Australia Men's National Basketball Team

Bio

The Australia men’s national basketball team, commonly known as the Boomers, began playing basketball matches on the global stage in 1956 at the Summer Olympic Games which were held in Melbourne.

Throughout their basketball journey, Australia has appeared in 13 FIBA World Cup championships and made their NBA debut in the 2014 World Cup with their five NBA players which include Cameron Bairstow, Aron Baynes, Matthew Dellavedova, Dante Exum and Joe Ingles. In addition to this, the Australian men’s national basketball team has played in Olympic men’s basketball tournaments 15 times and won a bronze medal in a game against Slovenia in 2020.

History

The Australian Basketball Federation was established in 1939 and constituted in 1949. The Boomers initially faced many challenges in establishing themselves on an international stage. However, their dedication and struggle paid off when they made their first Olympic debut in Melbourne in 1956. This marked their ascent to becoming a force to be reckoned with in global basketball championships.

Over the years, the team improved and generated several standout players who made enormous contributions to the game. One of their breakthrough moments came in 2000 when they finished fourth in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. This game showed their potential and earned them respect from the basketball world. Since then, the Australian men’s basketball team has continued to excel in international competitions, actively qualifying for the Olympics and FIBA World championships.

Legends

Andrew Bogut

A former basketball participant, now working as a professional basketball instructor, Andrew Michael Bogut is one of the greatest players in the Australian men’s basketball team. Having an average of 9.4 points and 7 rebounds in regular season games, Bogut started his NBA career in 2005 and is the greatest Australian NBA participant having performed in 15 regular seasons of the NBA. Throughout his basketball career, he has acquired many awards which include the NBA Championship title in 2015 and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.

Luc Longley

Lucien James Longley is an Australian basketball coach and a former basketball participant. He became the first player from Australia to play in the NBA. During his NBA career, Longley performed for four different NBA teams over 10 regular seasons. His most wealthy time in his basketball journey was with the Chicago Bulls where he gained three championships titles from 1996 to 1998. In addition to this, Longley also represented Australia in 3 Olympic Games in 1988, 1992 and 2000.

Andrew Gaze

Andrew Barry Casson Gaze is a former Australian basketball player. At present, he is working as a basketball instructor for the Melbourne Tigers. Gaze spent 22 seasons, from 1984 to 2005, in the National Basketball League with the Melbourne Tigers. During this time, he won the league’s MVP award seven times. Gaze was considered one of the finest basketball players that Australia has ever produced.

Shane Heal

Australian basketball coach Shane Douglas Heal played basketball professionally and represented Australia in many basketball championships. Some of those occasions include the 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. In addition to this, he has represented Australia in several FIBA World Cup championships. A warm-up match for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta against the USA ``Dream Team” was considered the best match of Shane’s basketball career.

Patty Mills

Patrick Sammie Mills is a professional basketball player from Australia who plays for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He started his NBA career in 2009 after being selected by the Portland Trail Blazers. Mills was named the third Indigenous player to play for Australia. Throughout his basketball profession, he has received many awards for his impressive performance including the NBA Champion, Gaze Medals, First-Team All WCC and WCC Newcomer of the Year.

Head Coach

Brian Warwick Goorjian is a former basketball player who is now serving as the head trainer of the Australian men’s basketball team. After completing college, Goorjian started playing for the Melbourne Tigers. He first came to Australia for a basketball match in 1977 where he played under the head coach Lindsay Greece. Later, in 1984, he also became the inaugural captain of the National Basketball League.

Goorjian started his coaching career in 1988 when he became the head coach of the Eastside Spectres. After that, he continued his coaching journey with several basketball teams including Victoria Titans, Sydney Kings, South Dragons, and Dongguan Leopards. In his coaching career of over 20 years, he has won around six championships.

Championships

Since the late 1980s, the Australian men’s national basketball team has been placed among the pinnacle basketball teams around the globe as this team have played semi-finals at both the Summer Olympic Games and the FIBA World Cup on several occasions. The Boomers have performed in 21 FIBA Oceania Championships and have won Gold medals in 19 games (1971, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015) and two Bronze medals (2001, 2009).

In addition to this, this team has participated in thirteen FIBA World Cups and 15 Olympic Games. The Australian men’s national basketball team earned a Bronze medal in the Olympic games in 2020. This team was led by coaches like Lindsay Gaze, Adrian Hurley, Barry Barnes, Phil Smyth, Brian Goorjian, Brett Brown, Andrej Lemanis, Brett Brown, Will Weaver, Brian Goorjian, and Rob Beveridge. The team’s great performance under the guidance of such a talented coaching staff has left spectators in awe.

Roster (2024 Olympics)

Record- Last 10 Years

Summer Olympics

FIBA World Cup

Commonwealth Games