Giddey's Immense NBL Praise

Friday, July 14, 2023

Josh Giddey has prasied the "proven pathway" the NBL has provided countless players and staff members into the NBA.

Former NBL Next Star Josh Giddey has sent a message to the world of basketball that Australia is "really being put on the map".

Since graduating from the Next Stars program, the former 36er has helped spearhead the rise of Australian and former NBL players and personnel within the NBA.

“It’s not just basketball players, but media, front office people, coaches are getting all types of opportunities in the NBA,” Giddey told NBL Media.

“Australian basketball is really being put on the map.”

Giddey's success with the Adelaide 36ers led to him being selected with the sixth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Since making his debut in the NBA, the former NBL Rookie of the Year has gone from strength to strength.

He praised the NBL for helping provide him - and others - a solid foundation on which to succeed in the NBA.

“It started with the younger guys in the Next Stars program, with guys using that as a steppingstone as an alternative to college,” Giddey said.

“But now you see guys like Xavier Cooks, Mitch Creek a couple years back, those guys making the leap as older guys to the NBA.

“It’s proving to be a legitimate pathway and it’s getting a lot more recognition around the world. People are taking it very seriously, it’s getting a lot of good imports, ratings are going up. Everything about the NBA is getting better and better.

“I’m a big advocate for it,” he said.

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The 2022 NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection will head to Cairns in August to take part in the Boomers' pre-World Cup training camp.

Having not played in an international tournament of this magnitude before, Giddey is keen to get to work with the Boomers in the hopes of scoring his first World Cup roster spot.

“[I'm] very excited," he said. "[I've] never played in the senior team at a World Cup or an Olympic Games so this will be my first time. The team is obviously going to be very stacked, there’s going to be a lot of players that don’t make it which is a good problem to have for Basketball Australia.

“It’s my first World Cup at any level at junior or senior basketball so I’m very excited.”