A History of Australians in the NBA Draft

The influx of Australian prospects making a splash in the NBA has climbed in recent years with 29 players being selected through the NBA draft over the past 56 years.

Australia's impact on the NBA has become evident with a record 15 players on NBA rosters in 2024-25, with four more hearing their names called on draft night.

Former Brisbane Bullets big man Rocco Zikarsky was the first name off the board with the Minnesota Timberwolves taking him with the 45th pick, followed by former Duke Blue Devil Tyrese Proctor going to the Cleveland Cavaliers with the No. 49 pick.

Next up, it was Sydney Kings forward Alex Tookey at pick No. 52 to the Golden State Warriors, with Ollawarra Hawks forward Lachlan Olbrich rounding out the draft at pick No. 55 to the Chicago Bulls.

Take a look back through the history of the Aussies in the NBA Draft. 

First-round selections

Of the 25 Australian players selected in the NBA Draft since 1969, ten selections were made in the first round.

Luc Longley became the first Australian selected in the first round in 1991, when the imposing big man was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 7 pick. Chris Anstey led a group of four Aussies taken in the 1997 NBA Draft when he was picked up at No. 18 by the Portland Trail Blazers.

It was then Andrew Bogut who made history by becoming the first-ever Australian to be selected with the coveted No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft when he was taken by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2005.

Dante Exum was an enigma as he entered the 2014 NBA Draft, but that didn't stop the Utah Jazz from using the fifth overall pick on the lightning-quick guard.

In 2016, Bogut's feat was emulated when the Philadelphia 76ers used the first pick to take Ben Simmons, and in that same year, Thon Maker was a shock lottery selection by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 10th overall pick, marking the first time two Aussies had ever been selected within the Top 10.

Best rookie seasons

Andrew Bogut was the first Aussie to earn NBA All-Rookie honours following his first season in Milwaukee, where he started 77 of 82 games.

Bogut's rookie campaign saw him end with season averages of 9.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, which earned him a third-place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Chris Paul and Charlie Villanueva. 

Simmons went on to become the first Aussie to win Rookie of the Year, averaging 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game. He broke Magic Johnson's triple-double record by ending the regular season with 12. 

In 2021, Josh Giddey turned heads with the Oklahoma City Thunder, becoming the youngest player ever to record a triple-double and being named to the All-Rookie Second Team.

The other Aussie

Despite playing for Team USA, Kyrie Irving was born in Melbourne, so he qualifies for this list. Irving was taken with the first overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2011 Draft after an injury-plagued season at Duke.

Irving won Rookie of the Year honours as well as being named to the All-Rookie first team. To add to his hardware he was also named the MVP during the Rising Stars Challenge. 

Australians selected in the NBA Draft since 1969