13Australian C Luc Longley competing for Chicago Bulls in NBA.
Longley’s first major break came through the Australian Institute of Sport and a scholarship to the University of New Mexico. His college performances led to selection by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the seventh pick in the first round of the 1991 NBA Draft, making him the first Australian to play in the NBA.
NBA career: 567 regular-season games over 10 seasons; 7.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game according to NBA.com. NBA champion three times with Chicago: 1996, 1997 and 1998. Australian International Player of the Year, 1989. Basketball Australia Merit Award, 1996. Australian Institute of Sport Best of the Best inductee, 2001. Basketball Australia Hall of Fame inductee, 2006. Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductee, 2009. Member of the Order of Australia, 2019.
Longley was the starting centre for the Chicago Bulls during the second three-peat championship run of 1996, 1997 and 1998. He was part of the 1995-96 Bulls team that finished the regular season 72-10, then helped the team win the NBA title. His broader historical significance includes becoming the first Australian NBA player and the first Australian to win an NBA Championship. With Australia, he helped the Boomers reach fourth place at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and again at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, both then-record Olympic finishes for Australian men’s basketball.