MIES (Switzerland) - Australia's Andrew Bogut, who shot to fame as the MVP of the 2003 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in Greece and had a successful career with the Boomers and in the NBA, is being inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2025.
A 2.13M (7.0FT) center, Bogut, who played at three Olympics (2004, 2008, and 2016) and two FIBA Basketball World Cups (2006 and 2019), caused a stir in international basketball before he even played for the Boomers.
In 2003, he put on one of the most dominating displays in youth national team basketball history. He averaged 26.3 points and 17.0 rebounds to lead Australia to glory at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, which was known at the time as the FIBA World Championship for Junior Men.
That Australia team lost just once in eight games, to a star-studded Lithuania that had future national team stalwarts Linas Kleiza, Paulius Jankunas, and Jonas Maciulis.
Australia went on to beat the USA (106-85) in the Quarter-Finals, Croatia (97-84) in the Semi-Finals, and Lithuania (126-92) in the Final. In that win over Croatia, which had rising national team stars Roko Leni Ukic, Marko Banic, Marko Tomas, and Damir Markota, Bogut exploded for 39 points and 25 rebounds! In the championship game against Lithuania, he had 35 points and 14 rebounds.
After that, Bogut began his NCAA career with Utah and had a couple of outstanding seasons. He was a first-team all-American and Mountain West Conference Player of the Year in 2005. In 2006, the Utes retired his No. 4 jersey.
Following his sophomore season, Bogut turned professional, and the Milwaukee Bucks selected him No. 1 in the 2005 NBA Draft.
Bogut persevered through numerous injuries to have a long career in the league and international basketball. After making his Olympic bow in 2004, he spearheaded Australia's run to the Round of 16 at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2006, where they fell to USA.
In 2008, Bogut and Australia had high hopes going into the Beijing Olympics.
They made it to the Quarter-Finals in Beijing, where the USA Redeem Team (LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul) ended their medal hopes.
At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Bogut's 16.3 Efficiency Per Game was the highest on an excellent Boomers team that finished fourth.
The Boomers nearly reached the title game but fell to Spain in the Semi-Finals after two overtimes, 95-88, and ultimately finished fourth.
A few years later, Bogut played in his last event with Australia at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
The Boomers had an awesome team that included Bogut, Patty Mills, and Joe Ingles, but their bid to win the title was dashed in a double-overtime defeat to Spain in the Semi-Finals.
Australia finished the tournament in fourth place.
In the NBA, Bogut spent several seasons with the Bucks and was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2010. Traded to Golden State in 2012, Bogut played an important role for the Warriors in their 2014-15 title-winning campaign.
Bogut would go on to have stints with the Dallas Mavericks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers before returning to Australia to play in the NBL with Sydney.
However, Golden State re-signed him late in the 2018-19 campaign, and he helped the team reach the NBA Finals again, where they fell in six games to Toronto.
Bogut, whose passion, commitment, and talent always made Australia a force in international basketball, made a lasting impact on the Boomers with his excellent play and his outspoken leadership.
Name | Andrew Bogut |
Category of inductee | Center |
Date of birth | 28th November 1984 |
Place of birth | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
Nationality | Australian |
Height | 2.13 m, 7 ft 0 in |
Teams | - St. John’s Regional College (High School) - Lake Ginninderra Canberra (High School) - University of Utah (2003-2005) - Milwaukee Bucks (2005-2012) - Golden State Warriors (2012-2016) - Dallas Mavericks (2016-2017) - Cleveland Cavaliers (2017) - Los Angeles Lakers (2017-2018) - Sydney Kings (2018-2020) - Golden State Warriors (2019) |
Club highlights | - NBA Champion (2015) |
National team highlights | - U19 FIBA World Cup gold medallist (2003) - FIBA Oceania Championship gold medallist (2015) - Played in three Olympic Games (2004, 2008, 2016) - Played in two FIBA World Cups (2006, 2019) - Played in two Diamond Ball Cups (2004, 2008) - Played in one Stankovic Cup (2006) |
Individual highlights | - U19 FIBA World Cup MVP (2003) - MWC Freshman of the Year (2004) - National college player of the year (2005) - Consensus first-team All-American (2005) - Pete Newell Big Man Award (2005) - MWC Player of the Year (2005) - NBA All-Rookie First Team (2006) - All-NBA Third Team (2010) - NBA blocks leader (2011) - NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2015) - Gaze Medal winner (2016) - NBL Best Defensive Player (2019) - NBL Most Valuable Player (2019) - All-NBL First Team (2019) - All-NBL Second Team (2020) - No. 4 retired by Utah Utes |
FIBA