NICKNAME/S: Rookie

BIO: Stephen Whitehead was born in Melbourne (VIC) and began playing basketball as a junior with the Melbourne basketball program.

FAMILY: Stephen’s brother, Mark Whitehead also played 1 games in the NBL.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Stephen Whitehead made his NBL debut with the Melbourne Tigers at 17 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

In 1989, Melbourne moved on from imports James Bullock and Alvis Rogers and signed talented forwards Dave Simmons and David Colbert. The Tigers also added local players Ray Gordon (via North Melbourne), Warrick Giddey (via Illawarra) and rookie Stephen Whitehead, who would become the Tigers’ core group for the next five years. Naturalised players Eric Bailey and Brad Pineau were also signed, giving the Tigers their deepest roster since entering the league in 1984.

Andrew Gaze (34.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 7.2 assists) led the league in both scoring and assists, but it was the addition of new faces Simmons (26.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks), Colbert (25.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.5 blocks) and Gordon (11.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals) that made the difference. Behind the Tigers’ revamped roster, they were able to jump from twelfth position (8-16) the season to prior to finish fourth (17-10) and reached the playoffs for the first time in the team’s history.

Melbourne’s inexperience became evident in the postseason, however, being eliminated in the first round by the Sydney Kings.

Whitehead (1.1 points, 0.4 rebounds, and 0.4 assists) would see limited playing opportunities with the Tigers, appearing in only nine games.

1990
Off the back of the Tiger’s revamped roster, which led to their first playoff appearance ever, Melbourne re-signed its core group and looked to become a even stronger team in 1990. Although they lost naturalised swingman Eric Bailey (to Gold Coast), they were able to replace him with a even better option in Cecil Exum (via North Melbourne), who had been a big part of the Giant’s championship in 1989 and imports Dave Colbert and Dave Simmons were re-signed.

Andrew Gaze, who had spent the off-seasonplaying with Seton Hall University and narrowly missing out on a contract with the Seattle Supersonics, looked to light up the league.

Gaze (37.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 2.6 steals), Colbert (31.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.6 blocks) and Simmons (27.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.3) filled every column in the stats sheet every night, as well as combing for 96 points per game.

Melbourne hit a major speed bump when Gaze was diagnosed as having a blood clot in his right shoulder, a issue that almost ended his playing career. As a result, Gaze would miss the Tigers’ last two games of the regular season and all playoff games, but Melbourne still managed to finish in fourth place (17-9). They faced off against fifth-seed Perth in the elimination finals, where Colbert (52 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals) erupted for a career-high in Gaze’s absence, but it wasn’t enough to get past the well-balanced attack of Perth. Ricky Grace (30 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists) made 10 of his 13 shots and seemed to set up teammate David Close (25 points and 6 rebounds) for a open look whenever he didn’t score, allowing Perth to walk away victors (122-100).

In game two, Colbert (42 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) was unstoppable again, and teammate Dave Simmons (29 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists) also delivered a big game also but Perth managed to shut down every other Tigers’ player and ended Melbourne’s season behind a ten point win (123-113). Whitehead would play in 24 games, averaging 4.8 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists for the season.

1991
Melbourne had become a formidable team by 1991, and had it not been for a blood clot that derailed Andrew Gaze’s season, could have seen a deep playoff run from the Tigers. This year would see the trio of Gaze (38.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.7 steals), David Cobert (24.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.5 blocks) and Dave Simmons (24.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks) get the chance to see how far they could go with a full season together. Melbourne was also boosted by the emergence of Stephen Whitehead (9.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.4 steals), who would double his production with a shift to the team’s starting lineup.

The Tigers made history this season when they faced off against Illawarra and recorded the highest scoring game in NBL history (Jul 27). The game saw 344 points scored, and the Tigers come out as victors (186-158). Gaze (59 points, 11 assists, and 4 steals), Colbert (42 points, 20 rebounds and 5 assists) and Simmons (36 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists) doing the bulk of the scoring for Melbourne and Patric Fairs (41 points and 10 rebounds) and Greg Hubbard (36 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists) top scoring for Illawarra, who shot 76% from the field, which remains the highest shooting percentage ever recorded by a team in a losing effort.

Once into the playoffs, Melbourne would lose game one (115-129) and game two (96-132) to Adelaide in the elimination finals. The scoring brilliance of Gaze, combined with the Tigers’ regular season success, was enough to earn him the NBL Most Valuable Player award for the first time. Gaze would then take home the NBL MVP award in seven of his next eight seasons.

1992
1992 began with the Tigers replacing forward David Colbert with former NBA guard Lanard Copeland, who paired with Andrew Gaze in the backcourt to become one of the most exciting backcourt duos in NBL history. Gaze (33.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.3 assists) would again lead the league in scoring, with Copeland (28.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists) NBA pedigree showing he was one of the best imports in the league.

Melbourne replaced the interior presence of Colbert with Robert Sibley (via Brisbane), which then resulted in Brisbane signing free agent Colbert in a talent swap for both team’s.

Sibley (11.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists) fitted into the frontcourt nicely, and talented young swingman Stephen Whitehead (13.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks) saw a boost in his numbers for the third straight season.

With the revamped roster, the Tigers became a much faster lineup, finishing the regular season in the third spot, their highest place finish ever (15-9).

Once into the postseason Melbourne would eliminate Perth (2-1) in the quarterfinals, and then the Sydney Kings (2-1) in the semifinals to reach the Grand Final series for the first time in franchise history. Facing off against crosstown rivals the South East Melbourne Magic, Gaze (26 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and the Tigers came out firing and comfortably defeated the Magic (116-98) in the first game of the series. That would be the last of the heroics, however, as the Magic would win the series’ next two games and claim the 1992 NBL championship (2-1).

1993 – THE TIGERS FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP
The Tigers’ season began with the huge signing of Mark Bradtke during the pre-season. His arrival made national news, with Bradtke having spent the off-seasonplaying in Spain and giving former team Adelaide a verbal agreement he would play for them if he returned in 1993. However, upon his return to Australia, Bradtke made it known he did not want to play the final year of his contract in Adelaide, amongst rumours the Melbourne Tigers were actively recruiting him. After negotiations between the two parties broke down, the 36ers gave permission for Bradtke to leave if a team would buy out his remaining contract. However, the NBL stepped in and vetoed the buyout, effectively letting Bradtke leave for Melbourne without the 36ers receiving any compensation. After the fact it became clear Bradtke had decided to move to Melbourne to be closer to then girlfriend (and future wife), pro-tennis player Nicole Provis.

Although the Tigers were coming off a grand final appearance, they began the season poorly and no one was pencilling them in for the championship at midseason. After shaking off their slow start (2-7) but finishing the remainder of the season strong (14-3), the Tigers finished the year in third place. Bradtke (17 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) became the missing puzzle piece to Melbourne’s historically weak frontline as Andrew Gaze (32.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.7 steals), Lanard Copeland (22.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.9 steals) led the team in scoring, and Whitehead (8.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists) remained a key part of the Tigers bench.

During the quarterfinals, the Tigers would easily eliminate Illawarra (2-0), setting up a rematch of last year’s grand final, a semi finals showdown against South East Melbourne. Copeland (32 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals), Gaze (23 points 3 rebounds, and 8 assists) and Bradtke (21 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) combined for 76 points and in nail-biting two point win to open the series (108-106). In game two, Bradtke (28 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 steals) was the difference maker, proven unstoppable for the Magic as the Tigers closed out the series behind a 17 point win (89-72).

On the opposite side of the bracket, the Perth Wildcats (21-5) had finished on top of the ladder and made their way through to the Grand Final.

The series began with the Tigers playing at home and, by the second quarter, were controlling things with a 19 point lead. From there, Melbourne saw four key players fall into foul trouble, which included Robert Sibley (13 points and 4 rebounds) and Bradtke (4 points, 11 rebounds) fouling out. Bradtke struggled against Perth’s interior defenders and finished the game shooting one from nine from the field. Ricky Grace (23 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals) then fueled a late-game surge from Perth which closed the game by four points. In the closing minutes, Perth attempted to close the gap by repeatedly sending Melbourne to the line but with Gaze (41 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists) nailing ten from ten free throws in the final quarter, Melbourne see out the game as victors (117-113).

In a similar fashion to game one, Melbourne took out a early lead in game two (32-22), thanks to the dominance of Bradtke (24 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists). By halftime, however, the ‘Perth Wall’ of James Crawford (32 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks), Andrew Vlahov (23 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks), and Scott Fisher (16 points and 6 rebounds) had reined Bradtke things in and returned fire to lead by six at halftime (60-54).

Perth remained in control of the foul-prone Tigers, who struggled to score after losing both Gaze (22 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Dave Simmons (12 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists) to six fouls. Grace (23 points, 8 rebounds, and 13 assists) came close to recording a triple-double, many of those assists coming from feeding Crawford inside, who made 11 of his 15 shots.

A full house at the Perth Entertainment Centre (8,000 fans) witnessed the Wildcats’ victory (112-105), one that extended their consecutive home winning streak to 17. With game three to be played in Perth and the Tigers have never won on the Wildcats’ home floor, Perth entered the game as clear favourites.

The underdog Tigers, however, survived a strong Perth comeback that cut a 15-point lead to three before Gaze (22 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists) sunk a free throw to give Melbourne a two-point edge with four seconds left on the clock. A last-second shot from Vlahov (31 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) which rattled in and out of the ring, saw the Tigers become NBL champions for the very first time (104-102). Copeland (35 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists) led the team in scoring, while Bradtke (23 points, 19 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) dominated Perth inside after struggling with fouls in the first two games. Whitehead also added 5 points and 3 rebounds.

In a surprising decision, however, Wildcats’ guard Ricky Grace was awarded the Grand Final MVP despite playing for the losing team.

The win saw Lindsay Gaze and his son Andrew complete a ten year journey to win Australia’s oldest basketball club its first national championship.

Surprisingly, the season Andrew Gaze led the Tigers to their first championship was the only season between 1991 and 1998 where he missed out on claiming the league’s MVP award. Instead, voters went with South East Melbourne Magic’s Robert Rose, but Gaze’s championship victory far outweighed any MVP result.

1994
Coming off a title in 1993, the Tigers were able to return with almost the entire roster, losing only backup big man Robert Sibley (to Brisbane), who they would replace with a young Chris Anstey. The defending champions would go on to record their best regular season result in the club’s history (19-7), finishing in second place. Andrew Gaze (33.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 2.4 steals) was awarded the league’s Most Valuable Player award and led the league in scoring, while Mark Bradtke (20.2 points, 14.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks) led the league in rebounding and both were also selected to the All-NBL First Team. Once into the postseason, Melbourne would defeat Illawarra convincingly in both game one (107-85) and game two (119-83) before facing a incredibly talented (and deep) Adelaide team in the semifinals, which featured Rob Rose, Mark Davis, Willie Simmons, Phil Smyth, Brett Maher and Chris Blakemore. The 36ers defeated the Tigers first in Adelaide (101-88) and then repeated the result on Melbourne’s home floor (110-101) to end the Tiger’s season and move on to the Grand Final to face North Melbourne.

Whitehead would play in all 30 of the Tigers games that season, averaging 11.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists.

1995
In 1995, Mark Bradtke requested some time off to allow him to support his wife Nicole’s tennis career as she travelled abroad and miss the first two-thirds of the season. Around that same time, Chris Anstey, a part of the Tigers junior program, also informed the club that he would return, having signed a deal to play with rival club South East Melbourne. Melbourne coach Lindsey Gaze appealed via the NBL tribunal, which ruled that Anstey could not leave the Tigers as long as they could match the contract, which they did.

After some extremely creative salary tweaking, the Magic then signed Anstey to a one year deal worth $180,000 which the Tigers had no interest in matching, allowing Anstey to shift clubs. Once Anstey had signed with the Magic, he renegotiated his contract to a 3-year, $181,000 contract, remaining higher than the Tigers contract not to break any NBL salary cap rules of the time.

The Tigers added forward Matt Reece (via Gold Coast) and centre Blair Smith (via Brisbane) to cover the loss of Bradtke and Anstey.

Andrew Gaze (33.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 2.3 steals), Lanard Copeland (25.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 steals) and Dave Simmons (14.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks) led the team offensively, during a season which saw a merry-go-round of league leaders, during the regular season, Brisbane, Sydney, North Melbourne, South East Melbourne and Melbourne all sat in the number one spot on the ladder some point. With Melbourne narrowly sitting among the top eight team’s (10-7), Bradtke (11.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks) would return to playout the Tigers’ last nine games for the season.

The Tigers would scrape into the playoffs, claiming the eighth seed (14-12), their worst result since 1988. With Bradtke out of form and the team still adjusting to him being back in the lineup, Melbourne was eliminated by the Perth Wildcats in the first round (1-2).

Whitehead would appear in all 29 games for the Tigers, averaging 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 steals.

SYDNEY KINGS
1996
During the 1996 season, Whitehead signed the largest contract of his career with interstate rival club, the Sydney Kings. Whitehead averaged 11.5 points and 4.4 rebounds, and helped guide the Kings reach a fifth place finish in the regular season with a 16-10 record.

1997
After finishing fifth with a 16-10 record before being eliminated by Canberra in the 1996 quarterfinals, Sydney entered Alan Black’s second season without captain Shane Heal (to Minnesota), while Neil Turner also exited and Dean Uthoff retired. Isaac Burton, Melvin Thomas, Bruce Bolden, Stephen Whitehead, Justin Withers, Brad Williams, Brad Rosen and Danny Williams returned from the previous season’s roster, while Aaron Trahair (via Perth), Cameron Dickinson (via Townsville), Matthew Nielsen (via AIS) and rookie Ben Knight were added. Bolden was named captain in Heal’s absence. With Hobart, Geelong and Gold Coast exiting the NBL following 1996 and their talent redistributed among the remaining clubs, Sydney entered an increasingly competitive 11-team league while attempting to replace the scoring and playmaking Heal had provided.

Whitehead returned for his second season in Sydney after signing the largest contract of his career when he moved interstate from Melbourne the previous year.

Sydney opened the season against North Melbourne at the Melbourne Sports & Entertainment Centre on April 11, where Whitehead (12 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists) played 30 minutes as the Giants defeated the Kings 85-81. Burton (19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block) and Bolden (14 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) provided the main support, while Pat Reidy (24 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, and 1 block) led North Melbourne. Sydney went on to lose three of its opening four games as the reshaped backcourt adjusted to Heal’s departure.

Whitehead (12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds across 30 games) appeared in every game and developed into Sydney’s third-leading scorer, increasing his offensive contribution from his first season with the Kings while remaining a regular part of Black’s rotation.

Whitehead’s best game and highest-scoring performance came against eventual champion Melbourne at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on June 7, where he made 11-of-15 shots and finished with 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists as Sydney defeated the Tigers 124-117. Burton (29 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals) and Thomas (28 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) also produced huge games, overcoming Andrew Gaze’s 37 points, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists to give the Kings one of their strongest victories of the season.

Burton (20.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 3 steals across 30 games) led Sydney in scoring and steals while taking on greater responsibility running the offence, while Thomas (18.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals across 30 games) led the Kings in rebounding. Captain Bolden (11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds across 25 games) remained an important interior presence, while Trahair (11.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 steals across 22 games) initially struggled with the move from playing off the ball alongside Ricky Grace in Perth to becoming Sydney’s full-time point guard. Black eventually shifted Trahair back to the off-guard role and increased Burton’s playmaking responsibilities before a foot injury following the All-Star break ended Trahair’s season and kept him out of the final six games. Rosen (5.1 points across 26 games) moved into the starting lineup during August, Dickinson (10.8 points across 30 games) supplied additional perimeter scoring and Nielsen (9.9 points and 4.9 rebounds across 29 games) established himself in the rotation after returning from the AIS and was named NBL Rookie of the Year.

Sydney closed the season against Canberra at the AIS Arena on September 27, where Whitehead (14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal) played almost 40 minutes as the Cannons defeated the Kings 98-95. Burton (31 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 4 steals) and Thomas (25 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks) led Sydney, while Robert Rose (37 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists) narrowly missed a triple-double for Canberra. The loss was Sydney’s third in succession and left the Kings tenth with a 12-18 record, missing the playoffs.

1998
Sydney reshaped its roster after finishing 12-18 and missing the 1997 playoffs. Bill Tomlinson replaced Alan Black as head coach, while Isaac Burton (to Newcastle), Melvin Thomas (to Canberra), Cameron Dickinson (to Wollongong) and Ben Knight (to South East Melbourne) departed. Stephen Whitehead returned alongside captain Bruce Bolden, Aaron Trahair, Matthew Nielsen, Brad Rosen and Brad Williams, with Shane Heal (via Minnesota), Scott McGregor (via Newcastle), Matt Nover and Stephen Jackson among the major additions.

Heal returned after one season with the Minnesota Timberwolves despite having two years remaining on his NBA deal, citing limited playing time behind Stephon Marbury, the Minnesota weather and a calf injury shortly before the NBL season. Nover had reached the NCAA Final Four with Indiana and was also known for playing Ricky Roe in the movie Blue Chips, while 19-year-old Jackson became the youngest import signing in NBL history. Jackson had tied for the game-high 21 points at the 1996 McDonald’s All-American Game alongside a group containing Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O’Neal and Richard Hamilton, before being ruled academically ineligible at Arizona and selected 42nd overall by Phoenix in the 1997 NBA Draft. After failing to make the Suns roster, he began his professional career in Sydney.

The Kings opened at the AIS Arena on February 1, where Whitehead (8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) helped Sydney defeat Canberra 123-96. Trahair (35 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Heal (22 points, 7 rebounds, and 16 assists) led the Kings, while Mike McKay (25 points and 3 rebounds) was Canberra’s leading scorer. Jackson went scoreless in 3:42, becoming the first import in NBL history to fail to score on debut, but the victory launched Sydney into a 3-0 start.

Whitehead (7.4 points and 3 rebounds across 30 games) was one of only three Kings to appear in every game, although his offensive role was reduced considerably from the previous season when he had developed into Sydney’s third-leading scorer. His improved perimeter shooting remained useful, with Whitehead converting 31 three-pointers during the season after making 35 despite playing considerably more minutes in 1997.

Nover and Jackson combined for only 36 points across Sydney’s opening three games before Jackson broke his foot four appearances into his stint and was lost for the remainder of the season. Nover was released after seven games, with former King Dave Simmons and Evers Burns signed as import replacements. Simmons lasted six appearances before Sydney released him to make room for former North Carolina State point guard Kelsey Weems, allowing Heal and Trahair to spend more time at shooting guard. Kenny Payne failed to appear in a game and Bryan Caver played twice as the Kings cycled through seven imports during the year.

The repeated changes coincided with Sydney losing 10 of 12 games following its unbeaten start. Heal (20.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists across 29 games) led the Kings in scoring, while Nielsen (16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals across 28 games) continued his emergence as one of the team’s major pieces. Burns (16.5 points and 9.4 rebounds across 22 games) strengthened the frontcourt and Weems (20 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.5 steals across 12 games) produced immediately after arriving, with Trahair (13.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3 assists across 27 games) and McGregor (9.4 points and 5.3 rebounds across 30 games) providing further support.

Whitehead produced his standout and highest-scoring performance against North Melbourne at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on May 1, making 7-of-9 field goals, four three-pointers and all three free throws to finish with 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. Burns (33 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 steals) dominated inside and Weems (15 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals) directed the offence, while Ben Pepper (22 points, 16 rebounds, and 2 steals) led the Giants as Sydney held on for a 102-98 victory.

Sydney completed the season in Townsville on June 9, where Whitehead (1 point, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) played 12 minutes as the Kings defeated the Crocodiles 140-131. Nielsen (38 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Bolden (29 points and 8 rebounds) led Sydney, while Derek Rucker (26 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, and 3 steals) produced Townsville’s strongest all-around performance. The win was Sydney’s second in succession to finish the year, leaving the Kings eighth with a 13-17 record and outside the playoffs.

With the NBL moving from a winter to summer schedule immediately afterwards, Sydney did not re-sign Whitehead for 1998/99 and he continued his career in Austria with BSC BOHA Fürstenfeld.

2001/02
Whitehead did not play in the NBL for the next three seasons, but made a return in 2001, signing with the Kings for one last season. Whitehead averaged 5.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists as the Kings finished in eighth place with a record of 14-16.

Stephen Whitehead played eleven seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Melbourne Tigers and the Sydney Kings. He averaged 9.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 291 NBL games.