Australia men's national basketball team

Last updated

Australia
Australian boomers logo.png
FIBA ranking 5 Decrease2.svg 1 (1 March 2024) [1]
Joined FIBA 1947
FIBA zone FIBA Asia
National federation Basketball Australia
Coach Brian Goorjian
Nickname(s)Boomers
Olympic Games
Appearances16
MedalsBronze medal.svgBronze: (2020)
FIBA World Cup
Appearances 13
MedalsNone
FIBA Asia Cup
Appearances2
MedalsGold medal asia.svgGold: (2017, 2022)
FIBA Oceania Championship
Appearances21
MedalsGold medal Oceania.svgGold: (1971, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015)
Silver medal Oceania.svgSilver: (2001, 2009)
Kit body greenshoulders.png
Kit body basketball.svg
Kit shorts greensides.png
Kit shorts.svg
Home
Kit body yellowshoulders.png
Kit body basketball.svg
Kit shorts goldsides.png
Kit shorts.svg
Away
First international
Flag of Brazil (1889-1960).svg  Brazil 89–66 Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg
(Melbourne, Australia; 24 November 1956)
Biggest win
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 136–31 Tahiti  Flag of French Polynesia.svg
(Timaru, New Zealand; 31 August 1987)
Biggest defeat
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 113–73 Australia  Flag of Australia (converted).svg
(Saitama, Japan; 27 August 2006)

The Australia men's national basketball team, nicknamed the Boomers after the slang term for a male kangaroo, represents Australia in international basketball competition. [2]

Contents

Since the late 1980s, Australia has placed among the world elite teams, as the Boomers have reached the semi-finals at both Summer Olympic Games and FIBA World Cup on many occasions. Originally a member of the FIBA Oceania region, Australia nowadays competes at the FIBA Asia Cup where the Boomers were the dominant team at their first appearance. The FIBA Oceania Championship mostly consisted of a three-match competition against the other regional power, the New Zealand Tall Blacks. Before the formation of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1979, Boomers players were selected from state leagues around the country, with Victoria, South Australia, and to a lesser extent New South Wales the dominant states. After the formation of the NBL, players began to be selected almost exclusively from that competition during the 1980s and 1990s.

Occasionally players were selected from outside the NBL. Mark Bradtke made his Boomers debut in 1987 while attending the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) before he entered the NBL. Luc Longley made his debut in 1988 while playing college basketball in the United States. Other Australian players enter the Euroleague and the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the U.S. The Boomers's roster for the 2014 World Cup included five NBA players: Cameron Bairstow with the Chicago Bulls, Aron Baynes with the San Antonio Spurs, Matthew Dellavedova with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Dante Exum and Joe Ingles with the Utah Jazz. Three other players who were ruled out of the World Cup due to injury also played or would later play in the NBA, namely Andrew Bogut, Ben Simmons and Patty Mills.

Several players on youth national teams are student athletes at the AIS or in the US college basketball system. Some players (e.g. Longley) made the senior national team while at US schools. By the early 21st century, almost half of the squad played outside Australia. For the 2012 London Olympic Games, only two members of the Australian squad were based in the country – Peter Crawford and Adam Gibson, with the latter being the only Australia-based member of the 2014 World Cup squad.

Australia has participated in the Olympic men's basketball tournaments 15 times. The Boomers won a bronze medal against Slovenia in the 2020 Olympic Games, making Australia the first team from outside the Americas and European regions to ever win a medal at the event. Australia has also participated in 13 FIBA World Cups without winning a medal, making Australia the nation with the second-most appearances at the tournament without winning a medal, behind Puerto Rico (15).

History

Pre-1970s

Australia debuted on the international stage at the 1956 Summer Olympic Games held in Melbourne. Australia did not fare well in the competition, as they defeated only two sides (Singapore and Thailand), finishing 12th. The seeds were sown for Australia to become a regular team in international events. [3]

After not qualifying for the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome, Italy, Australia returned to compete at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. The Australians improved on their position in Melbourne, to be ranked ninth at the completion of the games. [3] After failing in their bid to qualify for the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, the Australians were left in international isolation.[ citation needed ]

1970–80s

They did not play again in a major international tournament until 1970, when the team qualified for the FIBA World Championship for the first time. The team finished in 12th place, with their sole victory coming over the United Arab Republic. [3]

At the 1972 Munich Olympic Games Australia changed its guards. Lindsay Gaze made his coaching debut, after he had played at the 1964 Summer Olympics. [4] Australia again finished ninth, but close defeats to Czechoslovakia and Spain left the team just a few baskets away from advancing to the second round. Eddie Palubinskas was the holder of the second highest scoring average of the tournament. [3]

At the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, Eddie Palubinskas finished as the top overall scorer, and set three Olympic scoring records, including the most points scored in a single Olympics to that time, with 269 points. The Boomers defeated Mexico, 120–117, in an overtime game, and defeated Japan, 117–79, as they moved to the second round of the tournament for the first time, on their way to an eighth-place finish. [3]

In 1978, the Boomers headed to the Philippines for the 1978 FIBA World Championship. Australia played their most successful tournament to that time, defeating Czechoslovakia, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines (twice), and playing eventual gold medallist Yugoslavia, losing 105–101. The Boomers advanced to the semi-final round, and placed seventh. [3]

In the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, the Boomers played their best Olympic tournament to that date, equalling their 1976 finish of eighth place. The Boomers defeated eventual silver medallist Italy, 84–77, in the preliminary round, but due to a three-way tie with Italy and Cuba, the team failed to advance to the final round, despite 5 wins and 2 losses.

Two years later, the 1982 FIBA World Championship was held in Colombia. The Australians finished in fifth place.

The Boomers were captained at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games by Phil Smyth, and introduced coach Lindsay Gaze’s 19-year-old son, Andrew Gaze, to the world stage. Australia advanced to the second round, following victories over Brazil and West Germany. A loss to Italy, and a 16-point win over Egypt, left the Boomers in a must-win situation against Spain, to advance to the medal round. Spain went up big early in the first half, but the Boomers fought back, ultimately losing by a score of 101–93, ending their medal hopes with an Olympic best seventh-place finish.

Following the 1984 Olympics, Adrian Hurley took over as team coach from Lindsay Gaze.

The 1986 FIBA World Championship was a bit disappointing for Australia. Losses to Uruguay, Angola, and the Soviet Union during group play kept the Boomers from advancing, and the team finished 17th. Due to a FIBA rule allowing one naturalised player per squad at the World Championship, American born point guard Cal Bruton made his Boomers debut at the age of 32.

In 1987, the Boomers faced a home series against the Soviet Union (known as the Wang Superchallenge) and although they lost all 6 games, the team, with all players drawn from the NBL other than Australian Institute of Sport attendee, 6'10" (208 cm) centre / power forward Mark Bradtke who was making his debut for the Boomers as a 17 year old (Bradtke would make his NBL debut in 1988 with the Adelaide 36ers). [2]

Motivated by the 1986 FIBA World Championship, Australia showed up to the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games with quite possibly its most talented roster to that date. Captained by Phil Smyth, the team included Andrew Gaze, Damian Keogh, Darryl Pearce, Ray Borner, and future Chicago Bulls triple NBA Championship winning centre, 7'2" (218 cm) Luc Longley who was attending the University of New Mexico. The Boomers breezed through the first round, losing only to gold medallist Soviet Union and silver medallist Yugoslavia. Finishing third place in their group, Australia advanced to the quarter-finals, where they defeated Spain in a closely fought game, by a score of 77–74, sending the Boomers to their first ever semi-finals. They were beaten by Yugoslavia in the semi-final, and then lost to the United States (including future Hall of Fame player David Robinson), who ended Australia’s dream run with a 78–49 victory in the bronze-medal playoff. Despite the disappointing loss, the Boomers’ fourth-place finish was their best ever result at an Olympic Games (or World Championship) and solidified their status as a rising team.

1990s: Gaze, Heal and Longley

Australia flew off to Buenos Aires for the 1990 FIBA World Championship. Led by Andrew Gaze’s 24.3 points per game, fourth most in the tournament, the team defeated China, Brazil and Argentina (twice) on their way to a respectable seventh-place finish.

At the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, the Boomers looked to prove their fourth-place run at Seoul was no fluke. In the first Summer Olympic Games since the Soviet Union’s dissolution, and the first that FIBA allowed professional basketball players to play in, Australia played to a respectable 4–4 record and sixth place. The 1992 Olympics saw the return of NBA center Luc Longley for the Boomers.

Prior to the 1992 Olympics, the Boomers played in a 3-game home series against a visiting "All-Star" team headlined by NBA and NCAA college basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Boomers won the series 2–1, including attracting a then Australian basketball record 15,000 fans to the National Tennis Centre in Melbourne. The Boomers also played in the 1992 NBL All-Star Game at the AIS Arena in Canberra against the "USA Stars" (made up of import players in the NBL) which was played on 4 July and was promoted as the "Independence Day Challenge". The Boomers won the game 149–132 with Andrew Gaze scoring 43 points. [5]

At the 1994 FIBA World Championship at Toronto, Andrew Gaze starred for the Boomers, leading the tournament with an average of 23.9 points per game. In victories over Puerto Rico, South Korea, and Cuba, Gaze scored 34, 31, and 30 points, respectively. Australia finished with a 5–3 record, and finished the tournament in fifth place. This was Phil Smyth’s last World Championship appearance as a player

Smyth, the teams long-time captain and point guard would play one last time for the Boomers in March 1995 in Game 4 of a 5-game series against the touring Magic Johnson All-Stars in front of a packed house (12,000) at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. The Boomers lost in both Adelaide and Brisbane and were ultimately swept 5–0 by the All-Stars (who included former NBA stars Magic Johnson and Mark Aguirre), they pushed the visitors all the way in Game 3 at the National Tennis Centre, while Games 4 (Sydney) and 5 (Perth Entertainment Centre) went into overtime. The series however saw the Boomers without 4 of their usual starting 5 with only Andrew Vlahov who captained the side playing all 5 games. Missing for the Boomers were Andrew Gaze (playing in Greece), Shane Heal, Mark Bradtke and Luc Longley who was playing for the Chicago Bulls.

The 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games were another solid showing for Australia. Led by Andrew Gaze, and featuring Shane Heal, the team rolled through the early competition, losing only to eventual silver medallist Yugoslavia, and scoring over 100 points in every other preliminary game. In the quarterfinals, the Boomers played a hard fought game against Croatia. The game came down to the wire, as forward Tony Ronaldson hit a 3-pointer to win the game, and advance Australia to the semi-finals. There they met the United States, who were powered by a roster of professional NBA players, and the Boomers were defeated 101–73. Lithuania would defeat Australia in the bronze medal game, and the Boomers equalled their 1988 fourth-place finish.

Just prior to the 1996 Olympics, the Boomers played the USA in a warm up game. The game, played at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, was won 118–77 by the USA, though Heal topped all scorers with 28 points including hitting 8 of 12 three pointers. Heal had a running battle with NBA superstar Charles Barkley during the game with the two almost coming to blows at one point, though they hugged in mutual respect on-court after the game. [6]

Following their exciting run at Atlanta, the Boomers showed up in Greece, for the 1998 FIBA World Championship with high hopes. Shane Heal and Andrew Gaze both finished among the top five scorers, with averages of 17.0 and 16.9 points per game, respectively; but a loss to the United States knocked Australia out of medal contention. The Boomers finished the tournament respectably with wins over Canada and Brazil, and walked away with ninth place.

2000s: Sydney Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Bogut

Andrew Bogut Andrew Bogut with the ball.jpg
Andrew Bogut

The 2000 Summer Olympic Games projected to be an extremely exciting affair for the Boomers, as they played as host in Sydney. Despite losses in both of their first two games, Australia recovered nicely, and won their next four games over Russia, Angola, and Spain, to propel them into the quarter-finals, where they defeated Italy. But Australia’s first basketball medal was not to be, as France won the semi-final match, and Lithuania captured the bronze medal game. Although their goal of medalling was not achieved, the Boomers gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about, on their way to a fourth-place finish.

After failing to qualify for the 2002 FIBA World Championship, the Boomers came into the 2004 Athens Olympic Games hungry for victory. Captained by Shane Heal, and featuring future NBA Draft first pick Andrew Bogut in his international debut, Australia fought hard on their way to a ninth-place finish.

In early 2006, Australia entered the first ever Commonwealth Games basketball competition in their home city of Melbourne and went through the tournament undefeated to claim the gold medal. Later in 2006 at the FIBA World Championship in Japan, Australia was led in scoring by Andrew Bogut, C.J. Bruton, and Jason Smith. Despite their efforts, the Boomers failed to qualify for the playoff rounds, and finished tied for ninth place.

The Boomers entered the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with one of their more talented rosters to date, which included Andrew Bogut, C.J. Bruton, Captain Matthew Nielsen, and Patty Mills, in his international debut. Despite his youth, Mills had a hot hand, scoring over 20 points on several occasions, and leading the team with an average of 14.2 points per game. Australia made the quarter-finals, but gold medallists United States put the Boomers away late in the game, ending their run with a seventh-place finish.

2010s: Additional NBA players

Team Australia at the 2014 FIBA World Cup before beating Lithuania 82-75. Team Australia 2014.jpeg
Team Australia at the 2014 FIBA World Cup before beating Lithuania 82–75.

The Boomers qualified for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey and placed 10th overall. In 2011, Melbourne-born number one NBA draft pick Kyrie Irving considered declaring his international allegiance to Australia in order to compete in the 2012 Olympics, but eventually opted to wait for international selection for the United States. [7]

Despite Irving declining the offer to represent his country of birth, the Boomers entered the 2012 London Olympic Games with arguably their most talented roster since 2000, though they were missing their star centre Andrew Bogut, who was out with a broken ankle. Australia made the quarter-finals with a 3–2 win–loss record, but gold medallists United States put the Boomers away late in the game, ending their run with a seventh-place finish again.

Following the London Olympics, Brett Brown announced his decision to step down as Boomers head coach, citing his desire to spend more time with his family in the United States. As of December 2012, Basketball Australia was yet to announce his replacement, although one of his assistants, dual National Basketball League championship winning coach with the New Zealand Breakers, Andrej Lemanis, was one of the favourites to win the job. [8]

On 24 April 2013, Lemanis was announced as the new head coach of the Boomers. [9] [10] [11]

By winning the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship, Australia qualified for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. Australia was drawn into Group D, alongside Lithuania, Slovenia, Angola, Mexico, and South Korea. After suffering an opening round 90–80 loss to Slovenia, Australia bounced back, stringing together three consecutive wins over South Korea, Lithuania and Mexico, the first time in 16 years that Australia had won 3 consecutive matches at the FIBA World Cup. [12] [13] However, in their next match Australia suffered a 91–83 loss to Angola, which came despite leading by 15 points in the middle of the third quarter. This result, combined with Lithuania's 67–64 win over Slovenia, meant that Australia finished third in their group, qualifying for the knockout stage of the tournament.

Australia's top-five NBA draft picks

Because Australia would finish third by losing, and that finishing third would benefit Australia more than finishing second, combined with the absences of fit key players Aron Baynes and Joe Ingles led to allegations that Australia deliberately lost their game against Angola in order to finish third in their group, and as a result, avoid the United States until the semi-finals, with Slovenian basketballer Goran Dragić posting "Basketball is a beautiful sport, there is no room for fixing the game like today Australia vs Angola!! @FIBA should do something about that!" on Twitter. However, these claims were denied by Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis. [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] On 26 November 2014, Australia was cleared of tanking by FIBA. [21] [22] [23] [24]

Australia met World No. 7 Turkey in the knockout stage of the tournament. Australia suffered a 65–64 loss to Turkey, ending their World Cup campaign, meaning that for the 11th World Cup, Australia would return home empty handed.

Leading into the 2016 Rio Olympics, Australia saw a surge in locals being drafted into the NBA. Along with former number 1 NBA draft pick Andrew Bogut, Dante Exum was taken with the fifth pick in the 2014 NBA draft and Ben Simmons was selected with the first pick in the 2016 NBA draft, adding to already established Australian NBA players in Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova, Joe Ingles and Aron Baynes. Forward Thon Maker was also drafted with the 10th pick in the 2016 NBA draft. Despite Exum, Maker and Simmons electing not to compete in the 2016 Olympics, the Australians equaled their best ever performance by reaching the semifinals and losing their bronze medal playoff with Spain by one point.

2017: Move into Asian basketball

In August 2015, FIBA announced Australia would be joining the Asian basketball zone for future tournaments, starting with the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup. [25] The Boomers were victorious in their inaugural Asia Cup appearance [26] and turned their attention to 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers against Asian opposition. In July 2018, during the 3rd quarter of their game against the Philippines for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification (Asia), Filipino player Roger Pogoy hit Chris Goulding with a hard foul causing teammate Daniel Kickert to retaliate with an elbow strike which sparked a full-scale brawl between the Australians and the Filipinos. [27] Suspensions and fines were handed off to those involved including players from both teams, Filipino coaches and the referees for failing to control the game. [28] After qualifying for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Australia reached the semi-finals for the first time and finished the tournament in fourth place. [29]

2020s: Olympic breakthrough and more NBA players

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, led by veterans Patty Mills and Joe Ingles, the Boomers managed to claim their first ever international medal, defeating a Luka Dončić led Slovenia, 107–93. Mills would score 42 points in the decisive match. [30] The Boomers went through the group stage undefeated, and Mills would be named to the tournament All-Star 5. [31] Additional Australian player were drafted into the NBA with first round draft picks including 2019 pick 20 Matisse Thybulle, 2020 pick 18 Josh Green, 2021 pick 6 Josh Giddey and 2022 pick 8 Dyson Daniels.

Records

Andrew Gaze holds the record for most appearances with the Boomers at 297 international games. [32] Gaze also holds the record for the most points scored by a Boomer.

The Australian National Basketball Team defeated the United States Team 98–94 in Melbourne, 24 August 2019, for the first time.

Competitive record

A red box around the year indicates tournaments played within Australia

Olympic Games

Summer Olympic Games record
YearRoundPositionPldWL
Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg 1936 Did not participate
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 1948
Flag of Finland.svg 1952
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 1956 Playoff12th725
Flag of Italy.svg 1960 Did not participate
Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg 1964 Playoff9th945
Flag of Mexico.svg 1968 Did not participate
Flag of Germany.svg 1972 Playoff9th954
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg 1976 Quarter-finals8th725
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg 1980 Quarter-finals8th752
Flag of the United States.svg 1984 Quarter-finals7th844
Flag of South Korea (1984-1997).svg 1988 Semi-finals4th844
Flag of Spain.svg 1992 Quarter-finals6th844
Flag of the United States.svg 1996 Semi-finals4th853
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2000 Semi-finals4th844
Flag of Greece.svg 2004 Playoff9th624
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2008 Quarter-finals7th633
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 2012 Quarter-finals7th633
Flag of Brazil.svg 2016 Semi-finals4th853
Flag of Japan.svg 2020 Semi-finals3rd651
Flag of France.svg 2024 Quarter-finals6th413
Total0 Titles16/211155857

FIBA World Cup

NB: This competition was known as the FIBA World Championship through the 2010 edition.

FIBA World Cup record
YearRoundPositionPldWL
Flag of Argentina.svg 1950 Did not participate
Flag of Brazil (1889-1960).svg 1954
Flag of Chile.svg 1959
Flag of Brazil (1960-1968).svg 1963
Flag of Uruguay.svg 1967
Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg 1970 Playoff12th817
Flag of Puerto Rico (1952-1995).svg 1974 Playoff12th725
Flag of the Philippines (navy blue).svg 1978 Quarter-finals7th1046
Flag of Colombia.svg 1982 Quarter-finals5th844
Flag of Spain.svg 1986 Playoff17th523
Flag of Argentina.svg 1990 Quarter-finals7th844
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg 1994 Quarter-finals5th853
Flag of Greece.svg 1998 Playoff9th853
Flag of the United States.svg 2002 Did not qualify
Flag of Japan.svg 2006 Playoff13th624
Flag of Turkey.svg 2010 Playoff10th633
Flag of Spain.svg 2014 Round of 1612th633
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2019 Semi-finals4th862
Flag of the Philippines.svg Flag of Japan.svg Flag of Indonesia.svg 2023 Second round10th532
Flag of Qatar.svg 2027 To be determined
Total0 Titles13/19934449

FIBA Asia Cup

FIBA Asia Cup record
YearRoundPositionPldWL
19602015 Not a FIBA Asia member
Flag of Lebanon.svg 2017 Champions1st660
Flag of Indonesia.svg 2022 Champions1st660
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg 2025 To be determined
Total2 Titles2/312120

FIBA Oceania Championship

FIBA Oceania Championship record
YearRoundPositionPldWL
Flag of New Zealand.svg 1971 Champions1st330
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 1975 Champions1st330
Flag of New Zealand.svg 1978 Champions1st321
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 1979 Champions1st330
Flag of New Zealand.svg 1981 Champions1st220
Flag of New Zealand.svg 1983 Champions1st220
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 1985 Champions1st330
Flag of New Zealand.svg 1987 Champions1st330
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 1989 Champions1st220
Flag of New Zealand.svg 1991 Champions1st220
Flag of New Zealand.svg 1993 Champions1st330
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 1995 Champions1st330
Flag of New Zealand.svg 1997 Champions1st330
Flag of New Zealand.svg 1999 Did not participate
Flag of New Zealand.svg 2001 Runner-up2nd312
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2003 Champions1st330
Flag of New Zealand.svg 2005 Champions1st330
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2007 Champions1st321
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Flag of New Zealand.svg 2009 Runner-up2nd211
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2011 Champions1st330
Flag of New Zealand.svg Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2013 Champions1st220
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Flag of New Zealand.svg 2015 Champions1st220
Total19 Titles21/2256515

FIBA Diamond Ball

FIBA Diamond Ball record
YearRoundPositionPldWL
Flag of Hong Kong.svg 2000 Champions1st330
Flag of Yugoslavia (1992-2003); Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006).svg 2004 Playoff5th312
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2008 Runner-up2nd321
Total1 Title3/3963

FIBA Stanković Cup

FIBA Stanković Cup record
YearRoundPositionPldWL
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2005 Third place3rd532
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2006 Playoff6th303
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2007 Did not participate
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2008
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2009 Champions1st440
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2010 Runner-up2nd431
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2011 Runner-up2nd422
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2012 Runner-up2nd413
Total1 Title5/720128

Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games record
YearRoundPositionPldWL
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2006 Champions1st550
Flag of Australia (converted).svg 2018 Champions1st550
Total2 Titles2/210100

General results

Team

Current roster

Roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics.

A 22-player roster was announced on 10 April 2024. [33] It was cut to 17 players on 16 May. [34] The final squad was finalized on 5 July. [35]

Australia men's national basketball team – 2024 Summer Olympics roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.NameAge – Date of birthHeightClubCtr.
PG 1 Dyson Daniels 21 – (2003-03-17)17 March 20032.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Atlanta Hawks Flag of the United States.svg
G 3 Josh Giddey 21 – (2002-10-10)10 October 20022.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Chicago Bulls Flag of the United States.svg
G 5 Patty Mills  (C)35 – (1988-08-11)11 August 19881.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Miami Heat Flag of the United States.svg
G/F 6 Josh Green 23 – (2000-11-16)16 November 20002.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Charlotte Hornets Flag of the United States.svg
SF 7 Joe Ingles 36 – (1987-10-02)2 October 19872.06 m (6 ft 9 in) Minnesota Timberwolves Flag of the United States.svg
G 8 Matthew Dellavedova 33 – (1990-09-08)8 September 19901.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Melbourne United Flag of Australia (converted).svg
G 11 Dante Exum 29 – (1995-07-13)13 July 19951.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Dallas Mavericks Flag of the United States.svg
C 13 Jock Landale 28 – (1995-10-25)25 October 19952.11 m (6 ft 11 in) Houston Rockets Flag of the United States.svg
PF 15 Nick Kay 31 – (1992-08-03)3 August 19922.06 m (6 ft 9 in) Shimane Susanoo Magic Flag of Japan.svg
SF 17 Jack McVeigh 28 – (1996-06-26)26 June 19962.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Houston Rockets Flag of the United States.svg
C 22 Will Magnay 26 – (1998-06-10)10 June 19982.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Tasmania JackJumpers Flag of Australia (converted).svg
C 26 Duop Reath 28 – (1996-06-26)26 June 19962.11 m (6 ft 11 in) Portland Trail Blazers Flag of the United States.svg
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club – describes last
    club before the tournament
  • Age – describes age
    on 27 July 2024

Notable players

Andris Blicavs

Head coach position

See also

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Brad Newley is an Australian professional basketball player for the Frankston Blues of the NBL1 South. After starting his career in Australia, playing for the Australian Institute of Sport and the Townsville Crocodiles, Newley was drafted 54th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2007 NBA draft. He never played in the NBA and instead carved out a career in Europe, playing in Greece, Turkey, Lithuania, and Spain between 2007 and 2016. Between 2016 and 2024, he played in the National Basketball League (NBL) for the Sydney Kings and Melbourne United.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basketball in Australia</span> Overview of basketball in Australia

Basketball is a sport played both indoors and outdoors in Australia. Basketball is the number two sport globally with over 200 countries participating and over 450 million players. According to research by Sweeney Sports, one in three Australians has an interest in basketball. Furthermore, basketball is played by approximately one million men, women, boys, and girls throughout Australia. According to Basketball Australia, as of March 2014, basketball is the second highest team participation sport in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Andersen</span> Australian basketball player (born 1980)

David Emil Andersen is an Australian-Danish former professional basketball player. One of Australia's most experienced and successful players, Andersen won 12 league championships abroad and played in Italy, Russia, Spain, Turkey and France. He also played in the NBA, spending two years in the league between 2009 and 2011. In 2018 and 2021, he won championships with Melbourne United in the National Basketball League (NBL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patty Mills</span> Australian basketball player (born 1988)

Patrick Sammie Mills is an Australian professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mills was born and raised in Canberra, and is of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal Australian descent. In 2007, he became the third Indigenous basketball player to play for the Australian national team. Mills was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 55th overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft after playing two years of college basketball for the Saint Mary's Gaels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Brown</span> American professional basketball coach

Brett William Brown is an American professional basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Brown is a former college basketball player who previously served as head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers from 2013 to 2020. Before that, Brown was an assistant on Gregg Popovich's staff on the Spurs. He also has extensive experience coaching in Australia, having been the head coach of the North Melbourne Giants and Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL).

Martin Clarke is an Australian former professional basketball player and coach. He is the former head coach of the National Basketball League's Adelaide 36ers and was an assistant coach of the Australian Boomers at the 2012 London Olympics. In 2018, Clarke was hired as the director of the NBA Global Academy at the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence in Canberra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Broekhoff</span> Australian basketball player

Ryan Broekhoff is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Valparaiso Crusaders, where he was named an All-American in 2012. He represented the Australian Boomers on multiple occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrej Lemanis</span> Latvian Australian basketball player and coach

Andrej Lemanis is a Latvian-Australian professional basketball coach and former player. Lemanis served as the head coach of Australia national team from 2013 to 2019. Lemanis coached the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League from 2005 to 2013, taking them to three consecutive championship titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013. He was awarded the NBL Coach of the Year award in 2012 and 2013. Lemanis was the head coach of the Brisbane Bullets of the NBL from 2016 to 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameron Bairstow</span> Australian basketball player (born 1990)

Cameron David Bairstow is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of New Mexico before being drafted 49th overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. He spent two seasons with the Bulls before playing five of next six years in the National Basketball League (NBL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Kay</span> Australian basketball player (born 1992)

Nicholas Colin Kay is an Australian professional basketball player for Shimane Susanoo Magic of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the Metro State Roadrunners before beginning his professional career in the National Basketball League (NBL). He won two NBL championships with the Perth Wildcats in 2019 and 2020. He also won a New Zealand NBL championship and league MVP honours with the Wellington Saints in 2019. In 2021, he won a bronze medal with the Australian national team at the Tokyo Olympics.

The 2018–19 NBL season was the 41st season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams have contested the league. The regular season had been played between October 2018 and February 2019, followed by a post-season featuring the top four in March 2019.

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