In the past Aussie Hoopla has taken an extensive look at the entire list of players who have played in both the NBA and NBL.

Names from every decade since the 1980s were present and it included a list of NBL legends like Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Lanard Copeland and Rob Rose.

But with close to 100 players who have both played in the NBL and the NBA, we decided to look at which NBL player had the greatest NBA career.

Honourable Mentions

Rick Brunson

On Draft night 1995, Rick Brunson was not drafted by any NBA team despite an impressive college career at Temple where he played in four straight NCAA Tournaments and finished fifth in the school’s all-time assist numbers.

In order to find his first professional basketball gig he had to look overseas and was quickly recruited by Mike Dunlap and the Adelaide 36ers. It was there he combined fellow import Leon Trimmingham and was able to take the 36ers to NBL semi-finals.

Brunson had a “one and done” career in Adelaide as he was determined on playing in the NBA and in 1997  he was signed as a free agent by the Portland Trail Blazers. He then went on to play in nine NBA seasons for seven different NBA teams.

Rick Brunson’s finest NBA moments include;

• A 19 point haul against the Lakers in 1998
• A breakout season with the LA Clippers in 2005 in which he averaged a career-high 5.5 points
• A member of the 1999 Knicks squad who lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the championship, a team which featured Aussie Andrew Gaze on the roster.

Career Statistics

Jonny Flynn

No guard with NBL experience has ever had the kind of NBA rookie season like Jonny Flynn did. In his first game, he was named as a starter and showed he deserved it by dropping 18 points against the Nets.

After his rookie season, however, Flynn underwent hip surgery and never returned to his rookie form, his numbers dropped from 13 points and 4.4 assists in his rookie year to 5.3 points per game and only 3.4 assists per game for the remainder of his career.

During October 2012 Flynn was signed by the Detroit Pistons but was last only 21 days on their roster before being cut, leaving him without an NBA team for the first time.

Flynn decided to venture overseas to prove he still had a lot of basketball left. The short length of the NBL season saw him land with the Melbourne Tigers, a team who were floundering near the bottom of the ladder at the time. Flynn was able to drag the Tigers from worst in the league to a top-four finish. In doing so he was named to the NBL All-Star game.

Flynn averaged 17 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists per game in the NBL but was never able to earn himself another NBA contract, He has since played in China and Italy.

Jonny Flynn’s finest NBA moments include;

• In his rookie season, he made a game-winning layup to beat Utah 110-108 in addition to putting up 28 points.
• Named to the All-Rookie 2nd team in 2010.

Career Statistics

Doug Overton

In 1992 the Illawarra Hawks’ search for a second import dragged on throughout the entire pre-season before coach Dave Lindstrom stumbled across Doug Overton who had recently been drafted by the Detroit Pistons only to be told he wasn’t ready for the NBA yet and wouldn’t be offered a contract.

Overton’s needed only one season in Illawarra to prove the Pistons coaching staff wrong as he led the Hawks to the playoffs and was rewarded with an NBA contract the following year.

Overton was named in the All-NBL First team and averaged 24 points, 6.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals during his one year here and still is remembered fondly in Wollongong.

Considered one of the finest talents to ever play in our league and after the game where he lit up the North Melbourne Giants for 33 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 steals notch up a 113-95 victory, it’s hard to argue otherwise.

Overton went on to play in 11 NBA seasons for 8 different teams including the Washington Bullets, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, New Jersey Nets, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers.

Doug Overton’s finest NBA moments include;

• 21 points, 12 assists and 3 steals in fourth NBA game as a rookie
• 20 points and 10 assists going head to head with John Stockton in a loss to the Jazz.
• A career-high 30 points and 6 steals against the Orlando Magic in 1995.
• 17 points and 11 assists in his last game as a New Jersey Net in 2001.

Career Statistics

Todd Lichti

Todd Lichti played four seasons for the Perth Wildcats (1996-99), his arrival due in part to his relationship with former Stanford teammate Andrew Vlahov.

His biggest game came in 1998 when he dropped 31 points on 11 of 15 shooting (73%) and dished out 7 assists against the North Melbourne Giants. He was integral in guiding the Wildcats to the playoffs all four seasons he played there.

However, the Todd Lichti we saw in Australia saw was very different to the man who was drafted by the NBA’s Denver Nuggets. Finishing his college career as Stanford’s all-time leading scorer (2,336 points) he averaged 8 points as a rookie.

Developing into a starter his sophomore year he averaged 14 points a game but only 25 games into his second NBA season Lichti suffered a serious knee injury which he never fully recovered from.

After he was never able to return to his impressive 1991 form and bounced around with NBA destinations Denver, Orlando, Golden State and Boston where he had minimal impact before retiring from the NBA and eventually ending up in Perth.

Todd Lichti’s finest NBA moments include;

• A 29 point and 4 assist effort in a high scoring 153-161 game which Denver lost to San Antonio.
• A near triple-double, 22 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists off the bench in the first game of the playoffs against the Spurs in 1990
• 27 points in a loss to Houston as a starter in 1990.

Career Statistics

TOP 10 NBA CAREERS BY NBL PLAYERS

10. Joe Ingles

While Joe Ingles career in both the NBA and NBL is likely still unfinished his efforts to date are still worth including him on this list. Ingles played three seasons in the NBL with the South Dragons. His first year saw him take home NBL Rookie of the Year after averaging 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists at 18 years of age.

In 2008–09, Ingles helped lead the Dragons to the NBL championship while earning All-NBL Third Team honours along the way. Ingles would head over to Europe to play for the next five seasons before catching the eye of the Utah Jazz.

Ingles has currently played five years in Utah, becoming a full-time starter after All-Star Gordon Hayward left for Boston. Ingles has since become the team’s all-time leader in three points made, attempted and three-point percentage.

Joe Ingle’s finest NBA moments include;

• A near triple-double in 2019 when he registered 11 points, 9 rebounds and 14 assists against the LA Lakers
• He has scored a career-high 27 points on four separate occasions (last against Phoenix in 2019)
• Connecting on 7 three-pointers (27 points) in a game against Golden State in 2018

Career Statistics

9. Steve Blake

Steve Blake’s time in the NBL was a curious one. His NBA achievements see him ranked very high on this list, however, his NBL career is easily the worst of any former NBA player to compete in the NBL.

Blake joined the Sydney Kings mid-season after Michael Bryson didn’t pan out to be the import they desired but when the 16 year NBA vet failed to score in 18 minutes of game time in his second NBL game it seemed the Kings had downgraded in a way no one could have planned.

Blake finished his NBA career with the Detroit Pistons only six months prior to playing with the Kings so it is fair for fans and coaches to believe Blake was in prime form and able to propel the Kings to the top of the ladder. Blake, however, lasted only 9 games, averaged a paltry six points and the Kings plummeted to last place. Fans could not believe it when the 16 year NBA veteran failed to score in 18 minutes. Blake retired from basketball shortly after.

During his time in the NBA Blake averaged 5.9 points, 2.8 assists and 18.6 minutes in his rookie season with the Wizards. He signed with Portland as a free agent in 2005 where he developed into a starter and averaged 8 points and 5 assists when guard Sebastian Telfair was lost to injury.

Blake bounced around a number of teams over the next few seasons. Milwaukee (2006-07), Denver (2007), back to Portland on two separate occasions (2007–10, 2014-15), LA Clippers (2010), LA Lakers (2010–14), Golden State (2014) and Detroit (2015–16).

Blake put up impressive numbers for many NBA teams but he is most well-remembered from his time with the LA Lakers where he excelled as the teams backup point guard. The Lakers moved past Denver in the first round of the 2012 playoffs thanks to Blake’s 19 points (5/6 from downtown) in Game 7.

Steve Blake’s finest NBA moments include;

• A career-high 25 points in 36 minutes against Portland in 2007
• Dishing out a career-best 18 assists in a loss to Minnesota in 2007
•  In 2009 Blake tied an NBA record with 14 assists in the first quarter of a game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
• An amazing all-round game with 8 points, 7 rebounds, 15 assists and 7 steals in a win over the Nuggets in 2014
• Recording a triple-double, 11 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists in a win over Cleveland (2014)

Career Statistics

8. Hakim Warrick

Warrick’s 38-inch vertical jump and a 7–2 wingspan impressed NBA scouts enough to be selected with the 19th pick in the 2005 NBA draft.

Warrick appeared in 68 games for the Memphis Grizzlies in his rookie year. Playing behind Pau Gasol he averaged 4.1 points

and 2.1 assists in 10.6 minutes per game.

His incredible athleticism was on full display when he was selected to participate in the 2006 NBA Slam Dunk contest where he finished third behind Nate Robinson and Andre Iguodala.

In 2006 Warrick took advantage of increased playing time and had his most productive season when Memphis lost Gasol to a broken foot. He averaged 12.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game his sophomore season and was a core part of Memphis’ playoff rotation.

Warrick consistently delivered 11 points and 5 rebounds for Memphis until 2009 where he struggled to find his niche in the NBA, playing on five different teams in five years. His most notable being a stop in Phoenix where he averaged 8 points and 4 rebounds in 80 games.

Warrick played two seasons in Asia after his NBA career before signing with Melbourne United for the 2015–16 NBL season. Warrick was used as a spark plug off the bench and United got off to a 5–0 start before a groin injury limited him to the sidelines. He returned two months later and at the season’s end was named the league’s Best Sixth Man after averaging 14.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

Behind Warrick’s stellar play, Melbourne took out the league’s minor premiership but could not advance further after the fourth-seeded New Zealand Breakers defeated United 2–0 in the NBL Semi-Finals.

Hakim Warrick’s finest NBA moments include;

• A third-place finish in the 2006 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
• Scoring 11 points against Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki in the 2006 NBA playoffs.
• A 15 point, 14 rebound double-double also against the Mavericks during his time with the Phoenix Suns (2010)
• Piling up 22 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in 39 minutes against the Phoenix Suns in 2007.
• Scoring a career-high 32 points to go with 8 rebounds and 4 assists against Houston in 2011.

Career Statistics

7. Ollie Johnson

Ollie Johnson debuted in 1972 with an amazing 20 point performance as a member of the Portland Trailblazers. Impressive as this achievement was it was overshadowed at the time by Milwaukee’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who delivered 49 points in the same game and also gave the  Bucks a 111-108 victory.

Johnson, who averaged 7.7 points per game in his NBA career, went on to have a ten-year career (1972–1982) as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Jazz, Kansas City Kings, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, and Philadelphia 76ers. He finished his career with a homecoming of sorts signing with his hometown Philadelphia 76ers for his final two seasons in the NBA.

Although playing in only a handful of playoff games once he was a part of the 76ers he was there as Philadelphia lost to the Celtics in the 1981 Eastern Conference Finals and the LA Lakers in the NBA Championship in 1982.

He arrived in Australia in 1985 where he was relied upon to carry a Hobart Devils team without a great deal of Australian talent. His 44 point, 13 rebound, 5 assist effort against the St Kilda Saints is one not to be forgotten in a season where he averaged 32.5 points and 13.5 rebounds.

Ollie Johnson was not retained by Hobart but returned to the NBL in 1987 when he signed with the West Sydney Westars (Now Sydney Kings). He played one more season down under before returning to Philadelphia as is now the director of athletics for the Community College of Philadelphia.

Ollie Johnson’s finest NBA moments include;

• A career-high 24 points against the Milwaukee Bucks in 1979
• In his rookie year, he recorded 22 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists on 11/14 shooting (79%) against the Detroit Pistons
• Averaged 11 points in 28 minutes per game during the 1975 playoffs against Chicago Bulls

Career Statistics

6. Patty Mills

It’s hard to put Patty in this list with his NBA career far from over, but with plenty of NBA years left in him, he still deserves mention on this list.

Patty is the only player to begin his professional career in the NBA before playing in the NBL and being able to return to the NBA again.

His time in the NBL was due only to the NBA player strike which coincided with his contract with Portland ending which left him without an NBA deal in place. In order to keep his game sharp while he awaited the lockout to end, he signed a deal with the Melbourne Tigers which allowed us the rare treat of an NBA level star go head to head with local talent.

Mills would leave the Tigers for a lucrative contract in China before signing with the Spurs mid-season in 2012.

Patty Mill’s finest NBA moments include;

• In 2014 he had 32 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists vs Charlotte in on 25 minutes of game time.
• 27 points as a starter against Steve Nash in his final game for the Phoenix Suns
• 34 points, 5 rebounds and 12 assists in the Spurs final regular-season game of 2012
• Scoring 17 points in 17 minutes in the deciding game 5 to help San Antonio win the 2014 NBA Championship.

Career Statistics

5. Josh Childress

Childress made a big impact his first season in the NBA. As a member of the Atlanta Hawks, he averaged 10 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists and was voted to the All-Rookie second team.

Childress played a sixth man role for the Hawks over four NBA season averaging 11.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in 285 games with 67 starts. When his rookie contract expired the Hawks offered Childress a five-year, $33 million deal but in an NBA first, he instead chose to sign with Greek team Olympiacos who offered him a three-year $20 million deal which, due to European tax breaks was equal to contract offered to him by the Hawks.

Childress spent two seasons in Greece, averaging 12 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists before signing a deal with the Phoenix Suns and returning to the NBA.

Childress could never return to the form he had in his first NBA stint with injuries making it difficult to remain on the court. He played 285 games in his four seasons with the Hawks but only played 108 games in his next four seasons spent with Phoenix, Brooklyn and New Orleans.

When Childress signed a contract to play with the Sydney Kings it made headlines all across the country. Basketball fans all across the country were vocal about wanting to watch him play.

Childress’ time playing with the Kings was limited. He was only able to play in 31 of the teams 56 games with stoppages in his first year due to a torn pectoral muscle and then a suspension for elbowing Perth Wildcats Jesse Wagstaff then a fractured hand prematurely ended things in his second season.

Josh Childress would head to Japan for a season before showing up again in the NBL in 2018, this time with the Adelaide 36ers. Childress played in every regular-season game and proved many of those who doubted his ability to stay injury-free at 34 years of age wrong. Childress led the 36ers to the NBL Finals but misfortune struck again when a shoulder injury in Game 2 ended his season and removed the 36ers chances of winning the NBL championship.

Josh Childress finest NBA moments include;

• A 17 point, 15 rebound double-double with the Atlanta Hawks in 2005.
• Scoring a career-high 26 points while grabbing 8 rebounds in 2008 during his time with the Hawks.
• A 23 point effort in 2008 which included shooting 10 from 11 from the field as a member of the Atlanta Hawks.
• Playing 30 minutes per game off the bench during the Hawks 2008 playoff run.

Career Statistics

4. Al Harrington

The Sydney Kings struck gold signing NBA veteran Josh Childress once his NBA career was finished but in a cruel twist of fate, he suffered a number of injuries that stopped him from playing in half the team’s games. In 2015 he fractured his right hand only one month into the NBL season forcing the club to seek out a suitable replacement.

Enter Harrington who signed with the team as an injury replacement and suited up for 6 NBL games where he averaged 18 points, 17 rebounds and 3 assists.

The native of New Jersey is one of just 83 players to play more than 15 NBA seasons and one of only five players to do so after jumping straight from high school to the NBA, the others being Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O’Neal and Rashard Lewis.

Al Harrington struggled as an 18-year-old in the NBA and it wasn’t until his fourth year in the league that he was able to show he belonged. For the Indiana Pacers he averaged 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in 2001-02 season, he moved into the team’s starting lineup in 2002-03 and in 2003-04 he boosted his averages slightly to 13.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game and narrowly missed out on winning the NBA 6th man of the year award.

In 2004 Harrington was traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Stephen Jackson strangely enough and from that point became a journey somewhat playing Indiana (390 games), Atlanta (390 games), New York (140 games), Denver (137 games), Golden State (128 games) and short stints at Washington (34 games) and Orlando (10 games).

Al Harrington’s finest NBA moments include;

• He was an integral part of the Pacers’ Eastern Conference Finals run in 2004.
• Runner up for the 2004 Sixth Man of the Year Award.
• Was a starter for the #8 seed Golden State team which eliminated the #1 seed Dallas Mavericks in 2007.
• 42 points in 36 minutes with the New York Knicks in 2009
• A 31 point, 9 rebound effort off the bench as a member of the Denver Nuggets in 2012

Career Statistics

3. Luc Longley

There is slight conjecture on this next player who despite being recorded by the NBL to have played two games for the Perth Wildcats in 1986, Luc Longley himself has said that these games were actually pre-season games.

In saying that a pre-season game is still technically an NBL game so we will give Longley the nod and include him in this list.

Luc Longley had his best season in 1997/98 when he capped off his run with the Chicago Bulls with a third consecutive NBA championship while averaging career bests of 11.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

Longley’s success, however, has always been measured by his success in the NBA post-season and few players have resumes like Longley’s in that respect. He appeared in 87 career NBA playoffs games, averaging 6.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, not to mention taking home three championship rings between 1996-1998 with the Bulls.

Luc Longley is the trailblazer that allowed many Aussies to make the NBA and perhaps it is this feat which is his greatest achievement as a player. Without him we would not have Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills and Aron Baynes currently playing in the NBA, this is for certain.

Luc Longley’s finest NBA moments include;

• Three NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls
• 19 points in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against Seattle
• A near triple-double with 34 points, 5 rebounds and 12 assists in the Spurs final regular-season game of 2012
• 22 points, 17 rebounds against the LA Clippers in 1997.
• He recorded career-highs of 24 points (9-12 FG) and 8 assists and grabbed 9 rebounds against the Milwaukee Bucks on 1/2/98.

Career Statistics

2. Andrew Bogut

A few feathers will be ruffled by placing Andrew Bogut above Luc Longley on this list with Longley’s three NBA championships hard to argue against. However, Andrew Bogut was able to achieve things in his NBA career never achieved before and he also has legitimately played actual NBL games.

After being selected as the first Australian to ever drafted first overall Bogut had a strong rookie season, playing in all 82 regular-season games for the Bucks and averaging 9.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie team and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.

Bogut displayed strong improvement during his first five years in the NBA. During the 2007–08 NBA season, Bogut set career-highs in points (14.3), rebounds (9.8), blocks (1.7), steals (0.8) and minutes (34.9) per game. He finished 9th in the NBA in blocks, 11th in rebounding and 12th in double-doubles (38).

Bogut’s breakout season in 2009-10 saw him average 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, earning All-NBA Third Team honours (currently the only Australian to do so). Bogut helped the Bucks to a 46–36 record and their first playoff appearance since 2006 but suffered a career-altering injury where he lost his balance while completing a dunk and fell, breaking his hand, dislocating his elbow which saw him miss the playoffs and never quite recapture that same yearly improvement he had produced prior.

Bogut was traded to the Golden State in 2012 where he won an NBA championship in 2015. He played five seasons with the Warriors before spending the remainder of his NBA career in short stints, marred by injured with Dallas, Cleveland, LA Lakers.

Bogut would play the 2018-19 NBL season with the Sydney Kings earning the league MVP and Best Defensive Player award in the same year before a cameo return to the Warriors at the end of the NBL season.

Andrew Bogut’s finest NBA moments include;

• NBA champion
• 29 points against the Phoenix Suns in 2007
• 32 points against the Dallas Mavericks in 2010
• 12 points and 27 rebounds against the Miami Heat in 2011.

Career Statistics

1. Stephen Jackson

Stephen Jackson, known as “Captain Jack” in many circles and has been scorned as an NBA team’s cancer as many times as he has been lauded as an NBA Teams saviour.

It seems strange to think that the guy who once was the “franchise player” for NBA teams in Atlanta, Golden State, and Charlotte actually started his career in the Kings purple and gold.

After a tumultuous college experience that saw him drafted in the second round by Phoenix, he wasn’t signed by any NBA team and was forced to look overseas to start his professional basketball career. A mere 19 year in 1998 when he arrived down under, he played 4 games in Sydney before breaking his leg and disappearing from the league.

Two years later he reappeared in the NBA with the New Jersey Nets, started 40 of his 77 games as a rookie and was also part of the NBA rookie game during All-Star weekend.

Signing with San Antonio next Jackson played a huge role as the teams, third-leading scorer, in the Spurs 2003 championship squad. He played a pivotal role in the championship series-deciding Game 6, nailing three clutch three-point shots in the 4th quarter which maintained the Spurs lead and delivered them the title.

Stephen Jackson then signed with Atlanta in 2003, a move deemed risky by many however one which delivered his finest season so far. In the 29 games following the All-Star Break, Jackson averaged 24.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. During this stretch, he was the NBA’s 6th leading scorer.

Jackson then signed a huge 6 year, $38.3 million contract and was traded to the Indiana Pacers, where he would become “infamous” for his role in the Pacers-Pistons Brawl in 2004. He was suspended for 30 games and lost $1,700,000 for his role in the melee. Jackson was traded to Golden State shortly after that, where he was a big part of the Warriors 4–2 series upsetting the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs.

This is something he worked hard to make amends for and by 2008 in an about-face for Jackson, he was awarded the NBA Community Assist Award and named Warriors team captain soon after.

Jackson also played for the Charlotte Bobcats and Milwaukee Bucks where he displayed moments of brilliance like his 43 point, rebound game in 2010 or taking lowly Charlotte to the NBA playoffs but then moments of dysfunction like his publicized clashes with coach Scott Skiles in Milwaukee.

Recently waived from San Antonio Stephen Jackson currently sits 35th all-time for 3 pointers made and his NBA career isn’t over yet. Although his career is not quite over it is already evident that Stephen Jackson is clearly the greatest player we’ve seen to have played in the NBA who also played in the NBL.

Stephen Jackson’s finest NBA moments include;

• 17 points in the deciding game 6 of the 2003 NBA Finals
• 42 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists as an Atlanta Hawk in 2004
• 39 points which included 7 three’s and 9 rebounds.in 2004.
• 22 points, 17 rebounds against the LA Clippers in 1997.

Career Statistics

Dan Boyce (815 Posts)

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.