Multiply Digital 1550x192

Luc Longley

  • Nationality: AUS
  • Date of Birth: 19/01/69
  • Place of Birth: Melbourne (VIC)
  • Position: CTR
  • Height (CM): 218
  • Weight (KG): 120
  • Junior Assoc: WA - Perth
  • College: New México (1987–1991)

NBL CAREER OVERVIEW

NBL DEBUT 1/08/86 Age 17
LAST NBL GAME 8/08/86 Age 17

TEAM HISTORY

1 seasons | 1 team
  • 1986Perth Wildcats1 season

CHAMPIONSHIPS

None
0

width=

 

BIO: Lucien James Longley AM was born in Melbourne (VIC) but as a child moved with his family to Western Australia, where he grew up in Fremantle and attended Scotch College. Luc began playing basketball as a junior with the Perth Redbacks junior basketball team, where he was teammates with future Australia Boomers forward, Andrew Vlahov.

At the age of 16 he was a member of the Australian Under-19 side.

Luc would eventually become the first Australian to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Longley received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 1987. He spent one year there and played for the program’s state league team.

FAMILY: Luc Longley is the son of Rick Longley who played 8 games in the NBL. Luc’s brother, Griffin Longley also played 3 games in the NBL. Additionally, Luc’s mother, Sue, who divorced from Richard in 1984, now resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Luc Longley made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 17 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

Longley was later a part-owner of the Perth Wildcats basketball club in the Australian National Basketball League for several years and in 2006, was inducted into Basketball Australia’s Hall of Fame in Melbourne.

He later became a co-owner of the Sydney Kings during 2022.

Luc Longley played one season in the NBL. He averaged 1 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 2 NBL games.

NBL TOTAL STATISTICS

SEASONAGETEAMTEAM RECORDGPMINSPTSREBASTORDRSTLBLKTOPFFGMFGAFG%3PM3PA3P%FTMFTAFT%TS%EFG%HS
198617Perth8-18 (12)202312100001250%000%000%50%50%2
Totals202312100001250.0%000.0%000.0%50%50%2

NBL PER GAME STATISTICS

SEASONAGETEAMTEAM RECORDGPMINSPTSREBASTORDRSTLBLKTOPFFGMFGAFG%3PM3PA3P%FTMFTAFT%TS%EFG%HS
198617Perth8-18 (12)20.01.01.50.51.00.50.00.00.00.00.51.050%0.00.00%0.00.00%50%50%2
Total20.01.01.50.51.00.50.00.00.00.00.51.050.0%0.00.00.0%0.00.00.0%50%50%2

CAREER HIGHS

POINTS REBOUNDS ASSISTS STEALS BLOCKS TURNOVERS TRIPLE DOUBLES
2310000

STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE

  • AIS (1987), Perth (1989–1990)



Luc Longley played for the Australian Institute of Sport during the 1987 state league season.

Longley returned home to Perth during college breaks and played for the Perth Redbacks during the 1989 and 1990 SBL seasons.

Luc Longley (20.8 points) played 26 games for Perth across the two seasons.

Longley helped the Redbacks win consecutive SBL championships in 1989 and 1990.

FIBA EXPERIENCE

Longleys first major tournament for Australia was the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. There he helped the team record its best ever finish of fourth place at that time with a 4–4 record. Australia would lose the bronze medal game 49–78 to a United States team which included future NBA players David Robinson and Mitch Richmond as well as NBA players Dan Majerle, Danny Manning and Hersey Hawkins.

Longleys next tournament with the national team was the 1990 FIBA World Championships were Australia delivered another poor showing. With Andrew Gaze (24.3 ppg) leading the team in scoring, finishing the fourth highest scorer at the tournament, the Boomers defeated Brazil in the first stage to advance to the quarterfinals. There they lost to both Puerto Rico (89-79) and USA, which featured Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner and Kenny Anderson, by a single point (78-79). The loss saw Australia fail to reach the medal rounds and finish in seventh place overall.

Longley was then selected for the Australia team that played at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Alongside Larry Sengstock, Andrew Gaze, Phil Smyth, Andrew Vlahov and Mark Bradtke the team finished in 6th-place finish with a 4–4 record.

postseason surgery to his left ankle and the recovery time forced him to miss playing for the Australian Boomers at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

Longleys last FIBA tournament with the mens national team came at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney. There, in front of 14,833 fans at the Sydney Super Dome, Australia equalled their highest finish ever (fourth) after losing the bronze medal playoff to Lithuania (71-89).

FIBA TOTAL STATISTICS

YEARAGEGPMINSPTSREBASTORDRSTLBLKTOPFFGMFGAFG%3PM3PA3P%FTMFTAFT%
2000317173723220923361526335757.9%000.0%6785.7%
1992238152582917920981630265349.1%000.0%61250.0%
1990218072000000024000.0%000.0%121675.0%
19881979030265719371119112152.4%000.0%81266.7%
Total3041523287422562152142997013153%000%324768%

FIBA PER GAME STATISTICS

YEARAGEGPMINSPTSREBASTORDRSTLBLKTOPFFGMFGAFG%3PM3PA3P%FTMFTAFT%
200031724.710.34.62.91.33.30.40.92.13.74.78.157.9%0.00.00.0%0.91.085.7%
199223819.07.33.62.11.12.51.11.02.03.83.36.649.1%0.00.00.0%0.81.550.0%
19902180.09.00.00.00.00.00.00.00.03.00.00.00.0%0.00.00.0%1.52.075.0%
198819712.94.33.70.71.02.70.41.01.62.71.63.052.4%0.00.00.0%1.11.766.7%
Total3013.87.72.91.40.82.10.50.71.43.32.34.453%0.00.00%1.11.668%

NBA EXPERIENCE

Luc Longley was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with pick #7 in the 1991 NBA Draft.

As a result of long contract negotiations that were still going on when the 1991/92 NBA season begun, Longley missed the first month of his rookie season. Longley then made his NBA debut for the Timberwolves on 30 November 1991. After two-plus mediocre seasons with the struggling franchise, the 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) center was traded to the Chicago Bulls for Stacey King late in the 1993/94 season.

In Chicago, after Longley had played 55 games from the bench, Bulls coach Phil Jackson made him the starting center by the end of the teams 1995/96 season. As the Bulls starting center, he won three straight championships with the Bulls from 1996 to 1998, becoming the first Australian player to win an NBA title and the only player to have won three championships. This included being a part of the 1995/96 Bulls team, that set an NBA record for most wins in a regular season with 72.

Longley famously missed almost two months of the 1996/97 season after dislocating his shoulder while body surfing at Hermosa Beach near the teams hotel after a game in Los Angeles.

Following the breakup of the Bulls roster after the 1997/98 season, Chicago did a sign-and-trade deal with Longley, sending him to the Phoenix Suns for Mark Bryant, Martin Muursepp, Bubba Wells, and a conditional first-round draft pick.

Longley was later traded to the New York Knicks prior to the 2000/01 NBA season in what was only the second four-team trade in NBA history. The Suns acquired Chris Dudley as part of the deal together with a first-round draft pick from New York and an undisclosed amount of cash, while New York received Longley, Glen Rice, Travis Knight, Vladimir Stepania, Lazaro Borrell, Vernon Maxwell, two first-round draft picks (from the Los Angeles Lakers and the Seattle SuperSonics) and two second-round draft picks from Seattle. Seattle received Patrick Ewing and the Lakers received Horace Grant, Greg Foster, Chuck Person and Emanual Davis.

Longley spent one year with New York before retiring, due to a degenerative condition in his left ankle.

Longley played 567 games in the NBA. He averaged 7.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game over his NBA career.

NBA TRANSACTIONS:

- June 26, 1991: Drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1st round (7th pick) of the 1991 NBA Draft.
- November 19, 1991: Signed a multi-year contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
- February 23, 1994: Traded by the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 1995 2nd round draft pick (Dragan Tarlać was later selected) to the Chicago Bulls for Stacey King.
- July 1, 1995: Became a free agent after playing for the Chicago Bulls.
- October 6, 1995: Signed a multi-year contract with the Chicago Bulls.
- July 1, 1998: Became a free agent after his Chicago Bulls contract.
- January 21, 1999: Signed a multi-year contract with the Chicago Bulls for a sign-and-trade to Phoenix.
- January 23, 1999: Traded by the Chicago Bulls to the Phoenix Suns for Mark Bryant, Martin Muursepp, Bubba Wells and a 1999 1st round draft pick (Metta World Peace was later selected).
- September 20, 2000: As part of a 4-team trade, traded by the Phoenix Suns to the New York Knicks; the Los Angeles Lakers traded Travis Knight, Glen Rice and a 2001 1st round draft pick (Jamaal Tinsley was later selected) to the New York Knicks; the New York Knicks traded Chris Dudley and a 2001 1st round draft pick (Jason Collins was later selected) to the Phoenix Suns; the New York Knicks traded Patrick Ewing to the Seattle SuperSonics; the Seattle SuperSonics traded Emanual Davis, Greg Foster, Horace Grant and Chuck Person to the Los Angeles Lakers; and the Seattle SuperSonics traded Lazaro Borrell, Vernon Maxwell, Vladimir Stepania, a 2001 2nd round draft pick (Eric Chenowith was later selected), a 2001 2nd round draft pick (Michael Wright was later selected) and a 2002 1st round draft pick (Kareem Rush was later selected) to the New York Knicks.
- September 25, 2001: Waived by the New York Knicks.
- September 27, 2001: Became a free agent after the New York Knicks waiver.

Season Team PTS AST STL BLK FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P%
1 0 16% 38% 0% 0%
2 0 2 1 0 0
Total 1 2 50.0% 0 0 0.0%

NBA TOTAL STATISTICS

YEARAGETEAMPOSGPGSMINSPTSTRBASTORBDRBSTLBLKTOVPFFGFGAFG%3P3PA3P%FTFTAFT%TS%EFG%
2000-0132New YorkC252301496672640392251185400131740%33%
1999-0031PhoenixC7268141745232377100223224213622118639900809751%47%
1998-9930PhoenixC3939933339221455916223215311914029000597652%48%
1997-9829ChicagoC5858170366334116111322834621302062776090010914849%46%
1996-9728ChicagoC595914725373321411212112366111191221485029512050%46%
1995-9627ChicagoC626216415643181191042142284114223242502008010352%48%
1994-9526ChicagoC55010013582637382181244586177135302028810751%45%
1993-9425ChicagoC2717513204138634296102140858517600344552%48%
1993-9425MinnesotaC4929989324295468720835587913113428901568050%46%
1992-9324MinnesotaC55251045319240517116947778816913329200537449%46%
1991-9223MinnesotaC663991281257536719035648315711424900538049%46%
Total5673621200640902794836872192227854994217301685364746%050%72094776%

NBA PER GAME STATISTICS

YEARAGETEAMPOSGPGSMINSPTSTRBASTORBDRBSTLBLKTOVPFFGFGAFG%3P3PA3P%FTFTAFT%TS%EFG%
2000-0132New YorkC25212.02.02.60.31.01.60.10.40.92.00.72.233%0.00.00.50.740%33%
1999-0031PhoenixC726819.76.34.51.11.43.10.30.61.93.12.65.547%0.00.01.11.351%47%
1998-9930PhoenixC393923.98.75.71.21.54.20.60.51.43.13.67.448%0.00.01.51.952%48%
1997-9829ChicagoC585829.411.45.92.81.93.90.61.12.23.64.810.545%0.00.01.92.649%46%
1996-9728ChicagoC595924.99.15.62.42.13.60.41.11.93.23.78.246%0.00.01.62.050%46%
1995-9627ChicagoC626226.59.15.11.91.73.50.41.41.83.63.98.148%0.00.01.31.752%48%
1994-9526ChicagoC55018.26.54.81.31.53.30.40.81.63.22.55.545%0.00.01.61.951%45%
1993-9425ChicagoC271719.07.65.12.31.63.60.40.81.53.13.16.548%0.00.01.31.752%48%
1993-9425MinnesotaC492920.26.66.00.91.84.20.71.21.62.72.75.946%0.00.01.11.650%46%
1992-9324MinnesotaC552519.05.84.40.91.33.10.91.41.63.12.45.346%0.00.01.01.349%46%
1991-9223MinnesotaC66315.04.33.90.81.02.90.51.01.32.41.73.846%0.00.00.81.249%46%
Total56736221.27.24.91.51.53.40.51.01.73.13.06.446%0.00%1.31.776%

COLLEGE

Longley was recruited out of Scotch College in Perth by the University of New Mexico's basketball coach, Gary Colson, who went to Perth to recruit Longley's childhood friend Andrew Vlahov, who ended up attending Stanford University.

Longley attended college at the University of New Mexico, from 1987 to 1991, where he began his career with limited court time as a freshman before becoming a full-time interior focal point over the next three seasons, eventually finishing as one of the most productive big men in Lobo history across four years in the Western Athletic Conference.

In his sophomore season (1988/89), he emerged as a major rim protector and inside finisher, posting a 90-block season that still sits among New Mexico’s best single-season totals, while his junior year (1989/90) became a statistical peak that included a school-record 117 blocks and the first of his two triple-doubles when he produced (23 points, 15 rebounds 10 blocks) on November 24, 1989, while also receiving first-team All-WAC recognition that season.

Longley averaged 18.4 points and 9.7 rebounds as a junior (1989/90) amd 19.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists in his senior year (1990/91). He helped New Mexico reach the NCAA Tournament in 1991 and he is the only Lobo to ever register a triple-double, something he did twice. (23 points, 15 rebounds 10 blocks and 17 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists).

His senior season (1990/91) combined his offensive jump with elite shot-blocking (95 blocks) and major team impact, as New Mexico went 20–10 overall (10–6 WAC) and received an NCAA Tournament bid as a No. 14 seed in the East Region, where the Lobos were eliminated 67–54 by No. 3 seed Oklahoma State in the first round, while Longley again earned first-team All-WAC and added honorable mention AP All-America recognition for the season.

Across his New Mexico career, Longley set program benchmarks with 992 rebounds and 336 blocks, scored 1,769 points, and remains the only Lobo to record a triple-double, highlighted by his November 24, 1989 triple-double against Hardin-Simmons and his second triple-double against Penn State on March 28, 1990 (17 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists).

AWARDS

- 2× First-team All-WAC (1990, 1991)
- 3x NBA champion (1996-1998)

COACHING HISTORY

After staying largely away from basketball for close to a decade following his 2001 retirement, Longley began moving into coaching when he became involved with Australian Boomers camps under head coach Brett Brown. He worked as a consulting coach with Australia’s big men in the lead-up to the 2012 London Olympics, with a particular focus on Aron Baynes, and had been involved with the national program for around two years by 2013.

Longley was also a member of Basketball Australia’s selection panel that appointed Andrej Lemanis as Boomers head coach in 2013. Lemanis then appointed Longley as an assistant coach in May 2013, giving him his first formal senior coaching role.

In Longley’s first year as an assistant, Australia defeated New Zealand in the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship to qualify for the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Longley remained on Lemanis’ staff at the 2014 World Cup in Spain, where Australia reached the Round of 16 before being eliminated by Turkey.

Longley continued as an assistant during the 2015 FIBA Oceania Championship, with Australia defeating New Zealand to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Longley was part of the Boomers coaching staff that reached the semi-finals. Australia lost to Serbia before falling 89–88 to Spain in the bronze medal game, finishing fourth and equalling the country’s best Olympic result at the time.

Longley remained on the Boomers staff as Australia entered the Asian qualification region. He was an assistant coach when Australia went undefeated at the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup and defeated Iran 79–56 in the final to win the tournament in its first appearance.

Longley continued working with the Boomers through the 2018 FIBA World Cup qualifying campaign. During Australia’s July 2018 qualifier against the Philippines in Manila, an on-court brawl erupted and Longley rushed into the melee to help protect Chris Goulding as the Australian guard was being attacked on the floor.

Longley remained an assistant coach through the 2019 FIBA World Cup campaign. Before the tournament, Australia defeated the United States 98–94 at Marvel Stadium, the first victory by the Australian senior men over the USA. At the World Cup in China, the Boomers reached the semi-finals for the first time before losing to Spain in double overtime and then France in the bronze medal game to finish fourth.

Longley’s formal Boomers assistant-coaching tenure ran from 2013 to 2019, with his work particularly focused on Australia’s frontcourt players and individual development. Aron Baynes later credited Longley with helping him develop both as a player and a person during his emergence with the national team.

In July 2019, Longley joined the Sydney Kings as Special Advisor, working across both on-court and off-court operations. His role included recruitment, player mentoring, culture and strategic advice to the basketball department, while also assisting coaches and management with personnel decisions.

Longley remained heavily involved in building the Kings basketball program and assisted with coaching recruitment. Ahead of the 2021/22 season, new head coach Chase Buford credited Longley with identifying coaching candidates and providing feedback as the club assembled its staff.

In December 2022, Longley became a co-owner of Hoops Capital, the ownership group of the Sydney Kings and Sydney Flames, while continuing his Special Advisor role.

Longley played a key role in bringing Brian Goorjian back to the Sydney Kings as head coach in 2024, personally contacting Goorjian about the opportunity after the pair had developed a relationship during their time with the Boomers.

Ahead of the 2025/26 season, Longley suggested Andrew Bogut for a vacant Kings assistant-coaching position to Goorjian, helping bring Bogut into his first formal coaching role. During the same period, Longley continued to be listed by the Kings as a co-owner and Special Advisor, while ESPN also identified him as Hoops Capital’s Head of Basketball.

As Head of Basketball and Special Advisor, Longley continued to work across recruitment, player mentoring and basketball strategy as Sydney won the 2025/26 NBL championship. He remained part of the Kings and Hoops Capital leadership group entering the 2026/27 season.

Related

HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PLAYER?

Whilst we try to source as much information as we can for every player who has ever played in the NBL some information on a player profile may be missing. If you have additional information on a player you'd like us to add to a profile, please send it to us using the enquiry form below.

    Submissions are then sent to info@aussiehoopla.com

    HAVE A TAKE ON THE GAME?

    WRITE FOR AUSSIE HOOPLA

    Love Australian basketball? Have a story to tell or an opinion worth sharing? We're keen to hear from passionate basketball fans, writers and aspiring journalists. Pitch your idea and be part of the Aussie Hoopla writing team.

    JOIN OUR WRITING TEAM