20 Famous Australian NBA Players Of All Time

Benjamin David Simmons is a professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA. Ben played college basketball with the LSU tigers for one season and was named USBWA National Freshman of the year.

He signed with the Brooklyn Nets after the February 20, 2022, trade deadline. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers as the first overall choice in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Simons agreed to a five-year, $177,243,360 contract that included a $177,243,360 guarantee and an average annual salary of $35,448,672 with the Philadelphia 76ers.

He is a standout player and a valuable member of the team due to his skill set and athleticism. He was selected three times to the NBA All-Star Game and was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2018. 

He was the first college athlete in the modern era to be taken with the first overall pick during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers despite never participating in the NCAA tournament.

Simmons recorded his first triple-double of his professional career, becoming the third rookie in his first four games with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 97-86 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

He was named to the NBA All-Defensive First team and All-NBA Third Team at the end of the 2020 season with the Philadelphia 7ers. He was chosen as an Eastern Conference reserve for his first All-Star appearance.

Ben played in his first preseason game with the Brooklyn Nets, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 127-108 while recording six points, five assists, and four rebounds on October 3, 2022.

He is the third-highest-paid NBA rookie and Nike is his main sponsor and during his first season, he signed a $20 million contract with Nike. This deal includes extra incentives, increasing the value of his Nike contract to $40 million.

Joshua Benjamin Green is a basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. Josh played for the American basketball team that won the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

He agreed to a four-year, $13,638,019 deal with the Dallas Mavericks, with a guaranteed $13,638,019 and an average annual salary of $3,409,507. 

He attended the IMG Academy in Florida during his high school career and was ranked a five-star draft prospect. He was honored as the game's MVP after leading IMG to a victory in the national championship.

He played in the McDonald's All-American Boys Game in 2019.247Sports, Rivals, and ESPN all rated him as one of the top prospects in the 2019 recruiting class.

His first NBA G League appearance was with the Salt Lake City Stars. The Mavericks chose their option to extend his contract for one year through the 2022–23 season.

He was listed in the 24-man group to compete for the Australian national team in FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in September 2018 against Kazakhstan and Qatar.

Green made his senior debut for Australia against Nigeria in the opening round of the 2020 Olympics defeating Slovenia in the bronze-medal game. He helped his country to win the first-ever Olympic medal in men's basketball.

Kyrie Andrew Irving is a professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA. He participated in sports for Montclair Kimberley Academy in his freshman year of high school.

Irving agreed to a four-year, $136,490,600 deal with the Brooklyn Nets, with a guaranteed $136,490,60 and an average annual salary of $34,122,650.

He was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011. He completed the Cavaliers' historic comeback victory over the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals by making the game-winning three-point field goal.

The basketball player has also competed for the American national team, representing in the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

He also received 117 out of a possible 120 first-place votes, winning the 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Irving and the Cavaliers agreed to a five-year, $90 million contract extension in 2014.

He asked the Cavaliers to trade him because he wanted to be more of his own team's focal point.  Irving participated in the Celtics' first game and recorded seven points and seven assists in a 105-87 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. 

He joined the Brooklyn Nets in free agency on July 7, 2019. He was selected to start for the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference in 2021.  

Kyrie assisted Team USA in winning the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He became the fourth member of Team USA to win an Olympic gold medal and the NBA championship.

Matthew William Dellavedova is a professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the NBA. Matthew played for the Australian national team and won bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

He agreed to a one-year, $2,628,597 deal with the Sacramento Kings, which included a $2,628,597 guarantee and an average salary of $2,628,597 per year.

ESPN ranked him as one of Australia's top junior players. In 2013, Dellavedova signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the NBA Summer League.

He signed with the Cavaliers in a two-year, $1.3 million contract with a $100,000 guarantee. The Cleveland Cavaliers made their NBA Finals comeback in 2016 with a 4-2 series victory over the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Dellavedova was signed by the Milwaukee Bucks in a sign-and-trade with the Cavaliers on July 7, 2016. He assisted in the Bucks' 112-103 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on December 3, 2016, by scoring 12 of his season-high 18 points in the fourth quarter.

He was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team deal that included the Washington Wizards and Bucks. He agreed to a three-year contract with Melbourne United of the Australian NBL.

During the 2021–22 NBL season, he had a point and assist average of 10.3 and 4.3. He was selected for the Boomers, the senior national team of Australia, to play in the 2009 FIBA Oceania Championship for the first time.

Joseph Howarth Ingles is a professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks. Joe represent the Australian national team and won bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

He agreed to a one-year, $6,479,000 contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, with a $6,479,000 guaranteed minimum salary and a $6,479,00 average yearly salary.

He participated in the South East Australian Basketball League as a basketball player for the AIS between 2005 and 2006.

Ingles became the first player to join the South Dragons of the National Basketball League in 2006, signing a multi-year contract.

He won NBL Rookie of the Year for his outstanding freshman season. He played 34 games in the 2006–07 season, averaging 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists.

Ingles started for the Jazz in March 2015, and he recorded a season-high 18 points in a defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He had a career-high 11 assists in Game 4 of the Jazz's first-round postseason series against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2017. 

He also had a career-high 14 assists, 11 points, and nine rebounds in a 115-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019.

Ingles and the Jazz reached an agreement of a one-year, $14 million contract extension extending his deal until 2021–2022. He came in second place to Jazz teammate Jordan Clarkson for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award.

Ingles played great at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London where he averaged 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game over his final six games.

Andrew Michael Bogut is a former basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association for most of his professional career. He was chosen first overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by Milwaukee.  

He joined the Golden State Warriors in 2012 and was nominated to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. He played two years of college basketball with the Utah Utes, winning national player of the year honors in 2005.

Bogut was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team during his rookie season with the Bucks in 2006. He received all-league recognition in 2010 after posting a career-high 15.9 point and 10.2 rebound average.

When he moved to Golden State in 2011, he missed most of 2011–12 due to an ankle injury. The basketball player assisted the Warriors in setting an NBA record by helping them win 73 games in 2015–16 after they had won the NBA Finals in 2015.

He moved to the Dallas Mavericks, where he briefly played before having brief runs with the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers. He played for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 2018 and won the NBL MVP award.

Bogut re-signed with the Warriors after the 2018–19 NBL season. He returned to the Sydney Kings for the 2019–20 NBL season, and they won the minor premiership by finishing first and finishing 20–8. 

Patrick Sammy Mills is a professional American basketball player who plays for the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA. Patty is well-known for both his leadership abilities and his three-point shooting.

He agreed to a two-year, $13,281,950 contract with the Brooklyn Nets in 2021 with a $13,281,950 guarantee and a $6,640,975 average yearly salary. Mills re-signed with the Nets on July 10, 2022, for a two-year deal for $14.5 million.

He was the third Indigenous basketball player to represent Australia's national team in 2007. In the 2008–09 season, Mills averaged 18.4 points, 3.9 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.2 steals in 32.1 minutes and won the WCC Player of the Week award twice.

He was taken by the Portland Trail Blazers as the 55th overall choice in the 2009 NBA Draft after playing two years of collegiate basketball for the Saint Mary's Gaels.

During the NBA lockout, he competed for the National Basketball League's (NBL) Melbourne Tigers in 2011 and the Chinese team Xinjiang Flying Tigers. 

He joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2012, and in a 107-101 victory over the Golden State Warriors, he recorded his first NBA double-double with 34 points and 12 assists.  

Mills became the first player from Australia to achieve the 1,000-point mark in NBA history when he made his 1,000th 3-pointer in 2020.

He became the first player to hit a perfect 10-of-10 from beyond the line in the first two games of the season when he signed with Brooklyn in 2021. Patty had the greatest scoring average in the 2012 Olympics with 21.2 points per game.

Jackson Thomas White is a professional Australian basketball player who plays for the Denver Nuggets of the NBA. Jack played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils.

He has a two-way contract with the NBA G League's Grand Rapids Gold. He played basketball at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra and NCAA Division I programs recruited him.

White spent four seasons as a college basketball player for the Duke Blue Devils, and in his final two years, he was chosen as team captain.

He played 20.5 minutes per game off the bench as a junior on a team with the top 3 recruits from 2018.

White agreed to a three-year contract with NBL team Melbourne United and traveled to the United States to play for the Denver Nuggets in NBA Summer League.

He won the silver medal during the FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Dubai. White had a game average of 8.3 points and 3.9 rebounds at the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in Heraklion.

Lucien James Longley is a former Australian professional basketball player and basketball coach. Luc was the first Australian to compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he spent ten seasons playing for four different teams.

He made a career-high salary of $6.9 million during his final NBA season. Luc earned a salary of $42.8 million during his NBA career.

He played for Australia in three Olympic Games, in 1988, 1992, and 2000. He has also served as an assistant coach for the Australian national basketball team.  

Longley played for the secondary school Scotch College and the University of New Mexico and was named twice to the first team of the WAC. 

He was named the Bulls' starter center during their historic 1995–96 season, in which they established the NBA record for most wins in a regular season with 72. 

He became the first Australian player to win an NBA Championship and the only player to have won three titles during his three-year success with the Bulls.  

Longley played an important role in the team's success and was a member of the Bulls' starting lineup throughout their three consecutive championship runs.

Before the 2000–01 NBA season, Longley was traded to the New York Knicks in the second four-team trade in league history.

Joshua Giddey is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA. Josh was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder as the sixth overall choice in the 2021 NBA Draft.

He agreed to a four-year, $27,214,807 deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder with a $27,214,807 guaranteed minimum salary and an average annual wage of $6,803,702.

He became the first player to record three straight triple-doubles as a rookie since Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson.

Giddey led VIC Metro to victory at the Australian Under-18 Championships in April 2019 with an average of 20 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6 assists.

He joined the National Basketball League Adelaide 36ers on March 12, 2020, as part of the league's Next Stars program.

He broke LaMelo Ball's previous record for the youngest player to ever score a triple-double with 17 points, 14 assists, and 13 rebounds for the Thunder in a 95-86 loss against the Dallas Mavericks. 

Josh competed for Australia in the New Caledonia 2019 FIBA Under-17 Oceania Championship. He was selected for the All-Star Five after guiding his team to a gold medal with averages of 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and five assists per game.

Giddey made his basketball international debut for Australia during the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifying, on February 23, 2020. In 11 minutes, he finished with 11 points, six assists, and three rebounds.

Matisse Vincent Thybulle is an Australian-American professional basketball player who plays for the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA.

He agreed to a four-year, $12,513,127 contract with the Philadelphia 76ers with a guaranteed salary of $12,513,127 and an average yearly salary of $3,128,282. 

Matisse was chosen as the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft. As a senior in 2019, he received the Lefty Driesell Award and the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year awards for being the best defender in the country.

Thybulle received first-team all-Pac-12 recognition and was named the conference's defensive player of the year twice.

He was a true freshman in 2015–16 at the University of Washington in Seattle, starting every game and averaging 6.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 24.1 minutes per match.

Thybulle was named the nation's top defensive player and received the Lefty Driesell Award and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year awards.

He is the first player in Huskies' history to rank in the top 10 for career steals and blocks. He was nominated to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in his second season in 2020–21, despite only playing 20 minutes per game on average.

He led the NBA in steals and deflections with 3.8 per 100 possessions and 5.6 per 36 minutes. Matisse was chosen to be a member of the Australian Boomers team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed and started just after the 2021 NBA Finals. 

Aron John Baynes is a professional Australian basketball player who plays for the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League. Aron also plays for the Australian national team.

He has also participated in games for the Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics, and Detroit Pistons. He attended Mareeba State High School and played rugby league in Far North Queensland.

In 2009, he agreed to a two-year contract with Lietuvos Rytas of the Lithuanian Basketball League and played for the Los Angeles Lakers Summer League team. Baynes agreed to a one-year contract with Union Olimpija of the Slovenian Basketball League in 2012.

He played his last game for Olimpija on January 5, 2013, and afterward left the team to pursue an NBA deal. He then joined the Spurs in 2013.

The spurs continued to the 2013 NBA Finals but fell to the Miami Heat in a seven-game series.  

Baynes recorded a career-high 17 rebounds in his first season with the Detroit Pistons in a 112-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns. 

When he signed with Boston Aron equaled his career high of 21 points in a 107-96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers 

He signed a multi-year contract with Toronto Raptors in 2020. He finished with eight points and a season-high 16 rebounds in a 115-102 victory over the Orlando Magic

Dante Exum is a professional basketball player who plays for the Partizan Belgrade of the EuroLeague and ABA League. 

The Utah Jazz selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft after he decided to forego attending college. 

Exum took part in the Nike Hoop Summit in April 2013 for the World Select Team, defeating the USA Junior Select Team 112-98 with 16 points, three rebounds, and two assists.

He was chosen to participate in the 2015 Rising Stars Challenge at the NBA All-Star Weekend in New York and started for the Jazz, who finished the season with a 24-17 record.

Exum was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers along with two second-round choices. He was part of a multi-player, four-team trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Houston Rockets, although he was injured his first season there and missed all of Houston's games.

He competed for Australia's youth national team at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Cup and the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Cup.

He participated in the 2014 FIBA World Cup for Australia, where he averaged 2.7 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists throughout six games.

Jock Landale is a professional Australian basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the NBA. He played for the Australian basketball team and won bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

He played college basketball with the Saint Mary's Gaels. He helped the Gaels win the 2017 NCAA tournament with an average of 16.9 points and 9.5 rebounds.

Landale received the West Coast Conference Player of the Year award. He agreed to a two-year contract with the ABA League team Partizan in 2018.

He averaged 12 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 56.6% field goal shooting throughout 24 ABA League games.

Jock gave $100 for each three-pointer and dunk during a game versus Real Madrid in January 2020 to put out the Australian bushfires.

Landale signed with Melbourne United for a single year in 2020 to play in the NBL's 2020–21 season. He received the Melbourne United MVP title for the season after averaging 16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game.

He joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2021 and made his first NBA career start and recorded his first NBA double-double.

Dyson James Daniels is a professional Australian basketball player who plays for the New Orleans Pelicans of the NBA. 

He was selected in the eighth overall of the 2022 NBA Draft. Dyson began training at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra's NBA Global Academy.

He assisted Victoria in winning a silver medal at the Australian Under-20 Championship in 2021. Daniels signed a contract with the NBA G League Ignite, an NBA G League associate development team, on June 21, 2021.

He played 26 games in the G League, averaging 12 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and two steals per game.

During the 2022 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans selected him as the eighth overall choice. Daniels joined the Pelicans' NBA Summer League roster in 2022.

He competed for Australia in the Papua New Guinea 2018 FIBA Oceania Under-15 Championship. His team won the gold medal due to his 8.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game average.

Dyson made his senior national team debut for Australia during FIBA Asia Cup qualifying, defeating New Zealand 81-52 with 23 points, six steals, and four assists.

Luke Dean Schenscher is a former professional Australian basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association for most of his career.

He played for the basketball teams like Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers, Perth Wildcats, Southern Tigers, and Fort Worth Flyers.

Luke began playing college basketball for Georgia Tech before spending time with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2007 and the Chicago Bulls in 2006.

He became the first high school student to play for the Boomers when he competed in the East Asian Games. He also played for Australia's under-21 national team and was placed ninth at the FIBA Under-21 World Championship.

Schenscher joined the Denver Nuggets Summer team in 2005. In the 2004–05 season, Schenscher averaged a career-high 10.1 points per game as a senior with 7.3 rebounds and 1.75 blocks.

He had 33 points and 20 rebounds against the Perth Wildcats after signing to the Adelaide 36ers for the 2008–09 NBL season. 

The 36ers gave Schenscher permission to leave during the off-season to participate in the NBA Summer League with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he abandon those plans due to a back injury.  

He signed with the Perth Wildcats and recorded season-highs of 22 points and 15 rebounds against the Melbourne Tigers for the 2009–10 NBL season.

The Townsville Crocodiles signed Schenscher a few weeks after he left the Wildcats. Townsville won the Australian CLB 3x3 title and participated in the Fiba 3x3 world tour qualifiers in Mongolia.

Mitchell Creek is an Australian basketball player who plays for the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the NBL.

He spent eight seasons with the Adelaide 36ers, where he started his NBL career, helping them to two grand final appearances and one minor premiership.

Creek received Second Team All-NBL recognition during his final season with the 36ers. He played for the Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association (NBA) during the 2018–19 season.

He began playing for the South East Melbourne Phoenix in 2019. In 2014–15, he had his greatest season averaging 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists over 26 games.

Creek scored a career-high 36 points in a 95-88 victory over the New Zealand Breakers. He returned to the Phoenix and participated in his 300th NBL game.

He represented Australia for the first time at the FIBA Under-19 World Championship in 2011 and the Australian Boomers at the FIBA Asia Cup in 2017.

Cameron David Bairstow is a former Australian basketball player who played in the National Basketball League for most of his career, 

He played basketball at the University of New Mexico before the Chicago Bulls selected him 49th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.

He played for the Bulls for two seasons before spending five of his six years in the National Basketball League. 

Bairstow participated in youth teams for the South West Metro Pirates and Brisbane Capitals before enrolling at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra in 2009 and 2010.

ESPN.com rated Bairstow as a two-star recruit and the nation's 196th-best power forward.  He participated in five games while on contract to the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League.

He agreed to play with the Adelaide 36ers in the NBL in 2021–2022, but an ankle injury forced him to skip the game. 

Cameron was selected for the Boomers 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship team in August 2013 to play New Zealand in a two-game series. He was also selected to represent the Boomers in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Andrew Barry Casson Gaze is a former Australian basketball player and a coach. Andrew spent 22 seasons playing basketball in the National Basketball League with Melbourne Tigers from 1984 to 2005.

He also led the Tigers to two NBL titles, in 1993 and 1997, and was chosen to the All-NBL First Team for a record 15 years straight.  

Gaze has been recognized for his talent as one of Australia's all-time finest players. He spent many seasons overseas in the 1990s and participated in the NBL.

The basketball player made history as the first Australian man to play professionally in Europe while playing for the Italian 2nd League club Udine in 1991.

Gaze returned to the United States in March 1994 and played with the NBA's Washington Bullets. He averaged 3.1 points per game in seven games for the Bullets in the 1993–94 NBA season.

He moved to Greece at the beginning of 1995 and spent half a season playing for Apollon Patras of the Greek League.

He was the championship's top scorer in 1994, averaging 23.9 points per game to lead Australia to fifth place. In 1989 he signed in with San Antonio Spurs and appeared in just 19 and won the NBA championship.

Wardell Stephen Curry II is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Golden State Warriors of the NBA. 

He agreed to a four-year, $215,353,664 agreement with the Golden State Warriors, with a guaranteed $215,353,664 and an average annual salary of $53,838,416. 

Curry is recognized as the best shooter in NBA history and one of the best basketball players of all time.

He has won four NBA championships, been awarded the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice, and has received MVP awards for the NBA Finals and the NBA All-Star Game.

He received his first league MVP honor and helped the Warriors win their first title since 1975 in 2014–15.

Stephen set a new NBA record with 272 three-pointers during the regular season in 2012–13. In 2015, with 286, and again in 2016, with 402, he broke that record.

He had his first experience playing for the American national team at the 2007 FIBA Under-19 World Championship and led Team to win USA's silver medal.