8Australian G Matthew Dellavedova competing for Sacramento Kings in NBA.
His decisive professional breakthrough came after he was not selected in the 2013 NBA Draft. Dellavedova joined the Cleveland Cavaliers for Summer League and training camp, where his full-court defensive work against Kyrie Irving helped demonstrate that his defensive intensity and preparation could translate to the NBA. He subsequently made the Cavaliers’ final roster and debuted in the 2013-14 season.
NBA regular-season career: 479 games, 5.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game according to Basketball-Reference. NBA.com lists the 2022-23 Sacramento season as 32 games, 1.5 points and 1.3 assists per game. He won the 2016 NBA championship with Cleveland. At Saint Mary’s, he became the programme’s all-time leader in points, assists and wins at graduation, earned three First Team All-WCC selections and became the first Saint Mary’s men’s basketball player to earn First Team Academic All-America honours. His Saint Mary’s No. 4 jersey was retired. He received the 2014 Gaze Medal as Australia’s leading men’s basketball player and the 2025 NBL Grand Final Series MVP award with Melbourne United. Internationally, he won Olympic bronze with Australia at Tokyo 2020.
Defining moments include helping Cleveland overcome a 3-1 deficit against Golden State in the 2016 NBA Finals; playing a significant defensive and playmaking role during the Cavaliers’ first NBA championship; Australia’s 107-93 Olympic bronze-medal win over Slovenia at Tokyo 2020; and his 2025 NBL Grand Final Series MVP performance as Melbourne United defeated the Illawarra Hawks. His undrafted-to-NBA journey is also a central part of his career story.