NICKNAME/S: CG43, Bubbles

BIO: Goulding was born Launceston, Tasmania and attended West Launceston Primary School. He started playing basketball in Launceston, and upon moving to Queensland with his family as a 8-year-old, he began to play it competitively. In Brisbane, he continued primary school at Gumdale State School and then attended secondary school at Brisbane State High School. He graduated from Brisbane State High in 2005. As a junior, he played for the Southern Districts Spartans.

As a teenager, Goulding represented Australia in under-18s, under-19s and under-20s, including playing at the 2007 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in Serbia.

Due to his father being English, Goulding holds a British passport.

FAMILY: Goulding is the son of Steve and Christine. He is married to wife Molly. His father played Australian rules football for North Melbourne and Claremont in the VFL and WAFL state League. He also coached at North Launceston Football Club, and was inducted into the AFL Tasmania Hall of Fame in 2008.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Chris Goulding made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

Goulding joined the Brisbane Bullets as a development player in 2006, contributing to the team’s 2007 NBL championship despite limited playing time.

2007/08
Remaining on the Brisbane roster as a development player, Goulding posted averages of 1.8 points, 0.3 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in his second NBL season. The Bullets ended the season in third place with a 20-10 record.

PERTH WILDCATS
2008/09
After the 2007/08 season, Wildcats head coach Scott Fisher left for personal reasons and was succeeded by assistant Connor Henry. Goulding signed with Perth as a development player, averaging 3.2 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in limited action. The Wildcats’ season concluded with a quarter-final playoff exit, leading to Henry’s departure after one season.

GOLD COAST BLAZE
2008/09
Following the Brisbane Bullets’ exit from the league, coach Joey Wright joined the Gold Coast Blaze and brought Goulding along as one of his first signings. In his first full NBL season, Goulding averaged 9.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, helping the Blaze secure a 16-12 record and a third-place regular-season finish.

2010/11
During the 2010/11 season, Goulding averaged 11.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, playing a key role for the Blaze, who finished in sixth place with a 13-15 record.

2011/12
In 2011/12, Goulding contributed 7.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game, helping the Blaze to a strong 17-11 record and a third-place finish in the regular season.

MELBOURNE TIGERS
2012/13
Following a disappointing season, Melbourne replaced head coach Trevor Gleeson with former Tigers star Chris Anstey, who retired just 18 months earlier. Anstey enlisted Tigers legend Darryl McDonald as his assistant.

Anstey’s first recruit was 6’10” forward Seth Scott, followed by Nate Tomlinson (via the University of Colorado) and Adam Ballinger (from Adelaide) to fill the void left by Cam Tragardh and Daniel Dillon. A major late addition came with Chris Goulding, a highly sought-after free agent after the dissolution of the Gold Coast Blaze. Goulding’s signing prompted the Tigers to release shooting guard Ron Dorsey, despite him having a year left on his contract.

Melbourne rounded out their roster with Kevin Braswell, known for leading New Zealand to their first championship. The Tigers retained Bennie Lewis, Matt Burston, Liam Rush, Lucas Walker, and captain Tommy Greer as they aimed to break a three-year playoff drought.

The season opened with setbacks, as Braswell (10.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2.4 steals) struggled with knee issues, leading to his release after five games. The Tigers signed former NBA sixth overall pick Jonny Flynn, whom Anstey touted as “possibly the highest credentialed player in the prime of his career to ever play in the NBL.”

Flynn immediately revitalized the Tigers, orchestrating a 96-66 win over the Adelaide 36ers—a remarkable turnaround from their season-opening loss to the same team. Flynn (17.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists) developed a powerful backcourt partnership with Goulding (15.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists), propelling Melbourne from last place to a 12-16 record. They narrowly missed the playoffs, losing a tiebreaker to Sydney by two points in head-to-head matchups.

Seth Scott (11.6 points, 6.2 rebounds) was named to the All-NBL First Team, while Flynn earned a spot on the All-NBL Second Team, marking a successful but bittersweet season for Melbourne.

2013/14
Meanwhile, in the west, ex-Tigers coach Trevor Gleeson replaced Rob Beveridge in Perth, prompting Melbourne to secure former Tiger Mark Worthington, who wasn’t keen to play under Gleeson. The Tigers released fan favorite Ron Dorsey to make room for Worthington, who joined Goulding as a cornerstone of Anstey’s squad.

The Tigers also brought in Canadian Scott Morrison and Stephen Dennis as imports, alongside returning players Lucas Walker, Nate Tomlinson, Adam Ballinger, and captain Tommy Greer. Unfortunately, Dennis suffered an Achilles injury just before the season, forcing Melbourne to replace him with former Tiger Ayinde Ubaka. Meanwhile, injuries to Goulding and Greer slowed Melbourne’s start (3-4).

Mid-season, with Ubaka underperforming (5.3 points, 1.4 rebounds), Melbourne replaced him with former LA Clippers guard Mustapha Farrakhan (10.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists), but the team still struggled through a 6-6 first half.

Goulding’s return elevated Melbourne’s play, highlighted by a 50-point outburst against Sydney in March 2014—the first 50-point game in NBL’s 40-minute era. Goulding’s offensive prowess (22.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists) crowned him the NBL’s scoring champion for the season. Together with Worthington (14.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists), they propelled Melbourne to a third-place finish and their first semi-final berth in five years.

Facing Adelaide in the semi-finals, the Tigers dropped game one (101-85) as Gary Ervin led the 36ers with 27 points and 7 assists. In game two, Goulding responded with 37 points, driving Melbourne to a 98-87 win to level the series. However, Adelaide dominated the deciding game, winning 102-63 and restricting the Tigers to just 27 points by halftime.

After his stellar season, Goulding’s British passport caught the attention of European teams, and he signed to play in Spain before returning to Melbourne in 2015.

MELBOURNE UNITED
2015/16
After spending the 2014/15 season in Spain, Chris Goulding returned to Melbourne for the 2015/16 season, joining a rebranded team now known as Melbourne United. Goulding averaged 18.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists over the season, helping Melbourne secure the top spot on the ladder with a league-best 18–10 record under new coach Dean Demopoulos. Despite a strong regular season, Melbourne was upset in the semi-finals by the New Zealand Breakers, falling in two consecutive games.

2017/18
The 2017 season marked the start of the ‘Dean Vickerman era’ as he replaced Dean Demopoulos, who struggled to connect with the team. Vickerman, coming from Sydney, signed on for two seasons and quickly re-signed core players like David Barlow, Josh Boone, and Casper Ware. He also brought in forward Craig Moller (via Sydney) and added Casey Prather (via Perth) as the third import, replacing Todd Blanchfield (to Illawarra).

Melbourne kicked off the season with a narrow victory over Adelaide (99–97), led by Prather’s 20 points. However, United faced early inconsistency, managing just five wins in their first ten games. The team suffered a blow when Prather dislocated his elbow on December 16 during a win over Illawarra (84–78), sidelining him for at least eight weeks. As a temporary solution, development player Felix Von Hofe was promoted until Melbourne signed ex-NBA player Carrick Felix. Felix’s arrival reinvigorated the team, and United surged with a 15-3 record to close the season.

Named captain at the start of the season, Goulding averaged 14.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists as Melbourne claimed first place on the ladder and faced the fourth-seeded New Zealand Breakers in the semi-finals. Prather led Melbourne to an 88–77 win in game one with 15 points, then delivered 12 points in game two’s thrilling overtime victory (88–86), advancing United to the Grand Final against Adelaide, who had ousted defending champions Perth.

In the Grand Final opener, Casper Ware (20 points) and Chris Goulding (26 points) propelled Melbourne to a 107-96 victory. Adelaide responded in game two with Majok Deng (18 points) and Mitch Creek (17 points) leading the way to a 110-95 win. Game three saw tensions peak, with Nathan Sobey ejected after a clash with Prather at halftime, and a scuffle at the end of the game led to hefty fines for both sides. Melbourne edged out a 101-98 victory after Deng missed a potential game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds.

Game four saw Adelaide defend home court, with Johnson’s 29 points leading them to a 90-81 win, tying the series. In the decisive game five, Goulding and Ware each scored 23 points, while Prather contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds, securing Melbourne’s first championship since their rebrand with a 100-82 victory. Chris Goulding was named Finals MVP, averaging 16.6 points and 3.6 rebounds over the series. Prather became the first player to win three consecutive titles in his first three NBL seasons.

2018/19
Looking to defend their title, Melbourne retained their core, re-signing Goulding (two-year deal), Barlow (one-year), Boone (one-year), and Ware (one-year) despite strong overseas interest. They added DJ Kennedy (via Turkey), Mitch McCarron (via Cairns), and Alex Pledger (via New Zealand) to bolster their lineup.

Melbourne faced NBA teams Philadelphia (84-104) and Toronto (82-120) in the preseason, gaining experience despite both losses. Goulding remained a central figure, averaging 14.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists over the season. His highlights included a 29-point game against Perth, 24 points against New Zealand, and 21 points with 7 rebounds in another match-up with Perth. Goulding reached his 300th NBL game, further solidifying his legacy.

Supported by Ware (18.8 points, 4.5 assists), Kennedy (12.7 points, 7.2 rebounds), Boone (10.5 points, 8.3 rebounds), and McCarron (9.2 points, 4.4 rebounds), Melbourne overcame mid-season injuries, notably to Kennedy. They finished as the second seed (18-10), setting up a semifinal series against Sydney, where Ware and Goulding powered United to a two-game sweep, winning the first game (95-73) and the second (90-76) with Ware scoring 30 points in the latter.

In the Grand Final series against Perth, Melbourne dropped game one despite efforts from Ware (19 points) and Goulding (15 points). They bounced back in game two, winning 92-74, but ultimately lost the series as Perth took game three behind a stellar performance from Terrico White (31 points). In game four, White and Cotton propelled Perth to a series-clinching 97-84 win, with White named Grand Final MVP after averaging 21.8 points and 6.8 rebounds.

2019/20
On 20 August 2019, Lual-Acuil signed with Melbourne United who had began the season with a complete rehaul of its roster. The team chose not to re-sign imports Casper Ware and Josh Boone, released Daniel Trist and lost young forward Craig Moller when he signed with Sydney as a free agent.

United then signed Lual-Acuil, Shea Ili (who played under Dean Vickerman during his time at the Breakers) and Jack Purchase as the team’s development player. Vickerman then added import duo Melo Trimble from Cairns and Shawn Long via New Zealand who were friends, having played together for the USA National Team. Rounded out the squad David Barlow, Alex Pledger, Tohi Smith-Milner and Casey Prather re-signed with the club.

Casey Prather would agree to a two-year deal, seeing the import forward return to the team for a second stint but after Prather missed the first seven games of the season due to injury, question marks were raised upon the signing. Once he returned to the court he could only muster averages of 9.3 points and 3.3 rebounds, far below his career numbers. He underwent another knee clean-out shortly after and managed to play in six of the next eight games before being ruled out for the rest of the season due to a right hamstring tear. United would sign former NBA talent Stanton Kidd as his injury replacement.

This resulted in United losing four of their first five games of the season and with reports of a rift between players, a coach under pressure and frustrated supporters, the club looked completely rattled. By late-November however, United sat third on the ladder (7-4) behind six consecutive wins were the highest scoring team in the competition (99.7 points-per-game). Melo Trimble (19.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.2 steals) would lead United in scoring, alongside Long (18.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks) and Captain Chris Goulding (17.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists).

In December 2019, Goulding played his 300th NBL game and finished the season averaging 17.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. While Melbourne recovered from a poor start to the season and finished in fourth place (15-13). United’s season would end after losing to Sydney in the semifinals in three games.

2020/21
After multiple seasons trying to get import Casey Prather back onto the court, both United and Prather mutually agreed to terminate the second season of his contract. Melbourne would then rejig their roster by adding Jack White (via Duke University) and Japanese star Yudai Baba (one-year deal), who signed with the team on an NBL Special Restricted Player contract. The team also re-signed team captain Chris Goulding (three-year deal), David Barlow (one year deal), Mason Peatling (three year deal) and Sam McDaniel (one year deal). United would rely on their local talent this season, signing Scotty Hopson (via Europe) as their lone import for the season and, as their last move, was able to sign Australian Boomers forward Jock Landale (one-year deal) mere weeks prior to the season tip-off, after his Lithuania contracted was voided due to Covid Travel Restrictions.

United suffered a huge set-back during the first month of the season when rookie Jack White, who was averaging 10 points and 6 rebounds as a starter and was a strong pick for the rookie of the year award suffered a season-ending Achilles injury against the Cairns Taipans in April. Jack would require 12 months of rehabilitation and miss the remainder of the season. Former United big man David Andersen was signed as an injury replacement player.

Another injury hit when Chris Goulding (15.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2 assists) was ruled out for the majority of February 2021 after suffering a low grade calf strain but would return and play in his 350th NBL game in June.

United finished in first place with a 28-8 record in what was a roller-coaster season that saw United make their run to the championship on the road. United had drawn Victorian rivals the South East Melbourne Phoenix as their semi finals opponents but with the Victorian lockdown keeping both team’s out of the state, their semi finals series began in empty arenas in held in Sydney.

The two Melbourne team’s split the first two games playing at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena before returning to Melbourne to play the deciding game three with the winner going on to face the Perth Wildcats in the Grand Final. After trailing 32-15 early in the second quarter, Melbourne’s defence locked in to hold South East Melbourne to just 42 points the rest of the night while scoring 69 themselves. With Landale (27 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks) equalling his season-high for points, shooting 11-13 from the floor and a perfect 3/3 from beyond, United came away with the victory (84-74).

In the same game, Goulding (14 points) notched up his 350th game while Mitch McCarron (11 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists), Scotty Hopson (9 points and 6 boards), and Jo Lual-Acuil (8 points and 3 rebounds) all played important roles in the win. Reuben Te Rangi (22 points) and Mitch Creek (19 points) were key contributors for the Phoenix.

Due to the border restrictions by the Western Australian state government the Perth Wildcats (the lower seed) hosted the first two games of the Grand Final series. While the Wildcat’s remained competitive without their injured superstar Bryce Cotton United would win both games in Perth and return to Melbourne to host the third game (United would have also hosted the fourth and fifth games had they not already won the series by the third game).

A sold-out 5,000-strong crowd at John Cain Arena (the maximum allowed within Covid restrictions) witnessed United defeat Perth (81-76) in what would be Melbourne’s sixth championship and their second under the United branding. Landale (15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) continued to rack up stats in every category, making him a obvious choice for the Finals MVP.

2021/22
After winning the 2021 championship, Melbourne lost its leading scorer Jock Landale to a NBA opportunity with San Antonio and starting point guard Mitch McCarron, who became the league’s highest paid local player as a result of signing a three-year deal with Adelaide. United then quickly turned their attention to rebuilding the roster for the NBL22 season, immediately re-signing Lual Acuil, David Barlow and Shea Ili, received a boost from the return of Jack White, who missed the second half of last season to a ACL injury, and added free agents Brad Newley (via Sydney) and Dion Prewster, who had just won the NZNBL MVP award. Next, United secured the biggest free agent of the year, inking NBA champion Matthew Dellavedova to a three-year deal. Lastly, Caleb Agada, who had just played for Nigeria at the Olympics was replaced import Scotty Hopson and talented young German Ariel Hukporti was added to the roster under the Next Stars program.

Outside of a 0-2 start, United were dominant all season, winning their next three games to end December and then losing only one game (5-1) in January while playing all of their games on the road.

In January 2022, Goulding reached 5,000 NBL points, becoming just the second active player to reach the milestone behind Daniel Johnson (Adelaide).

In February, United would win four of their five games and with a record of 12-4 sit atop of the NBL ladder where they would stay for the remainder of the season. Jo Lual Acuil (16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks) would lead the team in scoring and earn selection to the All-NBL First team while Chris Goulding (15.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) was named to the All-NBL Second Team. The impact of Shea Ili (8.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.4 steals) off the bench was also recognised around the league with him winning the Sixth Man of the Year award. Goulding would appear in 28 games, while averaging 15.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists and helped United finish the regular season in first place (20-8).

Tasmania would finish fourth on the ladder in their first NBL season, setting up a semi final series against United. As expected, United defeated the JackJumpers in game one (74-63) but playing their first game of playoff basketball at home, Tasmania leveled the series (1-1) with a win in game two. Heading into the deciding game three, captain Goulding was deemed unfit to play, which allowed Tasmania to take clamp down on the defensive end. Without Goulding, United couldn’t buy a basket from outside, with Dellavedova (1-7), Agada (0-7), White (0-5) and Baba (0-2) shot a combined 1-21 from beyond the arc. Overall, United went 6-29 (20 per cent) from three, compared to the JackJumpers 10-32 (31 per cent). Still, United were able to keep it close, and it was only in the final moments that Tasmania secured the victory (76-73), ending Melbourne’s playoff run and making history by reaching a Grand Final in their debut season..

Goulding’s best performances this season came during a loss to Tasmania (85-94), where he scored 29 points, which included 5 of 10 from downtown, alongside a huge 20-20 game from Jo Lual-Acuil (26 points and 21 rebounds) and his 27 point game, where he went 6-11 on three point shots, in a win over Cairns (92-80).

2022/23
After Melbourne finished the previous season on top of the ladder but suffered a early playoff exit after losing star guard Chris Goulding to injury, many felt United would return as championship favourites. Unexpectedly, however, United lost almost half of their starting unit prior to their first game as a result of injuries and better opportunities overseas.

Leading scorer Jo Lual Acuil, was very keen to stay in Melbourne but exited the club after receiving a offer to play in China, which was far too good to refuse.

White and Dellavedova were both contracted for this season, but with only weeks before tip-off, both secured deals to play in the NBA from Denver and Sacramento respectively. The loss of both players couldn’t have come at a worse time, as most players around the globe had already signed deals with team’s, leaving very few options available to replace them. Isaac Humphries (via Adelaide), Xavier Rathan-Mayes (via Illawarra), Rayjon Tucker and Jordan Caroline were all signed, and David Barlow, who had announced his retirement, returned to help fill the gaps.

Things went from bad to worse when Next Star Ariel Hukporti went down clutching his lower leg during the NBL Blitz in Darwin. With starting centre Hukporti out for the season, Humphries, who was coming back from a serious bout of knee problems, was thrust into playing major minutes. The absence of a clear backup big man forced veteran forwards Barlow and Brad Newley, as well as import Jordan Caroline, to log considerable minutes at the centre position.

United were able to win their first game of the season, a overtime victory against New Zealand (101–97) off the back of a huge night from Rathan-Mayes (33 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists).

Rathan-Mayes (14.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists), who had been recruited to lead the team’s second unit, was thrust into the starting lineup after Shea Ili (8.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists) became a late omission, a result of a concussion suffered during FIBA qualifying games while playing for New Zealand. Ili would drift in and out of the team’s roster for most of the season, appearing in only 13 games through three separate stints, forcing Tucker to spend time out of position and running the floor in his absence.

Melbourne (5-6) struggled through the first three months of the season, with numerous media outlets calling for a import change to try and improve their situation. While Tucker (17.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists), who, when first signed, proclaimed that he would be the ‘best first year import in the league’ was a long way away from that, it was Caroline (5.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 0.7 assists) who came into United’s program as a high-effort, bustling power forward but failed to establish himself as a undersized centre and was axed.

Marcus Lee (9.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks), a former teammate of Humphries, was signed in November, adding size and interior defence to the squad and sparking a major turnaround for Melbourne. During this time, United also got a boost from the return of Ili, and Tucker finally began to find his feet offensively.

The last straw seemed to be a loss to Illawarra (93–79), who at the time had only one to their credit for the entire season. This loss, combined with Melbourne finally being able to put their intended starting roster fit on the floor, resulted in a 16-point win over Brisbane (104-88) the following game. Goulding (20 points), Tucker (20 points), Lee (18 points), Ili (15 points) and Rathan-Mayes (8 points and 10 rebounds) off the bench, all producing good numbers and gelling together for the first time. Following their shock defeat to the Hawks, United ended their campaign on a 11-3 run.

Melbourne’s turnaround saw them enter the final day of the regular season with hopes of scraping into the Play-In Qualifier. It looked like United would make it after Tucker (31 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists) carried the team to a win over Adelaide (116–107) in their last game, a Perth victory over league leaders Sydney saw them claim the final playoff spot due to points percentage.

A telling sign of what hindered Melbourne this season was the fact this marked the first time a Dean Vickerman led United team had finished the season outside the top five in the competition in defensive rating. Despite their poor form, United were a part of multiple historic events during the season. United faced off against reigning and eventual champs Sydney on Christmas, which drew more than 300,000 people to their TV screens and sparked a new tradition across Australia. Tucker (31 points and 5 rebounds) would finish as the game’s highest scorer, but United would suffer a 21-point loss to the Kings (101-80). On the back of big man Isaac Humphries (9.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks) publicly announcing he was gay, the team also spearheaded a NBL pride round. As a part of the round that celebrated the LGBTQ+ community.

Goulding would appear in 26 games this season and average 17 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. Goulding’s best game this season came United’s multicultural game, where they defeated South East Melbourne (110-85) and he finished with 30 points (7 of 12 from three) and 4 assists.

2023/24
After a forgettable season where United attempted to regroup after losing starters Jo Lual-Acuil to China and Jack White and Matthew Dellavedova to the NBA, United welcomed back Lual-Acuil and Dellavedova for NBL24 and added NBA prospect Luke Travers (via Perth) to build out a roster very similar to the team which narrowly missed out on a grand final berth in 2022. The team further solidified with Ian Clark (via Adelaide) filling the bench scoring role that Scotty Hopson had previously occupied, and up-and-coming talents Tanner Krebs (via Brisbane), Kyle Bowen, and Flynn Cameron added to the roster.

An early season wrist injury to Lual-Acuil necessitated signing Rob Loe (via New Zealand) as an injury replacement for eight games, during which Ariel Hukporti (7.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks) elevated his game. Loe contributed with (5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) during his stint. Upon Lual-Acuil’s return, United held a commanding top spot on the ladder (7-1). Despite this setback, Chris Goulding (16.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists) delivered an exceptional season, fueled by his international experience with the Boomers at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and the fight for a spot on the 2024 Olympic team.

With Goulding leading the charge in scoring, Melbourne was nearly unguardable for most of the season. The offensive contributions from Lual Acuil (14.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks), Dellavedova (12.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists), and Clark (13.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) were pivotal. Luke Travers (11.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.3 blocks) was versatile across the board.

Melbourne (20-8) finished the season a clear three wins in front of the competition and their success drew a slew of sell-out crowds almost every week. United delivered their biggest win at home against Brisbane in December, where they won by 35 points thanks to some lights out shooting from Goulding (7/9 from beyond the arc) and forcing the Bullets to shoot a woeful percentage from the perimeter (3/26). Although Goulding narrowly missed out on the league MVP, he shattered multiple three-point records, making 140 threes—52 more than the league’s next best.

Goulding’s standout performances included a game against the Sydney Kings on November 19, where he scored 35 points, finished the game 8-15 from long range, and hit 9 of 11 from the free-throw line, along with 2 rebounds and 4 assists. Goulding came up clutch in the come-from-behind win, scoring 13 points in the final quarter. Additionally, he scored 32 points against the Brisbane Bullets on October 22, making 7 of 12 three-pointers, with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Another notable game was against the Perth Wildcats on December 10, where he scored 30 points, shooting 11 of 18 from the field, with 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

In the playoffs, Melbourne faced Illawarra in the semi-finals. The series was highlighted by a remarkable comeback in Game 1, where Melbourne overturned a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 115-106 in overtime. Matthew Dellavedova (30 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals) was instrumental in this victory. However, the Hawks countered in Game 2 with a 113-108 overtime win, influenced by Gary Clark’s dominant performance (31 points, 16 rebounds), supported by Will Hickey (18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists) and Tyler Harvey (23 points). This set up a decisive Game 3 at John Cain Arena, which Melbourne won in a nail-biting finish (91-93) to advance to the Grand Final series.

The Grand Final series against the Tasmania JackJumpers was fiercely contested. Melbourne secured a decisive win in Game 1 (104–81) behind Goulding (22 points on 7-12 shooting) and Lual-Acuil (20 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks). The JackJumpers evened the series at home (77-82) thanks to big games from Jack McVeigh (16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists) and Milton Doyle (13 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists). Shea Ili (20 points on 8-12 shooting) led United in the loss. Dellavedova (21 points and 8 assists) delivered one of his best games of the season in a game that looked like an easy victory until a miracle shot from McVeigh (18 points and 12 rebounds) resulted in Melbourne losing back-to-back games for the first time this season. In Game 4, United rode the hot hand of Ian Clark (18 points and 4 rebounds) to even the series at two wins apiece (88-86).

Despite their efforts, Tasmania took control in Game 5. Jordon Crawford (32 points) epitomized the JackJumpers’ never-say-die attitude, scoring 19 points in the first quarter before leading them to a comeback victory (83-81), clinching their first championship. Crawford had plenty of support from McVeigh (14 points and 8 rebounds), Doyle (11 points and 10 rebounds), and Will Magnay (11 points and 12 rebounds), combining to win Tasmania’s first NBL championship. Each of Melbourne’s five starters reached double figures, led by Jo Lual-Acuil Jr (14 points), Matthew Dellavedova, Chris Goulding and Luke Travers (13 each).

2024/25
Coming off perhaps the greatest three-point shooting season in the history of the NBL, Goulding signed a contract extension with the club for a further two seasons on top of his current deal, keeping him with MU until the end of NBL27.

At the end of the 2023/24 season, Goulding currently sits sixth all-time in three-point makes (1200).

Goulding also sits as Melbourne’s all-time leader in games played (278), points (4477), three-pointers (1068), assists (610) and steals (195) since the team re-branded to Melbourne United.Chris Goulding currently plays for the Melbourne United and has played 450 games in his NBL career. He has averaged 14.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists since entering the league in 2006.

CURRENT CONTRACT:

Melbourne United – 3 Year Deal (2024-27)

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 31st in total games played.
– 26th in total points

HIGHLIGHTS:

Dan Boyce (815 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.