.

1990
Off the back of the Tiger’s revamped roster, which led to their first playoff appearance ever, Melbourne re-signed its core group and looked to become a even stronger team in 1990. Although they lost naturalised swingman Eric Bailey (to Gold Coast), they were able to replace him with a even better option in Cecil Exum (via North Melbourne), who had been a big part of the Giant’s championship in 1989 and imports Dave Colbert and Dave Simmons were re-signed.

Andrew Gaze, who had spent the off-seasonplaying with Seton Hall University and narrowly missing out on a contract with the Seattle Supersonics, looked to light up the league.

Gaze (37.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 2.6 steals), Colbert (31.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.6 blocks) and Simmons (27.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3) filled every column in the stats sheet every night, as well as combing for 96 points per game.

Melbourne hit a major speed bump when Gaze was diagnosed as having a blood clot in his right shoulder, a issue that almost ended his playing career. As a result, Gaze would miss the Tigers’ last two games of the regular season and all playoff games, but Melbourne still managed to finish in fourth place (17-9). They faced off against fifth-seed Perth in the elimination finals, where Colbert (52 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals) erupted for a career-high in Gaze’s absence, but it wasn’t enough to get past the well-balanced attack of Perth. Ricky Grace (30 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists) made 10 of his 13 shots and seemed to set up teammate David Close (25 points and 6 rebounds) for a open look whenever he didn’t score, allowing Perth to walk away victors (122-100).

In game two, Colbert (42 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) was unstoppable again, and teammate Dave Simmons (29 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists) also delivered a big game also but Perth managed to shut down every other Tigers’ player and ended Melbourne’s season behind a ten point win (123-113). Giddey would play in 28 games, averaging 6.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 steals for the season.

1991
Melbourne had become a formidable team by 1991, and had it not been for a blood clot that derailed Andrew Gaze’s season, could have seen a deep playoff run from the Tigers. This year would see the trio of Gaze (38.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.7 steals), David Cobert (24.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.5 blocks) and Dave Simmons (24.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks) get the chance to see how far they could go with a full season together. Melbourne was also boosted by the emergence of Stephen Whitehead (9.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.4 steals), who would double his production with a shift to the team’s starting lineup.

The Tigers made history this season when they faced off against Illawarra and recorded the highest scoring game in NBL history (Jul 27). The game saw 344 points scored, and the Tigers come out as victors (186-158). Gaze (59 points, 11 assists, and 4 steals), Colbert (42 points, 20 rebounds and 5 assists) and Simmons (36 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists) doing the bulk of the scoring for Melbourne and Patric Fairs (41 points and 10 rebounds) and Greg Hubbard (36 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists) top scoring for Illawarra, who shot 76% from the field, which remains the highest shooting percentage ever recorded by a team in a losing effort. Giddey would also add 11 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals.

Once into the playoffs, Melbourne would lose game one (115-129) and game two (96-132) to Adelaide in the elimination finals. The scoring brilliance of Gaze, combined with the Tigers’ regular season success, was enough to earn him the NBL Most Valuable Player award for the first time. Gaze would then take home the NBL MVP award in seven of his next eight seasons. Giddey would play in 28 games, averaging 6.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 steals for the season.

1992
1992 began with the Tigers replacing forward David Colbert with former NBA guard Lanard Copeland, who paired with Andrew Gaze in the backcourt to become one of the most exciting backcourt duos in NBL history. Gaze (33.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.3 assists) would again lead the league in scoring, with Copeland (28.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists) NBA pedigree showing he was one of the best imports in the league.

Melbourne replaced the interior presence of Colbert with Robert Sibley (via Brisbane), which then resulted in Brisbane signing free agent Colbert in a talent swap for both team’s.

Sibley (11.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists) fitted into the frontcourt nicely, and talented young swingman Stephen Whitehead (13.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks) saw a boost in his numbers for the third straight season.

With the revamped roster, the Tigers became a much faster lineup, finishing the regular season in the third spot, their highest place finish ever (15-9).

Once into the postseason Melbourne would eliminate Perth (2-1) in the quarterfinals, and then the Sydney Kings (2-1) in the semifinals to reach the Grand Final series for the first time in franchise history. Facing off against crosstown rivals the South East Melbourne Magic, Gaze (26 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and the Tigers came out firing and comfortably defeated the Magic (116-98) in the first game of the series. That would be the last of the heroics, however, as the Magic would win the series’ next two games and claim the 1992 NBL championship (2-1).

Giddey appeared in all 33 games for the Tigers, averaging 3.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 steals for the season.

1993 – THE TIGERS FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP
The Tigers’ season began with the huge signing of Mark Bradtke during the pre-season. His arrival made national news, with Bradtke having spent the off-seasonplaying in Spain and giving former team Adelaide a verbal agreement he would play for them if he returned in 1993. However, upon his return to Australia, Bradtke made it known he did not want to play the final year of his contract in Adelaide, amongst rumours the Melbourne Tigers were actively recruiting him. After negotiations between the two parties broke down, the 36ers gave permission for Bradtke to leave if a team would buy out his remaining contract. However, the NBL stepped in and vetoed the buyout, effectively letting Bradtke leave for Melbourne without the 36ers receiving any compensation. After the fact it became clear Bradtke had decided to move to Melbourne to be closer to then girlfriend (and future wife), pro-tennis player Nicole Provis.

Although the Tigers were coming off a grand final appearance, they began the season poorly and no one was pencilling them in for the championship at midseason. After shaking off their slow start (2-7) but finishing the remainder of the season strong (14-3), the Tigers finished the year in third place. Bradtke (17 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) became the missing puzzle piece to Melbourne’s historically weak frontline as Andrew Gaze (32.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.7 steals), Lanard Copeland (22.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.9 steals) led the team in scoring.

During the quarterfinals, the Tigers would easily eliminate Illawarra (2-0), setting up a rematch of last year’s grand final, a semi finals showdown against South East Melbourne. Bradtke, who had shifted to Melbourne from Adelaide during the pre-season, dominated the series. He delivered 21 points and 9 rebounds in the Tiger’s 108-106 win in game one and then backed it up with 28 points and 15 rebounds in their 89-72 win in game two.

On the opposite side of the bracket, the Perth Wildcats (21-5) had finished on top of the ladder and made their way through to the Grand Final.

The series began with the Tigers playing at home and, by the second quarter, were controlling things with a 19 point lead. From there, Melbourne saw four key players fall into foul trouble, which included Robert Sibley (13 points and 4 rebounds) and Bradtke (4 points, 11 rebounds) fouling out. Bradtke struggled against Perth’s interior defenders and finished the game shooting one from nine from the field. Ricky Grace (23 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals) then fueled a late-game surge from Perth which closed the game by four points. In the closing minutes, Perth attempted to close the gap by repeatedly sending Melbourne to the line but with Gaze (41 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists) nailing ten from ten free throws in the final quarter, Melbourne see out the game as victors (117-113).

In a similar fashion to game one, Melbourne took out a early lead in game two (32-22), thanks to the dominance of Bradtke (24 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists). By halftime, however, the ‘Perth Wall’ of James Crawford (32 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks), Andrew Vlahov (23 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks), and Scott Fisher (16 points and 6 rebounds) had reined Bradtke things in and returned fire to lead by six at halftime (60-54).

Perth remained in control of the foul-prone Tigers, who struggled to score after losing both Gaze (22 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Dave Simmons (12 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists) to six fouls. Grace (23 points, 8 rebounds, and 13 assists) came close to recording a triple-double, many of those assists coming from feeding Crawford inside, who made 11 of his 15 shots.

A full house at the Perth Entertainment Centre (8,000 fans) witnessed the Wildcats’ victory (112-105), one that extended their consecutive home winning streak to 17. With game three to be played in Perth and the Tigers have never won on the Wildcats’ home floor, Perth entered the game as clear favourites.

The underdog Tigers, however, survived a strong Perth comeback that cut a 15-point lead to three before Gaze (22 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists) sunk a free throw to give Melbourne a two-point edge with four seconds left on the clock. A last-second shot from Vlahov (31 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) which rattled in and out of the ring, saw the Tigers become NBL champions for the very first time (104-102). Copeland (35 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists) led the team in scoring, while Bradtke (23 points, 19 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) dominated Perth inside after struggling with fouls in the first two games. In a surprising decision, however, Wildcats’ guard Ricky Grace was awarded the Grand Final MVP despite playing for the losing team.

Giddey played in all 33 games this season, averaging 3.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists.

1994
Coming off a title in 1993, the Tigers were able to return with almost the entire roster, losing only backup big man Robert Sibley (to Brisbane), who they would replace with a young Chris Anstey. The defending champions would go on to record their best regular season result in the club’s history (19-7), finishing in second place. Andrew Gaze (33.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 2.4 steals) was awarded the league’s Most Valuable Player award and led the league in scoring, while Mark Bradtke (20.2 points, 14.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks) led the league in rebounding and both were also selected to the All-NBL First Team. Once into the postseason, Melbourne would defeat Illawarra convincingly in both game one (107-85) and game two (119-83) before facing a incredibly talented (and deep) Adelaide team in the semifinals, which featured Rob Rose, Mark Davis, Willie Simmons, Phil Smyth, Brett Maher and Chris Blakemore. The 36ers defeated the Tigers first in Adelaide (101-88) and then repeated the result on Melbourne’s home floor (110-101) to end the Tiger’s season and move on to the Grand Final to face North Melbourne.

Giddey would play in all 30 of the Tigers games that season, averaging 2.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3 assists.

1995
In 1995, Mark Bradtke requested some time off to allow him to support his wife Nicole’s tennis career as she travelled abroad and miss the first two-thirds of the season. Around that same time, Chris Anstey, a part of the Tigers junior program, also informed the club that he would return, having signed a deal to play with rival club South East Melbourne. Melbourne coach Lindsey Gaze appealed via the NBL tribunal, which ruled that Anstey could not leave the Tigers as long as they could match the contract, which they did.

After some extremely creative salary tweaking, the Magic then signed Anstey to a one year deal worth $180,000 which the Tigers had no interest in matching, allowing Anstey to shift clubs. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, he renegotiated his contract to a 3-year, $181,000 contract, remaining higher than the Tigers contract not to break any NBL salary cap rules of the time.

The Tigers added forward Matt Reece (via Gold Coast) and centre Blair Smith (via Brisbane) to cover the loss of Bradtke and Anstey.

Andrew Gaze (33.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.3 steals), Lanard Copeland (25.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 steals) and Dave Simmons (14.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks) led the team offensively, during a season which saw a merry-go-round of league leaders, during the regular season, Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all sat in the number one spot on the ladder some point. With Melbourne narrowly sitting among the top eight team’s (10-7), Bradtke (11.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks) would return to playout the Tigers’ last nine games for the season.

The Tigers would scrape into the playoffs, claiming the eighth seed (14-12), their worst result since 1988. With Bradtke out of form and the team still adjusting to him being back in the lineup, Melbourne was eliminated by the Perth Wildcats in the first round (1-2).

Giddey would appear in all 29 games for the Tigers, averaging 2.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists.

1996
With the Tigers having Mark Bradtke back full-time and able to retain all of their core group except for Stephen Whitehead (to Sydney), Melbourne were able to return to their winning ways after their posting their worst season in eight years. Gaze (31.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.7 steals) delivered another MVP season, winning the award for the sixth time, alongside Copeland (21.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) and a rejuvenated Bradtke (22.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.6 blocks) as they churned through the competition like a well-oiled machine. Melbourne would finish in first place (21-5), recording their best regular season record in franchise history.

Melbourne would ride the coattails of their ‘Big Three’ through the playoffs, first facing off against the eight seed Brisbane (14-12). Despite losing game one by 21 points (97-118), the Tigers would return to Melbourne and win game two (96-87) thanks to big games from Gaze (30 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists) and Bradtke (24 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) and game three (111-93) with Gaze (29 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists) and Bradtke (29 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks) again leading the team in scoring.

The Tigers would then meet Canberra in the semifinals, again losing the first game (98-87) with Robert Rose (22 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists), Darnell Mee (21 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks), and Simon Dwight (20 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks) proving too good. Melbourne rebounded with Gaze (30 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals), narrowly missing out on a triple-double in their game two win (100-82), and then in game three (91-87), Gaze (29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks) and Bradtke (26 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks) combined to score half of the Tigers points, eliminating the Cannons in a tightly fought four-point win. In the deciding game, Giddey scored only 2 points but collected 10 rebounds and 5 aassists in the deciding game.

Moving on to the grand final series, Melbourne would face South East Melbourne (19-7) who finished in second place during the regular season. Melbourne was too good in game one (100-89), with Gaze (35 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists) delivering his best game of the series in front of a packed Melbourne crowd. Mark Bradtke (24 points and 15 rebounds) and Lanard Copeland (23 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists) were also brilliant, scoring whenever Gaze didn’t, and the Tigers ‘Big Three’ combining for 82 points. Giddey would add 2 points. 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.

The Magic would then bounce back and win game two (88-84) in front of a Grand Final record crowd of 15,064 at the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park, which still stands as Melbourne’s highest-attended NBL game ever. Gaze (21 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists) led the Tigers in scoring in the loss, while the Magic were led by Tony Ronaldson (28 points) and Mike Kelly (19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals).

The third and deciding game was held less than 48 hours later, a scenario that benefited the younger legs of the Magic and allowed them to deliver the final blow (107-70). Billy McCaffrey (24 points and 5 assists) and the incredibly efficient performances from Sam MacKinnon (18 points and 9 rebounds), who shot 9/10 from the field, and John Dorge (16 points and 8 rebounds) who made 8 of his 11 shots saw South East Melbourne’s field goal percentage be the game’s deciding factor. The Tigers made only 23 of 60 shots (38%) compared to the Magic, hitting 46 of their 85 shots (54%) in the 30-point blowout.

The 1996 NBL Grand Final series drew a aggregate attendance record of 43,605 (average 14,535), the largest crowd ever for a three-game NBL series. Magic guard Mike Kelly was awarded the Finals MVP award after averaging 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.3 steals across the three-game series.

This season Giddey played in all 35 games for the Tigers games, averaging 3.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.

1997
After finishing first with a 21-5 record before losing the deciding game of the 1996 Grand Final 107-70 to South East Melbourne, Melbourne returned under Lindsay Gaze with Andrew Gaze, Lanard Copeland, Mark Bradtke, Warrick Giddey, Ray Gordon, Blair Smith, Daniel Egan, Damien Chapman and Erik Wickstrom. Dave Simmons (to Newcastle) was not re-signed after eight seasons and Vince Hinchen also departed, while Jarvis Lang was signed as Simmons’ replacement and Brett Rainbow (via state league) returned after spending the previous NBL season outside the league.

Melbourne opened the season at the Brisbane Convention Centre on April 11, where Giddey (0 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal) played 22 minutes as Gaze (33 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block) and Lang (24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) led the Tigers, but Steve Woodberry (28 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) helped Brisbane win 111-105.

Giddey (3.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists across 35 games) appeared in every game this season, playing all 30 regular-season games and all five playoff games. With Melbourne’s offence built around its high-scoring stars, Giddey continued to focus on defence, passing, screening and the other areas that did not show up prominently in the scoring column. He later explained, “I was probably never that great at [shooting] so I focused on things like defence and passing.”

On May 24, Melbourne faced recently crowned NCAA champion Arizona in a non-NBL exhibition in the final international game played at Albert Park Stadium. In front of a capacity crowd, Gaze (48 points) led all scorers, Copeland (33 points) provided another major scoring performance and Bradtke (14 points, 19 rebounds, and 9 blocks) controlled the interior as the Tigers defeated the Wildcats by four points in overtime.

Melbourne’s NBL season remained in trouble during the opening months. Bradtke (20.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks across 30 games) returned after a short stint with the Philadelphia 76ers, but Melbourne was stripped of a victory over Adelaide after he played before the required clearance had been completed. Lang (19.1 points and 9.1 rebounds across 8 games; released) was also severely hampered by knee problems, while the Tigers fell to an official 3-9 record and pressure began to build on Lindsay. Copeland (23 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists across 35 games) later recalled, “We sat down and talked about it. It was unfair, Lindsay didn’t have anything to do with us being poor.” He added, “Lindsay is the kind of coach who will do all his coaching in training, but he would lay back and let you play your game. 100% it wasn’t Lindsay, it was us, and we knew that and that’s why everyone galvanised and got themselves together.”

With Lang’s knee problems continuing, Melbourne released him and brought Marcus Timmons (via Illawarra) in for a trial after North Melbourne coach Brett Brown spotted him in a hotel lobby. Gaze (30.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.4 steals across 35 games) later recalled, “Brett called me up and said, ‘I’ve just been in the lobby at the hotel and Marcus Timmons has just walked by. If you’re looking for someone quick, at least you know he is in the country.’” After one practice Melbourne signed Timmons (17.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.5 blocks across 22 games), whose athleticism, rebounding and defensive versatility helped change the Tigers’ season. Brett Jefferies (1.4 points across 13 games; via Pacific Union) also joined Melbourne during the season after completing his college career.

By mid-July, Giddey was leading the NBL in field-goal percentage at 67 percent through 18 games.

Giddey’s best game came against North Melbourne at the Melbourne Sports & Entertainment Centre on August 15, where Giddey (13 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists) made six of seven field goals as Melbourne defeated the Giants 97-86. Gaze (30 points, 3 rebounds, and 12 assists) and Copeland (20 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists) led Melbourne’s scoring, while Mike Mitchell (21 points and 3 steals) was North Melbourne’s leading scorer.

Melbourne’s turnaround developed into 13 consecutive wins to close the regular season, lifting the Tigers from their 3-9 start to second place with a 19-11 record behind South East Melbourne at 22-8. Gaze led the NBL in scoring, won the NBL Most Valuable Player and Most Efficient Player awards and was selected to the All-NBL First Team, while Bradtke also earned All-NBL First Team honours. Copeland remained Melbourne’s second major scorer and Timmons gave the Tigers another all-round weapon, while Smith (5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds across 33 games) provided further frontcourt support. Lindsay Gaze was named NBL Coach of the Year.

With second place giving Melbourne a first-round playoff bye, the Tigers opened their semifinal series against North Melbourne at the Melbourne Sports & Entertainment Centre on October 15, where Giddey (3 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block), Gaze (39 points, 3 rebounds, and 10 assists) and Bradtke (25 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 blocks) helped Melbourne win 107-99, while David Stiff (24 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks) led the Giants.

Game two moved to Melbourne Park, where Giddey (0 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists), Gaze (34 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists), Timmons (28 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 block) and Bradtke (26 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block) led Melbourne, while Darryl McDonald (27 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals) was North Melbourne’s best. The Tigers won 112-105 to complete the sweep and advance to a Grand Final rematch against South East Melbourne, who had eliminated Perth in the other semifinal.

Melbourne opened the Grand Final at Melbourne Park on October 25, where Giddey (4 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block), Copeland (29 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block), Timmons (24 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks) and Gaze (23 points, 3 rebounds, and 9 assists) overwhelmed the Magic, while Frank Drmic (12 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 steal) was South East Melbourne’s best. Melbourne won 111-74 and extended its winning streak to 16 games.

Game two remained at Melbourne Park, where South East Melbourne coach Brian Goorjian moved Chris Anstey to the bench and Anstey (21 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks) responded with a major performance as the Magic won 84-78. Giddey (0 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal), Copeland (28 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal), Gaze (18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal) and Timmons (11 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) led Melbourne as the series was forced to a deciding game three.

A great Australian sporting rivalry!! pic.twitter.com/qVrlKwROkN

— RANDOM HOOPS (@HoopsRandom) March 21, 2023

The deciding game returned to Melbourne Park on November 1, where Giddey (0 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block) became one of Melbourne’s most important players despite not scoring. Copeland (26 points and 6 rebounds), Gaze (22 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block), Bradtke (21 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) and Timmons (20 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) combined for 89 points, while Tony Ronaldson (26 points and 8 rebounds) led South East Melbourne. Giddey delivered three crucial defensive plays, firstly a hard foul on Sam MacKinnon that broke his nose, then a block on Frank Drmic before setting a heavy mid-court screen on Defensive Player of the Year Mike Kelly. “Warrick was very much the heart and soul of the team. He personifies blue-collar basketball,” Gaze later recalled, while Copeland said, “Warrick Giddey was the glue for us for the whole year. He is the most unselfish basketball player I’ve played with in my entire life, and I’ve played with a lot of guys.” Melbourne won 93-83 to claim its second NBL championship, with Copeland named Grand Final MVP after averaging 27.6 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 56 percent across the three-game series.

1998
Melbourne chose continuity after winning the 1997 championship, bringing back its entire Grand Final roster under Lindsay Gaze following a season highlighted by a 17-game winning streak. Warrick Giddey returned alongside Andrew Gaze, Lanard Copeland, Mark Bradtke, Marcus Timmons, Ray Gordon, Blair Smith and Brett Jefferies. Giddey’s defence, passing and screening had made him an important part of the championship team despite his limited scoring, with Gaze later describing him as the team’s “heart and soul” and Copeland calling him “the glue”. The veteran core was getting older, with Gaze and Copeland both 33, Gordon 32 and Giddey 30 compared with an average NBL player age of 26, leaving Bradtke and Timmons as Melbourne’s only key scorers under 30 averaging more than six points per game.

The Tigers began their title defence against Brisbane at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre on January 30, where Giddey (4 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) played almost 39 minutes. Gaze (38 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) and Bradtke (21 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 4 blocks) led Melbourne, while Steve Woodberry (32 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) led Brisbane to a 105-97 victory.

Giddey (3.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4 assists across 32 games) appeared in all 30 regular-season games and both elimination finals, continuing to concentrate on the areas that had defined his place beside Melbourne’s high-scoring stars. “I was probably never that great at [shooting] so I focused on things like defence and passing,” he later explained. Although Melbourne declined from its championship season, Giddey’s scoring, rebounding and assist averages all increased from the previous year.

Giddey’s best game came against Adelaide at Adelaide Arena on May 9, where Giddey (9 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block) produced a season-high rebounding performance as Melbourne defeated the eventual champions 122-103. Gaze (33 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals) and Copeland (26 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block) led the Tigers offensively, while Brett Maher (18 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) was Adelaide’s leading scorer.

His highest-scoring game came against South East Melbourne at Melbourne Park on June 6, where Giddey (11 points, 2 rebounds, and 7 assists) helped the Tigers defeat the minor premiers 110-106. Gaze (33 points, 1 rebound, and 10 assists) and Copeland (31 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 4 steals) provided the main scoring, while Clinton McDaniel (24 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) led the Magic. The victory formed part of Melbourne’s four-game winning streak to close the regular season.

Gaze (31.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.4 steals across 32 games) led the NBL in scoring, earned All-NBL First Team honours and won his seventh and final NBL Most Valuable Player award. Copeland (22.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals across 26 games) remained Melbourne’s second-leading scorer, while Timmons (19.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.4 steals across 32 games) and Bradtke (15.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks across 30 games) gave the Tigers their main frontcourt production. Smith (6 points and 3.6 rebounds across 32 games) provided additional frontcourt depth. Melbourne’s late surge lifted it to fifth with a 16-14 record, tied with fourth-placed Brisbane but placed below the Bullets after losing the regular-season series 2-1. The campaign was also the NBL’s final winter season before the competition moved to a summer schedule later in 1998.

Brisbane entered the matchup with a balanced core led by Woodberry (26.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.4 steals across 34 games), Loggins (17.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals across 26 games), Chuck Kornegay (16.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks across 32 games) and CJ Bruton (15.4 points, 4 assists, and 1.8 steals across 34 games), with its head-to-head advantage giving the Bullets home court for the opening game of the elimination finals.

Game one was played at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre on June 12, where Giddey (2 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 block) helped Melbourne on the glass and as a facilitator. Gaze (34 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) and Bradtke (10 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) provided the Tigers’ other main contributions, while Woodberry (24 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block) led Brisbane to a 93-80 victory.

Game two moved to Melbourne Park on June 14, where Giddey (0 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists) played 15 minutes. Copeland (22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) and Bradtke (20 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist) led Melbourne, while Loggins (27 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) powered Brisbane to a 114-81 victory, completing the two-game sweep and ending the Tigers’ title defence.

1998
Melbourne was able to return with its entire Grand Final roster intact. While the Tigers had surprised the league in 1997, both with their 17-game consecutive win streak and their championship win, in 1998, the team fell far short of expectations. In hindsight, the Tigers’ core group had reached the downside of their careers with Gaze and Copeland (both 33 y/o), veterans Ray Gordon (32 y/o), and Warrick Giddey (30 y/o) all over thirty, while the average of a NBL player in 1998 being 26 years of age. This left Mark Bradtke (28 y/o) and Timmons (26 y/o) as the players on the team scoring over six points per game and under 30 years of age. Melbourne would start the season slowly, winning four of their first ten games, but head into the playoffs on a four-game winning streak, finishing in fifth place (16-14). Once into the finals, Melbourne was swiftly eliminated in the first round in two straight games by Brisbane, who featured a versatile four-person rotation just as potent as the Tigers. The four-man combo of Steve Woodberry (26.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.4 steals), Leroy Loggins (17.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals), Chuck Kornegay (16.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks) and CJ Bruton (15.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.8 steals) proving too strong in their game one win at home (93-80) and their 33 point demolition of the Tigers in game two (114-81).

Gaze (31.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) would lead the league in scoring, be included in the All-NBL first team and earn his eighth and final league MVP in a year where the Tigers slowly began to fade away from championship contenders from this season onwards.

The core group of Lanard Copeland (22.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals), Mark Bradtke (15.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.5 blocks), Ray Gordon (4.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and Warrick Giddey (3.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists) all saw their numbers decline from the previous season with Timmons (19.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, and 1.4 steals) the only player on the roster to have a better season than the one prior.

1998/99
With the NBL changing its schedule to become a summer sport in 1998, the Tigers were able to pull together one last run from its aging roster. Gaze (33.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 5.5 assists), Lanard Copeland (25.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists), Marcus Timmons (20.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.3 blocks) and Bradtke (17.1 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.9 blocks) combined to average a ridiculous 97 points per game. Giddey also contributed 1.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game.

Melbourne won 17 games for the season and earned a playoff rematch with Brisbane, who had eliminated Melbourne during last year’s playoffs. The Tigers would avenge that result and defeat the Bullets in two straight games. in the semifinals, the Tigers would then face long-time rivals Brian Goorjian and the Victoria Titans, and even with star import Marcus Timmnons (31 points and 9 rebounds) delivering a unstoppable performance, the Titans held on to win (80-77) with Tony Ronaldson (17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists) top scoring for the victors and Paul Maley (16 points) having a efficient game off the bench, making seven of his nine shots in 22 minutes of court time.

In game two, the Titans led the Tigers in all four quarters and again came away victorious (94-87). Mike Kelly (19 points and 7 rebounds) would step up, making 7 of his 12 shots, and Ben Pepper (15 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks) delivered his best game of the series, shooting a efficient 7 of 12 from the field.

1999/00
“This season, Melbourne would lose Blair Smith (to West Sydney) and import Marcus Timmons (to Perth), replacing them with athletic young big man Pero Vasiljevic (from Canberra) and Bennett Davison, who would arrive injured and be unable to join the team until six games in. The retirement of Tigers legend Ray Gordon also opened up another roster spot, which Lindsey Gaze would use to sign rookie Luke McMillan. Although Davison (19.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.4 blocks) would fill the hole left by Timmons quite capably, the aging core of the Tigers, including the 30-year-old Mark Bradtke (17.9 points, 14.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.6 blocks) and Lanard Copeland (21.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals) and Andrew Gaze (29.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists), who both celebrated their 34th birthdays this season struggled against the league’s best team’s. Melbourne finished in fifth place this season and scraped into the playoffs despite not having a winning record (14-14), the team’s worst record since they last failed to make the playoffs in 1988. Melbourne then lost to the Victoria Titans in the Quarterfinals (1-2). Gaze would be selected to the All-NBL first team for a record fifteenth time, the last time he was recognised for the award. This season cemented the decline of the Gaze led Tigers, with the team never finishing higher than fifth again until after the retirement of both Andrew and Lindsey Gaze.

Giddey would continue to be a part of the Tigers main rotation, appearing in 29 games and averaging 1.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists.

2000/01
For the 2000/01 season . The aging Melbourne Tigers finished a disappointing seventh with a 13-15 record.

2000/01
The Tigers would see several new faces join the squad this season after losing both Bennett Davison (to Europe) and Warrick Giddey to injury. David Smith (via North Melbourne), Stephen Hoare (via West Sydney) and Nathan Taylor (via Victoria). Guard Phil Handy was signed as a import replacement for Bennett Davison, and Melbourne began the season winning five of their first eight matches.

Around this time, Phil Handy (10.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists) joined Giddey on the injury list (missing eight games), so Jason Sedlock (3.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) was signed as an injury replacement during Handy’s absence. At the mid-way point of the season, Melbourne received the bonus of long-serving guard Lanard Copeland gaining his Australian citizenship and qualifying as a local player. To take advantage of that, Melbourne used the additional import spot to sign former Townsville star Clarence Tyson (3.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) for the remaining 14 games.

This season saw Daniel Egan (11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.0 blocks) develop into a key part of the Tiger’s rotation, Copeland (20.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.0 steals) continue to score buckets as Gaze (29.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.8 assists) finished as the league’s highest scorer and Mark Bradtke (21.3 points, 14.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 blocks) led the league in rebounds while also being selected to the All-NBL First team.

With Melbourne entering their final ten games, they sat just outside the top six and with Lindsey Gaze trying to balance the incoming talent with the Tigers’ existing core, they went on a five-game losing streak to drop out of the playoff race. A three-game winning streak to end the season came too late, and Melbourne finished in seventh spot (13-15), missing out on the playoffs by three wins. This would be the first time Melbourne would finish with a losing record and miss the playoffs since 1988.

Giddey managed to appear in four games due to injuries this season, failing to score a point.

2001/02
After missing most of 2000/01 season due to injury, Giddey (0.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists) would return for one last season and leave the game on his own terms.

This season, Marcus Timmons would return to play for the Tigers, replacing the outgoing Phil Handy (to West Sydney). Timmons (16.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.0 blocks) would slot right back into the team, his presence catapulting the Tigers back to the top of the ladder. Lanard Copeland (25.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals) was also in amazing form this season, hoping to earn selection to the Boomers squad after being recently naturalised.

With Melburne sitting on 9 wins and 5 losses, they would lose Gaze after he succumbed to a ankle injury three minutes into a game against Townsville. The Tigers would then lose this game by two points (98-100) and Gaze (19.1 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists) would miss twelve games with an ankle injury. This saw Melbourne drop from top of the ladder to fifth spot, recording 7 wins and 9 losses in Gaze’s absence. Mark Bradtke (22.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks) would step up during this time, leading the league in rebounding for a sixth time and being selected as the NBL MVP at the end of the season.

Although not fully healed, Gaze would return to the court to help the Tigers (16-14) in their Qualifying Final matchup against crosstown rivals, the Victoria Titans (21-9).

Victoria had finished the season in first place and entered the series as clear favourites. However, after the Titans secured game one (107-113), the Tigers would bounce back with Copeland (41 points, 5 assists and 2 steals), who shot a impressive 14 from 27 shots (52%), and Timmons (19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) having big games to deliver a Tigers win in game two (107-105). Copeland (37 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Timmons (21 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks) backed that performance in game three (103-97) to move onto the semi finals and face West Sydney. Gaze struggled through the series, playing in all three games but scoring total of 11 points.

Melbourne would face the fifth placed West Sydney Razorbacks (16-14) at home and behind Timmons (36 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals) and Bradtke (21 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals), come away victorious (114-93). Once the series moved to Sydney the Tigers lost games two (109-125) and three (103-115) with Gaze still not back to full health.

This season marked the first time Gaze failed to lead the Tigers in scoring since they entered the league in 1984, yet he still managed to lead the league in free throw shooting (88.4%). Giddey would appear in 29 games and average 1.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists.

At the end of the 2001/02 season Giddey’s number 6 was retired by the Tigers. Despite Melbourne rebranding themselves from the Tigers to United, Giddey’s jersey sits in the rafters at John Cain Area, alongside Tigers legends Andrew Gaze, Lanard Copeland, Mark Bradtke, Dave Simmons and Ray Gordon.

Warrick Giddey played sixteen seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Illawarra Hawks and the Melbourne Tigers. He averaged 3.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 449 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 33rd in total games played.
– 33rd in total assists

HIGHLIGHTS: