For the first time since they won the 2011 NBA title, optimism entering this season is sky-high around the Dallas Mavericks’ headquarters. That’s because there are Mavericks insiders who believe the team has an excellent chance of getting out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2011 championship…
Read MoreWith the Boomers finishing off their 2016 Rio Olympic Games campaign with heart-wrenching, infuriating fourth place, it’s time to look forward to the next Boomers squad for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Many of the key players who led Australia in capturing the country’s hearts in Brazil will be primed for another go around but it’s…
Read MoreThe Australian National team will be playable in the upcoming NBA 2K17 and it’s certainly got aussie hoops fans excited, but this is not (officially) the first time the Australian Boomers have been featured in the 2K franchise. This is due to the mammoth job the team behind the NBL2kMOD project, the first digital…
Read MoreThis week Ben Simmons wasbeing named to the All-NBA Summer League First Team (former NBL player Jordan McCrae and Australian Thon Maker also made the second team), signalling his step into NBA superstardom. Anyone who watched Simmons take on fellow members of his draft class it was easy to see Simmons has all the…
Read More“I Wanna be like Mike” to quote the 1992 Gatorade commercial. The advertisement campaign I refer to was merely a promotional ploy focused on selling orange beverages, but it is also an example of how endemic the belief that Michael Jordan’s has no equal on a basketball court and how this myth has been spread…
Read MoreThe NBA has released its official 2016 NBA Draft Combine list today. One name who isn’t on the list of expected attendees is our own Ben Simmons. This shouldn’t however be too much of a surprise to those keeping track. The NBA Draft Combine is a multi-day showcase which occurs every May before the…
Read MoreBen Simmons has made it known that he will not be wearing green and gold in Rio this year. The conversation around whether Ben Simmons will be able to juggle both NBA commitments and the NBA draft process has been a hot topic. Today Ben Simmons decision made it clear to Basketball Australia. The report came from…
Read MoreThe Cleveland Cavaliers started the season with a pretty crowded backcourt situation, with two point guards, two shooting guards, and one combo guard. The issue with these 5 players is that not only are they all rotation players, but they are also all arguably starters as well. 5 Starters for 2 Positions And when…
Read MoreKobe Bryant is a legend, plain and simple. He is arguably the greatest player to ever wear a Lakers uniform, a scoring phenom, a future Hall of Famer, Olympic gold medalist, a five-time NBA champion, a global icon, MVP. But in his 20th NBA season, it’s time to head to the bench. It sounds ludicrous,…
Read MoreFree agent wing Joe Ingles has signed a 2-year, $4.5 million dollar deal with the Jazz, according to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. Ingles came out of nowhere relative obscurity to play 79 games for Utah in his rookie season. He had spent several years overseas in Europe and Israel before coming across to make…
Read More
Perth Wildcats head coach John Rillie joins the podcast to discuss the pressure that comes with coaching one of the NBL’s most successful clubs, the challenge of moving forward after Bryce Cotton’s departure, and what Perth needs to build its next championship contender. Visit dunk.com.au for your next set of basketball uniforms. Host Dan Boyce chats with Rillie about taking over the Wildcats after the club missed the finals for the first time since 1986, the expectations of the Red Army, and how Perth’s three…
READ MOREFormer 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 MORE