Ring it up: Every Australian to win a NBA title

• Australians Alex Ducas (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Johnny Furphy (Indiana Pacers) face off in the 2025 NBA Finals
• Australia will have its eighth NBA champion
• These are the seven Australians to win an NBA Championship

Australia is a lock to have its 10th NBA championship ring this month as rookies Alex Ducas and Johnny Furphy suit up in the 2025 NBA Finals for Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers starting Friday, June 6, 2025 (AEST).

Seven Australian men’s basketballers have won the most prized trophy in world basketball — the Larry O’Brien Trophy — including Boomers’ legend Luc Longley winning it THREE times in a row with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s.

This year will the second time two Australians have gone head-to-head for the ultimate prize after Andrew Bogut and Matthew Dellavedova faced off in the 2015 NBA Finals.

Both Ducas and Furphy understand the magnitude of the moment.

“Yeah, it’s huge, slightly better than the SBL title, it would be amazing,” Ducas said.

“I’m trying to soak this in, trying to understand how significant this is and how rare it is”, Johnny Furphy added.

With the 2025 NBA Finals starting Friday (AEST), these are seven previous Australian NBA Champions, who are about to get an eighth member in their exclusive club.

Luc Longley — Chicago Bulls (1996, 1997, 1998)

Luc Longley was the first Australian to appear in and win the NBA Finals when his Chicago Bulls defeated the Seattle SuperSonics in 1996.

As the franchise’s starting centre, Longley was an integral part of the team’s Threepeat championship run overcoming matchups with iconic big men Shawn Kemp and Karl Malone. Members of the legendary Chicago Bulls team including Michael Jordan have thrown their praise at Longley’s contribution to the Bulls dynasty.

“We competed together and I would take him any day of the week if I had to go through a competition again” Jordan said.

“He had an impact on me. He made me better as a player, as a person” Jordan said.

Andrew Gaze — San Antonio Spurs (1999)

Australian basketball icon Andrew Gaze became an NBA Champion with the 1999 San Antonio Spurs, who defeated the New York Knicks in five games.

During his 22-year career, his NBA Championship ring is just one of many remarkable accomplishment. His success domestically and internationally distinguishes him as one of Australia’s best basketball players.

“There is nobody more deserving of legend status than Andrew Gaze. His contribution to the NBL, and to the sport of basketball in Australia, is unmatched,” NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger said at the time.

Aron Baynes — San Antonio Spurs (2014)

Australian big man Aron Baynes was crowned an NBA Champion when his San Antonio Spurs beat the Miami Heat in five games in the 2014 NBA Finals.

Baynes played integral minutes in the Spurs playoff run, recording playoff career-high numbers of 10 points and seven rebounds in the Spurs win over the Portland Trailblazers in the Western Conference semi-finals. In a career that spanned 16 years, Baynes was a consistent presence in the Australian Boomers lineup, and was part of the team that claimed the bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Patty Mills — San Antonio Spurs (2014)

Patty Mills played with fellow Australian Aron Baynes on the San Antonio Spurs side that lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2014.

In the 2013-14 NBA season Mills played in a team high 81 regular season games and 23 playoff games contributing 10.2 points shooting at 42.5% from beyond the arc.

“He’s a special guy. His energy has been important to us all year long. He’s a real significant reason why we got to the finals," Spurs coach Greg Popovich said.

Patty Mills’ elite three-point shooting was on show in his historic Game 5 performance in the NBA Finals where his 14-point third quarter helped the Spurs secure the championship.

Andrew Bogut — Golden State Warriors (2015)

The first Australian selected with the No.1 overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, Andrew Bogut became an NBA Champion in 2015 when Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

He played an pivotal role as starting centre, appearing in 67 regular season games and 19 playoff games in the 2015 NBA season.

Bogut earned praise from teammates and coaches for his vital contributions and selfless play on both ends of the court.

“He is one of the best passing big men who has ever lived,” Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr declared.

Matthew Dellavedova — Cleveland Cavaliers (2016)

In 2016, Matthew Dellavedova became an NBA Champion as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors in a seven-game series.

In one of the most memorable NBA seasons where the Cavaliers became the first team to comeback from 3-1 in an NBA Finals series, Dellavedova’s relentless approach to defending Steph Curry has become an iconic moment in NBA history.

“Delly almost died guarding Steph,” former teammate JR Smith said.

The Cavaliers triumph in 2016 has become historic for various reasons, including the famous “BLOCK BY JAMES” but it was the spirit and passion demonstrated by Dellavedova that has resonated with many Australian fans.

"I just see a guy who plays hard, who's tough, hard-nosed, and that's the way the game should be played,” Cavaliers coach Ty Lue said.

Jack White — Denver Nuggets (2023)

Jack White is the last Australian NBA Champion, who triumphed in 2023 when his Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in five games. White became the third person to win both the NBA and NBL titles in this career. He joined the Nuggets on a two-way contract for the 2022-23 season where he made 17 appearances.

With either Ducas or Furphy set to join this exclusive club, Australia continues to leave its mark on the NBA’s grandest stage.