When Patty Mills led Australia's men's basketball team to its first Olympic medal ever in Tokyo, Andrew Gaze burst into tears. The basketball legend's legacy will be front and centre again as the Boomers attempt to go back-to-back in Paris.
When Patty Mills led Australia's men's basketball team to its first Olympic medal ever in Tokyo, Andrew Gaze burst into tears during the post-game coverage of the bronze medal match.
"My first thoughts when it happened was not just about the struggles that I had as a competitor trying to achieve that goal, but how others had provided the groundwork for this to eventually happen. Andrew Gaze and Lindsay Gaze put basketball on the map for many Australians throughout their 22 seasons together between 1984 and 2005 as player and coach at the Melbourne Tigers.In the documentary, Goorjian reveals one of his first calls after winning the bronze medal was to his old coach.
"I always knew the passion he had for Australian basketball, and for his connections with the team," Lindsay Gaze added."It was like a huge burden off your back to say at last we have achieved the medal, albeit, not the ultimate prize which we aim for."Andrew Gaze made his mark domestically as the best player in the NBL for the best part of two decades.
"With the Melbourne Tigers, Andrew was the best player in the league," Gaze's long-time Melbourne Tigers teammate Lanard Copeland said. "I remember there were surveys and polls in newspapers when it went to the flag-bearer stuff and I remember seeing my name being in my fifth Olympics, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd ever be the one that would be the flag-bearer," Gaze recalled.
"You know how you hear stories of these emotional moments where people get this great strength, I had that flag and it was weightless. Spain is no longer the powerhouse country that won two silvers and a bronze between 2008 and 2016, but will still be no easybeats. In Greece or Slovenia, Australia could have the headache of figuring out how to stop either Giannis Antetokounmpo or Luka Doncic.
Of the 17-man roster, Matthew Dellavedova, Dante Exum, Chris Goulding, Joe Ingles, Josh Green, Nick Kay, Jock Landale, Patty Mills, Duop Reath, Matisse Thybulle were all members of the bronze medal-winning team in 2021.
Australian Basketball Olympics Paris 2024 Andrew Gaze Lindsay Gaze Josh Giddey Patty Mills
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