As Andrew Gaze takes a seat at the top of the Sydney Kings' bench for their historic game against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, he might take a moment to ponder what might have been.
Gaze, the Australian basketball great, had brief stints playing for the San Antonio Spurs and Washington Bullets in the 1990s but soon returned home to finish his career in the NBL with his beloved Melbourne Tigers.
Today, eight Australians are on NBA teams.
Joe Ingles and Patty Mills just signed four-year $US50 million contracts and Matthew Dellavedova is in the second year of his $US38 million deal.
Gaze would likely command a similar deal if his legs were not 52-years-old as NBA teams, unlike the 1990s, are not only more accepting of international players but aggressively seek talent worldwide.
Three-point assassins like Gaze who can stretch defences are particularly prized.
"It was a different era," Gaze, when asked why he was unable to forge a prolonged NBA career like Australia's current crop, told AAP from the Kings' Utah hotel.
"In the early 90s there were very, very few international players playing in the NBA and now we have a contingent of Australians and a high percentage of the league are international players.
"It's a vastly different landscape today."
The Jazz will host the Kings in the recently upgraded 20,000-seat Vivint Smart Home Arena on Monday (Tuesday midday AEDT) in an historic clash - the first between an NBA and NBL team in the US.
The Jazz ironically have the NBA's most international team with nine non-US players including Ingles and another Australian, Dante Exum.
Gaze is loving the next chapter of his career as head coach of the Kings and says he will be coaching his heavy underdog team to win against the Jazz.
The team's wider focus, however, is the NBL season and their opening clash against the Adelaide 36ers next Saturday.
"Ultimately we will be judged on the win/loss record on what we do in the NBL and not specifically how we do in this particular game," Gaze said.
Gaze did not score that multi-year mega NBA contract as a player, but as the Indiana Pacers showed when they invited him to coach their Summer League team in June it would not be a stretch to think he could return to the NBA as an assistant coach.
"No," Gaze replied when asked if becoming an NBA coach was a personal goal.
"I figure that is not on the radar or something I'm working towards, but who knows.
"In the future you never know, but right now it is not any sort of consideration whatsoever."
Share
