MIES (Switzerland) – Australia’s proud international basketball tradition dates back to 1956, when the country hosted the Olympics.

In the FIBA Oceania Championship, which launched in 1971, the Boomers were the dominant country, winning the event 19 times until the last that was staged in 2015. Since 2017, when they began competing in the FIBA Asia Cup, Australia have not lost a game in the tournament while winning it twice.

At FIBA Basketball World Cups and Olympic Games, Australia have had terrific teams yet podium success eluded them until 2021, when the Boomers defeated Slovenia in the battle for bronze at the Tokyo Games. Over the years, there have been some spectacular players put on the Australia jersey.

If we had to come up with an all-time starting five, this is who we’d pick along with honorable mention.

Shane Heal – Guard

Shane Heal never backed down. Not even against Charles Barkley! The two squared off in Salt Lake City ahead of the 1996 Olympics and Heal gave no ground. The message was, “We are Australia and you’re not going to push us around.”

Heal was talented, which he showed at four Olympics (1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004), and he was feisty. He wasn’t afraid to make plays, to go hard at defenses. At his last Olympics in Athens in 2004, Heal led the team in scoring at 16.7 points per game. His highest scoring game, 35 points, was in Atlanta against Brazil. His 17.8 points per game was second to only Gaze on the Australia team.

Eddie Palubinskas – Guard

The leading scorer at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, sweet-shooting Palubinskas took a back seat to no one when it came to putting the ball in the basket. Just ask the Mexico team he torched for 48 points at those Summer Games, when he led the Boomers to a 120-117 victory. The colorful and charismatic Palubinskas averaged 31.3 points per game. His lowest scoring game was 26 points, against Cuba. Steady Eddie also shot a scintillating 91.7% (55 of 60) at those Games.

Four years earlier in Munich, he had been outstanding, too where his 21.1ppg made him that Olympics’ second leading scorer. Palubinskas played in 23 games for the Boomers and he was special in nearly all of them. It’s little wonder that after his playing career, he stayed involved in the game as one of the world’s premier shooting coaches.

Patty Mills – Guard

From the time he played his first game for Australia at the 2007 FIBA Oceania Championship to his fifth Olympic appearance in France in 2024, Patty Mills has been a difference maker. He has accepted and never shied away from the responsibility of scoring for Australia at Olympics or FIBA Basketball World Cups. Mills was one of the best players at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, pouring in 21.3 points per game to lead the Boomers into the Semi-Finals. In one of the most painful defeats in Australia history, an 89-88 setback to Spain in the Bronze Medal Game of the 2016 Olympics, Mills had a team-high 30 points!

In maybe the second most painful defeat in the annals of Boomers basketball, a 95-88 double overtime setback to Spain at the 2019 World Cup, Mills had a game-high 34 points. In 2021, Mills led Australia to their finest hour, a Bronze Medal triumph at the Tokyo Olympics. In the 107-93 win over Slovenia, Mills had 42 points! Five days shy of his 36th birthday at the 2024 Olympics, Mills had one of his greatest performances in the Boomers jersey, in the Quarter-Finals against Serbia. He not only poured in a game-high 26 points but also hit a clutch jumper near the free-throw line to force overtime. Mills, after Paris, stands as the fifth all-time leading scorer in Olympic history with 567 points.

Andrew Gaze – Forward

The five-time Olympian and flag bearer at the Sydney Games averaged a stunning 19.7 points per game during his Olympic career, and shot 41.5% (86 of 207) from 3-point range. At the Seoul Games in 1988, Gaze poured in 23.9 ppg – second only to Brazil great Oscar Schmidt – while eight years later in Atlanta, his 23.8 ppg was third highest after Oscar and Puerto Rico legend Jose Ortiz. Gaze was inducted to the FIBA Hall of Fame in the Class of 2013.

Gaze’s 789 total points haul ranks second to Oscar’s 1,093 in Olympic history. Gaze was not just a prolific scorer for Australia, but a leader. He captained Australia for eight years, including during the 1996 and 2000 Games. He came up just short of the podium, with his Australia teams falling in Bronze Medal Games in 1988, 1996 and 2000. Gaze competed in four FIBA Basketball World Cups, including 1994 in Toronto when NBA players were allowed to take part for the first time. At the star-studded extravaganza, Gaze led the Boomers to a fifth-place finish and ended up as the tournament’s leading scorer at 23.9 points per game.

Andrew Bogut – Center

The No. 1 pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by Milwaukee, Bogut overcame serious injuries to have a great career in both the league and also with Australia. For the Boomers, Bogut was an exceptional passer, combative on the boards and a gifted scorer.

He played at the Olympics in 2004, 2008 and 2016, and at the 2006 and 2019 World Cups. He nearly averaged a double-double in points and rebounds in 2004, at 13.7ppg and 9rpg. At his last Olympics in 2016, Bogut showed his skill set by averaging 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

Honorable Mentions

Joe Ingles

Ingles had five Olympic appearances and provided steady and at times spectacular play. A key man during Australia’s most successful era that netted the team in Tokyo a first bronze medal at an Olympics or World Cup, Ingles made his Olympic bow under Brian Goorjian in 2008 and is known for his multi-faceted game.

In the Bronze Medal Game win over Slovenia at the Tokyo Olympics, arguably Australia’s finest hour, Ingles had 16 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. It’s hard to stand out as a scorer when you have at teammate named Mills, yet Ingles has stood out and even at the 2023 World Cup and at the Paris Games, when his minutes were down, his leadership made him a crucial player.

Mark Bradtke

After making his national team debut as a 17-year-old, Bradtke was an automatic selection for the Boomers. Tough and talented, the 2.11m (6ft 11in) center suited up for Australia at the Olympics in 1988, ’92, ’96 and 2000. In Atlanta in 1996, where the national team fell in the Bronze Medal Game for the second time in three Olympics, Bradtke averaged 11.8 points and 7.8 rebounds. Bradtke featured in Australia’s World Cup teams in 1990 and ’94.

Luc Longley

A starter for three NBA title winning Chicago Bulls teams (1996, ’97 and ’98), Longley has one of the most spectacular basketball CVs of any player from Australia. He featured for the Boomers in his three Olympic appearances, in 1988, ’92 and 2000. He also played at the 1990 World Cup.

Andrew Vlahov

A member of Boomers teams at the 1988, ’92, ’96 and 2000 Olympics, Vlahov was undersized against many of the players he defended yet was tenacious and held his own. He was a beast. Vlahov was extremely versatile and was also used to guard players like Oscar.

Phil Smyth

A point guard with savvy and toughness, the man nicknamed the general was a leader for Australia teams that reached the Semi-Finals of the 1988 Olympics. Smyth was a threat from deep, making 18 of 42 (42.9%) from long range in Korea when the Boomers reached the last four. He also played at the 1980, 1984 and 1992 Olympics, and the World Cups in 1978, ’82, ’90 and ’94.

Ian Davies

Look up the word scorer in the basketball dictionary you may find a photo of Davies, who averaged more points, 29.3, than any other player at the 1980 Olympics. Two years later and he was a scoring machine at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Colombia, where his 23.4 ppg was second overall at the event. Davies also played at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1986 Games in Spain.

Ray Borner

A four-time Olympian and member of Boomers teams at four FIBA Basketball World Cups, Borner was a beast. The NBL’s MVP in 1985, while a member of the Coburg Giants, Borner operated in the trenches. He did a load of work on an undersized Australia frontline for a long time during an era that featured many all-time international centers.

FIBA

*This All-Star Five and the honorable mentions are entirely subjective and in no way represent an official or accurate award, nor do they reflect FIBA’s official stance. All comments are solely those of the author and expert panel, intended to entertain the fans.