In a shocking turn reversal of events, Australian’s have decided to colonise the British! Well… not quite, but it’s certainly a shock to see five former NBL players decide to play in the British Basketball League as an alternative to signing with a team in Australia. It all started when Josh Wilcher (who…
Read MoreChima Moneke may not be as well know as some other young basketball talents like Dante Exum, Ben Simmons and Thon Maker but this doesn’t mean he won’t stand beside these stars while the Australian national anthem plays at a future international tournament. Chima has walked a very unique path thus far. Beginning in Nigeria, travelling half-way across…
Read MoreJordan McRae recently spoke on Tennessee Radio about his time playing in Australia and his goal to make it onto an NBA roster this year. The 24 year old shooting guard played four years for the University of Tennessee and was drafted 58th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014 NBA Draft. Soon after McRae was…
Read MoreLast month Australian giant Thon Maker had every college coach in the NCAA drooling when he announced to the world he would leave high school early to attend college. The upcoming months the Mike Krzyzewski’s and and John Calipari’s of the world try their best to develop a relationship with the young star in attempts to wear blue and white…
Read MoreThe hype and the expectations surrounding Ben Simmons seem almost unfair to put on the shoulders of an 18-year old. The comparisons to guys like Kobe and LeBron. The tweet from Shaquille O’Neal proclaiming that “LSU just signed the best player in the world” when Simmons signed with the Tigers in November. The dozen or…
Read MoreThe Australian men’s team has become much stronger and Australia, who have never won a medal in international basketball competition, are hoping current NBA players like Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills and Aron Baynes can take the national team further than it ever has before. But if Australia is to have success in Rio and…
Read MoreFlash-back to the 2012 London Olympics and the basketball world was transfixed on how Team-USA would win their next gold-medal. Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony led the way as they walked easily towards their goal of being the best basketball nation in the world. One of the sub-plots to transpire was the emergence of Australian…
Read MoreAndrej Lemanis has named his first Australian Boomers squad this week to take on China in the Sino-Australia Challenge. I have written in regards to weak Boomers squads in the past but this takes the cake. Three of the starting five for Adelaide who came dead last in the National League is picked. Daniel Johnson…
Read MoreIn November 2009 Saint Mary’s Men’s basketball team had recently been defeated by San Diego State in the schools most successful NIT tournament performance to date. St Mary’s had finished with 28-7 record (10-4 in their conference) and after a tumultuous season which included Patty Mills missing 9 games with a broken wrist (St Mary’s…
Read MoreAfter his break out performance during the London Olympics its seems Joe Ingles hasn’t been forgotten among NBA teams. This week Joe Ingles and Australian Boomers teammate Nathan Jawai have taken Spanish team Barcelona to a 4-1 record and the team now sits in third place in their division as the Euroleague reduces itself down to its Top 16. …
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Former Sydney Kings and Townsville Crocodiles big man Rolan Roberts joins the podcast to reflect on his time in Australia, including joining the Kings mid-season and helping them complete their historic 2005 NBL three-peat. Visit dunk.com.au for your next set of basketball uniforms. Host Dan Boyce chats with Roberts about playing under Brian Goorjian, becoming a key interior presence for Sydney, and being part of the Kings team that became the first in NBL history to win three straight championships. The episode also dives into…
READ MOREAt some point over the next 12 months, the Boomers are going to have to make a decision that Australian basketball has managed to avoid for almost two decades. Who exactly is this team built around now? Since 2010, that answer was simple. It was Patty Mills’ team. Mills has been the primary scorer for the Boomers for nearly two decades and few Australian victories have been recorded without a major scoring performance from Patty. But as the Boomers move toward the 2027 FIBA World…
READ MOREA player arriving in the NBL with NBA experience always creates interest. Fans get excited when their team signs a former NBA player, commentators mention it during broadcasts, and every article about that player usually links their NBL performance back to their NBA résumé. Sometimes, we see a big-time college prospect use the NBL as a springboard to the NBA and never return. Other times, established NBA veterans come to Australia looking for a fresh opportunity. And in many cases, local talent develops in the…
READ MOREOver the years, Aussie Hoopla has taken a deep dive into the full list of players who have competed in both the NBL and the NBA. You can see the full list of NBL players who have played in the NBA here: Names from every decade since the 1980s have featured, including NBL legends like Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Lanard Copeland and Rob Rose, alongside a long list of imports who used the NBL as a stepping stone to the world’s biggest stage. But with…
READ MOREFormer Adelaide 36ers star Julius Hodge joins the podcast to reflect on one of the most dominant short stints in NBL history, his journey from the NBA to Australia, and the impact he made during the 2007/08 season. Visit dunk.com.au for your next set of basketball uniforms. Host Dan Boyce chats with Hodge about his incredible all-around performances, triple-doubles, and what it was like adjusting to the Australian game mid-season. The episode also dives into his time playing in the NBA and overseas, his perspective…
READ MOREBelow is an up-to-date roster for each NBL team and a list of rumours and potential signings derived from discussions with NBL staff and media. Players listed as contracted come from information supplied by the National Basketball League. * = Denotes import player ** = Naturalised Australian DP = a member of the team's development roster SRP = the previously named Asian player exception denoting an Asian player who qualifies as a local in the NBL. MP = Marquee players listed as known Click here…
READ MORECurrent head coach of the Akita Northern Happinets, Mick Downer joins the podcast to discuss the differences between coaching in Japan and the NBL, his stints with Perth, Cairns, Brisbane and Adelaide over the past 25 years, and his time with the Australian Boomers program. Visit dunk.com.au for your next set of basketball uniforms. Host Dan Boyce chats with Downer about what he learnt stepping into the head coaching role in a non-English speaking country, as well as providing updates on NBL talent in Japan…
READ MOREWe wrap up our seven-part deep dive into one of Aussie hoops’ fiercest rivalries — Sydney vs Illawarra — as the modern era turns the heat all the way up and the Freeway Series swings wildly from season to season. Host Dan Boyce picks things up after the Hawks’ rebirth under new ownership and Brian Goorjian — a fresh start that quickly turns into a brutal reality check, including the worst season in franchise history (3–25) — before Illawarra pulls off one of the great…
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