Those following Ben Simmons on Instagram will have seen he is back in the gym and working toward his return to the court. In recent weeks, Simmons has posted images of him working out both at HSS Training Center in Brooklyn and the University of Miami gym, but none of him on the court. He…
Read MoreLucas Walker played a decade in the NBL, won a championship with the Wildcats and earned a commonwealth games gold medal in 2018 playing for the Australian Boomers. Walker was a player forever the underdog and one who many thought his NBL career was over multiple times before finally calling it a day in 2020….
Read MoreThe Australian Boomers have won their first ever medal at a major international tournament, beating out Slovenia for the bronze 107-93 on the back of an inspired 42 points by Patty Mills. I promised in the bio I wrote for Aussie Hoopla well over five years ago that I may just cry if the Boomers…
Read MoreLast night Jock Landale notched up 12 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals to guide the Australian Boomers to a 97-59 victory over Argentina and a place in the Olympic Basketball semi-finals. He celebrated this morning with signing his name on a multi-year NBA contract. Australian center Jock Landale — the 2021 NBL…
Read MoreThe 2000 Boomers vs the 2021 Boomers. Andrew Gaze vs Patty Mills. Patty Mills has put himself firmly in “icon” territory, as the man who carried the Olympic flag for the Australians at an Olympics much as Andrew Gaze did 21 years before him. But as far as the 2000 team and the 2021 Boomers…
Read MoreMattisse Thybulle is a defensive monster and it also turns out he’s pretty handy with video editing, judging by his behind-the-scenes YouTube series, Road to Tokyo. The series takes you to the hotel rooms and training court of the Boomers as Thybulle takes his initiation into Boomers culture with good humour, and shows signs of…
Read MoreThe Australian Boomers are looking seriously good heading into the Olympics after taking down the mighty United States, and as our attention turns to Tokyo, you may have asked yourself when and how you can watch those Aussie battlers take it to the world. Well, we’ve got you fam – or at least, the 7…
Read MoreAll Boomers and Team USA warm up games will be shown LIVE on ESPN, a tweet from Olgun Uluc confirms. Australia will play Argentina, Nigeria and Team USA twice as they take their first steps on a long road that they hope will end with a medal. The Boomers will start their warm up series…
Read MoreWith the Olympic draw now complete it appears that Australia have finally appeased the basketball gods as a favourable draw and the surprise exclusion of some world powers clear the way for a possible medal run. The Boomers are in Group B alongside a stacked yet internationally inexperienced Nigeria, the post-Nowitzki era Germans, and an…
Read MoreDante Exum took to Instagram to indicate his intentions to play for the Australian Boomers in next months Tokyo Olympics. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Danté Exum (@daanteee) Dante’s inclusion was questionable for the majority of the year due to being an unrestricted free agent this NBA off-season and…
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Over the past three NBL seasons, clubs have spent almost $97 million assembling their rosters, but how much of that money has translated into wins, and which teams have delivered the best value for money? These figures represent cash spend, not salary cap spend. Cash spending includes player salaries and additional costs such as agent fees, bonuses, import related expenses and luxury tax, rather than simply the amounts counted against the league's salary cap. How much have NBL teams spent over the past three seasons?…
READ MORELarry Bird believed players began tuning out coaches after three years. Pat Riley reportedly put the limit at five, while Steve Kerr admitted his Golden State players were tired of hearing him in his fourth season. Now Justin Tatum is in his fourth season with Illawarra, and the Hawks have gone from NBL champions to the bottom of the ladder. Could they be experiencing the same problem? Justin Tatum transformed Illawarra from one of the NBL's worst teams into champions. But ahead of today's clash…
READ MOREIn 2002, the Melbourne Tigers were fighting for survival when they identified an opportunity to attract supporters from their biggest rivals. Their plan to honour Brian Goorjian was blocked by the Victoria Giants, potentially changing the course of Melbourne basketball history. In 2002, the Melbourne Tigers devised a plan that could have changed the future of their club. The Tigers were emerging from financial administration, crowds were falling and the club had been forced to abandon its home at Vodafone Arena, now known as John…
READ MOREA new funding proposal, a crucial November meeting and renewed interest from the NBL could finally provide a pathway for professional basketball to return to the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast's long-running push to return to the NBL has reached another critical stage, with Mayor Tom Tate preparing to meet Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie in November to discuss the future of the proposed $1 billion Gold Coast Arena. After years of negotiations, changing timelines and funding setbacks, the city's hopes of securing an NBL…
READ MOREFour-time NBL champion and 1994 Grand Final MVP Paul Rees joins the podcast to reflect on his journey from small-town basketball to a 17-season NBL career with the Brisbane Bullets, North Melbourne Giants and Adelaide 36ers. Visit dunk.com.au for your next set of basketball uniforms. Host Dan Boyce chats with Rees about winning championships with North Melbourne and Adelaide, playing under Brett Brown and Phil Smyth, representing Australia at the 1994 World Championship, and battling Brian Goorjian and some of the NBL’s best teams throughout…
READ MOREJensen Bradtke wearing his father Mark’s famous No. 50 should be one of the great stories of NBL27. Instead, it has again exposed a question Melbourne United has never properly answered: when does Melbourne Tigers history belong to United, and when doesn’t it? Seeing BRADTKE and No. 50 together on a Melbourne basketball jersey again should be nothing other than a celebration. Jensen Bradtke is beginning his first season with Melbourne United, wearing the same number his father Mark wore through one of the great…
READ MOREEvery NBL pre-season, there is plenty of attention on players around the league who could take the next step in their professional basketball journey. A breakout can happen in different ways. For some players, it’s getting more opportunity. For an established player, it can mean building on what they have already achieved and elevating their game to another level. For others, it may simply take a new home where their skills can be maximised. Below are four players who I think are ready to break…
READ MOREFormer Sydney Kings and Canberra Cannons import Mario Donaldson joins the podcast to revisit his time in the NBL, including competing in the famous 1994 NBL Dunk Contest, the highs and lows of his seasons in Sydney and Canberra, and the success he found playing around the world. Host Dan Boyce chats with Donaldson about arriving in Sydney in 1994 and playing alongside Leon Trimmingham, helping the Kings return to the playoffs and establishing himself as one of the league’s best outside shooters. Visit dunk.com.au…
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