Best ever Aussie in the NBA: It's down to the final four
The fans have voted. We are now down to the final four in the “Best Ever Aussie in the NBA” fan vote to identify who has had the best NBA career to date.
This week its Ben Simmons taking on Aron Baynes and Luc Longley trying to hold out Patty mills in a semifinal showdown.
In the second half of the first round voting last week, the fans voted overwhelming in support of Mills in his head-to-head battle with Thon Maker, earning a whopping 98% of the vote!
Unlike Mills who cruised into the semifinals, Longley had to hold off a popular Joe Ingles, avoiding perhaps some of the recency bias Andrew Bogut struggled to overcome. Michael Jordan's last dance certainly would not have done the three-time NBA champion any harm either, holding on for a 58% majority vote win.
This week’s match-ups
In the first leg of the semifinals, two-time NBA All Star Ben Simmons will take on the Big Banger, Aron Baynes. It's a case of a 2014 NBA Champion and veteran centre Baynes attempting to win the vote against and youthful Simmons who is just starting to realise his immense talent. The Big Banger has two things Simmons does not; an NBA ring and a three-point shot! Can the Big Banger set a screen big enough to hold Simmons out, or will the Philadelphia 76ers star blow right by him?
In what may well be the biggest match-up to date, Australia's first NBA player Luc Longley will take on the popular Patty Mills. Mills has become a cult superstar with the Spurs while winning the 2014 NBA Championship. An indigenous role model and standing at just 6'0, can Mills overcome the three NBA titles and 7'2 frame of Longley?
Fan vote brackets
Round 1 | Tip off on 14 April 2020
14-April | (1) Bogut lost to (8) Simmons
16-April | (5) Dellavedova lost to (4) Baynes
21-April | (2) Mills defeated (7) Maker
23-April | (6) Ingles lost to (3) Longley
Semifinals | Tip off on 28 April 2020
28-April | (8) Simmons vs (4) Baynes
30-April | (2) Mills vs (3) Longley
Voting opens at 8:00am AEST on The Pick and Roll's Facebook page and remains open for 24 hours.
Be sure to check in and vote for who you think has had a better NBA career.
All-Time Australians in the NBA*
NamePosYearsSeasonsC'shipsDeng AdelF20191 David AndersenF/C2009–20112 Chris AnsteyC1997–20003 Cameron BairstowF/C2014–20162 Aron BaynesC2013–present81Andrew BogutC2005–2018; 2019141Jonah BoldenF2018–20202 Mark BradtkeC1996–19971 Ryan BroekhoffG2018-20202 Mitch CreekG20191 Matthew DellavedovaG2013–present71Dante ExumG2014–present5 Andrew GazeG1994; 199921Ricky GraceG19931 Shane HealG1996–19972 Isaac HumphriesF/C20191 Joe InglesF2014–present6 Nathan JawaiF/C2008–20102 Luc LongleyC1991–2001103Thon MakerF/C2016–present4 Mangok MathiangF/C2017–20181 Darnell MeeG1993–19952 Patty MillsG2009–present111Luke SchenscherC2006–20072 Ben SimmonsF2017–present3
*As at 13 April 2020