Boomers make historical debut in upcoming NBA 2K17

Earlier this week, 2K Sports made an announcement at the Clem Jones Centre in Carina, QLD. Together with Basketball Australia CEO Anthony Moore and veteran Boomer guard Patty Mills, 2K confirmed that the Australian Boomers will be featured in the latest iteration of the NBA 2K series, namely NBA 2K17.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be part of NBA 2K17, the biggest NBA game in the world," said Anthony Moore, CEO of Basketball Australia.

"We jumped at the chance to have our Australian Boomers in the game and now Australian gamers can take on the world with Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova and Andrew Bogut together in the green and gold.”

Patty Mills also expressed both enthusiasm and pride at the Boomers' inclusion.

“Australian basketball continues to go from strength-to-strength, and our players are leaving their mark on leagues around the world," Mills said, as quoted from a Basketball Australia release.

"It’s great to see 2K recognizing our nation’s growing impact on the sport with the inclusion of Team Australia.”

This new feature casts the spotlight on Australian basketball and especially the Boomers, as they make their debut on the popular video franchise as the only other national team outside of Team USA, since the game's launch in 1999.

“I think my beard has grown a little bit since then. But it’s good, they do a great job,” Mills, whose likeness is featured in 2K16, told Fox Sports Australia during the event. “I love to get a game in every now and again. I’m not that good at it, but I try to leave my game on the court in real life, that’s what matters most, especially leading up to these Olympics.”

The NBA 2K17 Boomers line-up features this year's team for the upcoming Rio Olympics. This includes Australia’s best players from leagues around the world including the NBA, Europe and Australia's domestic leagues. It's worth noting Utah Jazz guard, Dante Exum will be included in the roster, despite having withdrawn from the team earlier.

• Andrew Bogut

• Aron Baynes

• Brock Motum

• Cameron Bairstow

• Chris Goulding

• Damian Martin

• Dante Exum

• David Andersen

• Joe Ingles

• Kevin Lisch

• Matthew Dellavedova

• Patrick Mills

• Ryan Broekhoff

NBA 2K17 is set for a September 16 release this year in Australia and New Zealand. It will be available on a variety of platforms, including the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC.

*Credit to Ross Foran on suggestion.