SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Delly predicts NBA golden era for Aussies

Matthew Dellavedova says it is an exciting time to be an Australian playing in the lucrative NBA with a deep pool of talent.

3 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

Matthew Dellavedova believes Australian basketball is on the cusp of a golden era with a record 11 players on NBA rosters this season.

With Victoria's Mitch Creek signing a non-guaranteed deal with the Brooklyn Nets, a mammoth Australian contingent will feature in the upcoming NBA season - headlined by Philadelphia 76ers superstar Ben Simmons.

Former NBA Championship winner Dellavedova says the sky is the limit for his countrymen, with the season kicking off in October.

"It's an awesome time to be an Australian involved in basketball over here because there are so many exciting players coming through," Milwaukee Bucks guard Dellavedova told AAP.

"Obviously, Ben is the biggest name of them all but you've also got Jonah Bolden joining him at the Sixers, Thon (Maker) with me at Milwaukee and Dante (Exum) back healthy again."

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Point guard Simmons starred in his first season in the NBA, smashing a series of records while leading the 76ers to the Eastern Conference semi-finals and himself to Rookie of The Year award.

Having battled through injuries since the Utah Jazz drafted Exum with the fifth overall pick in 2014, the talented point guard recently agreed to a three-year, $US33-million contract extension.

While fellow Australian Aron Baynes recently signed a two-year, $US11-million deal to remain at the Boston Celtics, Dellavedova is particularly excited with Melbourne's Ryan Broekhoff landing at the Dallas Mavericks from Europe.

"I'm really excited for Ryan Broekhoff to get his chance with Dallas," Dellavedova said.

"He's a guy that's good enough to play in the NBA and has been for a number of years."

Dellavedova attributed the NBA invasion to the Australian Institute of Sport's basketball program.

"I think a big reason for it is the AIS; the Centre of Excellence is an unbelievable facility," he said.

"A lot of us have come through there and I think that's the foundation of my success and I would say a lot of other guys, too."

Australians on NBA teams for the 2018/19 regular season are: Ben Simmons, Jonah Bolden (Philadelphia 76ers); Aron Baynes (Boston Celtics); Joe Ingles, Dante Exum (Utah Jazz); Matthew Dellavedova, Thon Maker (Milwaukee Bucks); Ryan Broekhoff (Dallas Mavericks); Patty Mills (San Antonio Spurs); Mitch Creek (Brooklyn Nets); Deng Adel (Toronto Raptors).


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world