Basketball is made up of the National Basketball League (NBL) and Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) and then you have the second level leagues, a bit like the British football Championship league. It contains the Big V, NBL1 Central, NBL1 East, NBL1 North, NBL1 South, NBL 1 West in both leagues respectively.  Then there is also the men’s wheelchair league (NWBL), the Women’s Wheelchair League (WNWBL), the Waratah League, OBL, SBL, SA Premier League, ACT Premier League.  It’s reported to be around 89 teams just in the Men’s NBL alone. 

Basketball Australia primarily manages the sport.  It manages 15 national teams which compete in the Olympics and Paralympic games and FIBA world championships.

Today we look at the movers and shakers in the game across the country.  These are not the pundit’s favourite; these are the real fans favourite and if your top player is not listed among them, it’s probably because we didn’t have room to cram in all these quality hoops players but feel free to add yours in the comment section below.

Bryce Cotton.

30-year-old Bryce hails from Tucson, Arizona in the USA.  Bryce entered the scene at the start of 2017 with the Wildcats and has gone on to scoring records after records even scoring 32 points in the November 17th game against Southeast Melbourne Phoenix.  There is no doubt that Bryce will continue to dominate the scenes at this rate as he is very comfortable in Perth with his family.

Xavier Cooks

This Australian International is a firm favourite among basketball fans around the world.  This could be due to the fact that he has played around the world; USA, France, Germany and not least New Zealand of all towns.  Cooks joined his current team Sydney Kings back in 2017 and earn’t Grand Final MVP honours when he helped Kings to win the NBL Championship in 2022.  Expect more from this 6ft 8 inches as he continues to impress the pundits.

 Aron Baynes 

This giant of a man has had a colourful career and certainly beats Xavier Cooks on world touring; 4 European clubs and 6 NBA clubs.  Baynes only signed this year but its proven to be a real catch for the Brisbane Bullets. Had it not been for persistent injuries Baynes could have been well on his way back to the NBA as he appears to have expressed that desire already so we should all count ourselves lucky to still have him around.

Rayjon Tucker

25 year old Rayjon is another fine Australian import.  His glittery career includes the Philadelphia 76ers and only joined Melbourne United this year.  As a shooting guard, Tucker has impressed the pundits on his rebound points and steal points per game.  It’s to early to know if Rayjon will settle in Australia but we’re sure that United fans will be praying for this already.

Mitch Creek

Mighty Mitch is an Australian national attached to Southeast Melbourne Phoenix (SEM Phoenix) since 2019 after a spell in the NBA.   Following a few turbulent spells both on and off the pitch.  Creek appears to be raising his game of late and has recently completed 300 games as an NBL player.  Does Mitchell have a point to prove? Maybe, but he has always been known to be a hard worker and hard work pays off.

 Lauren Jackson 

When it comes to legends, all roads lead to Lauren Jackson. This Australian icon is so great that we couldn’t fit all her achievements into one short article; most valuable player award (MVP), All Star, Hall of Fame, Rebounding Champion, Peak Performer, these are but a few of the awards accoladed to Loz.  LJ as she is also known by, made it to the National side at just 14 years of age and has been awarded the Australian International Player of the Year a whopping 3 times, flag bearer for Australia in the 2012 London Olympic Games and awarded Officer of the Order of Australia in 2015.  Jacko recently retired but she came out of retirement this year to play for the Albury Wodonga Bandits in NBL1 East.  Playing for a team whose stadium is named after you has to be on the bucket list for all pro athletes.

Other past and present stars to mention:

Robert Loe

Robert Loe is heading into his sixth season as a centre for the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL.

Justin Geaney

Justin Geaney played 51 games in the Southern Basketball Association.

Ray Borner

Ray Borner OAM is a former NBL player, 4-time Olympic basketball competitor and Australian Basketball Hall of Famer.

Penny Taylor

Penny Taylor is a 3-time WNBA champion, 2-time Olympic medallist, WNBL Champion and Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer.

Bobby Locke

Bobby Locke is a former NBL player from Chicago, who scored a whopping 50 points in his first game.

Eric “Watto” Watterson

Eric “Watto” Watterson is a former NBL player and 2-time championship winner with the Perth Wildcats.

Andrew Gaze

Andrew Gaze AM is a former NBL player, 2-time champion, 7-time League MVP, 11-time All-Star, 5-time Olympic competitor and is considered to be one of Australia’s greatest basketballers of all time.

Dererk Pardon

Dererk Pardon is an NBL player from the USA, who currently averages 12.4 points and 8 rebounds per game as a power forward.

David Andersen

David Andersen is one of Australia’s most successful former pro basketballers, having played all around the world in the NBA, NBL and European Leagues.