Brad Newley will be suiting up for the Sydney Kings in 2016/17. Newley won’t be announced as a signed player anytime soon however due to the rules on European players being only able to sign one contract at a time.
This is the same situation the Adelaide 36ers find themselves in with Jerome Randle who is currently playing for Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League.
Joey Wright clarified this process on his recent appearance on the Aussie Hoopla podcast last week.
“In Europe you can’t have two contracts, you can’t sign with a Euroleague or Eurocup team and then sign somewhere else” said Wright.
This is also the same situation that Illawarra currently find themselves in as they try to bring former NBL MVP Rotnei Clark back into their squad also.
Newley spent two years on scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport before joining the Townsville Crocodiles where he became a household name overnight, winning the NBL Rookie of the Year and Best Sixth-Man award in his first season.
The Adelaide 36ers have regretted dropping the ball on Newley and allowing him to sign with Townsvile with the local boy playing junior basketball for the Forestville Eagles as a junior and living only a small distance away from the 36ers home court.
The 36ers have been trying to make up for their mistakes ever since, regularly negotiating with Newley from Europe every year in attempts to bring him back home.
In 2007 Newley had even agreed to sign a two year deal with the 36ers, the plan being that Newley would return to Adelaide if he was unsuccessful in getting drafted to the NBA. Newley was selected with the 54th overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets and it was thought Europe would be a better option to develop his game and earn a spot on the Rockets than the 36ers would be, so it never eventuated.
The news was first broken by Boti Nagy and although the 36ers have missed out on the Newley stakes by the slightest of margins once again the signing is a major coup for the Kings. Sydney will currently be able to suit up a core unit of two-time MVP Kevin Lisch, Julian Khazzouh, Jason Cadee, Tom Garlepp and potentially three high quality imports.
Despite being 31, it doesn’t seem Newley has lost a step, throwing down dunks in Gran Canaria’s Top 10 Plays of The Year.
Newley has spent a decade honing his craft in Europe he has remained an important piece of the Australian National team having played in three FIBA World Championships (2006, 2010, 2014) and two Olympic Games (2008, 2012).
Newley’s European stops included Greece (Panionios, Panellinios), Turkey (Beşiktaş), Lithuania (Lietuvos rytas) and Spain (Valencia, CB Gran Canaria)
Newley is a part of the current 26 man Boomers squad aiming to bring home Australia’s first ever Olympic medal.
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.
