“He was trying to find out how much power did he have, he’d try things and no one would say no to him, I think if he had an older player or coach to guide him through those things he would have developed into a different player. He’d take off his seatbelt and run up and down a private plan during take-off but no one would say anything so of course he would think oh well I will try something else next time to see where the boundaries are”
Mark Bradtke discusses his time playing with Allen Iverson in Philadelphia.
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About the episode
This Sunday Mark Bradtke will have his #50 raised into the rafters of the Hisense Arena where he will join Melbourne Tigers legends like Andrew Gaze, Lanard Copeland, Dave Simmons and Ray Gordon. Prior to the big day the man they call “Hoagie” Mark Bradtke sat down to discuss his Basketball journey with Aussie Hoopla host Dan Boyce.
The basketball resume of Mark Bradtke’s is something unlikely to be equalled again. A three time NBL champion (1993, 1997, 2007), a ten time NBL first team member (1994, ’96, ’97, 1999-2005) who was recently inducted in the the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame who also left his mark on the NBA, Spain and Greece.
Topics discussed
- His current role within the Melbourne Tigers
- His debut for the Australian Boomers
- Memories of his time playing during the NBL’s “tin shed” era and memories of playing at Apollo Stadium and the Snakepit in Wollongong and how it compares to today.
- Playing in the NBA and how he dealt playing in a struggling team and getting limited minutes
- His memories of playing alongside a young Allen Iverson
- The toughest players he has ever faced
- Biggest regrets and Proudest moments from his career
- and where have all the big men gone?
1988 Olympic Games: USA v Australia bronze medal match
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