Luc Longley

Luc Longley
Personal information
Born (1969-01-19) 19 January 1969 (age 55)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Listed height7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)[1]
Listed weight265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High schoolScotch College
(Perth, Western Australia)
CollegeNew Mexico (1987–1991)
NBA draft1991: 1st round, 7th overall pick
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Playing career1986–2001
PositionCenter
Number13
Coaching career2013–present
Career history
1986Perth Wildcats
19911994Minnesota Timberwolves
19941998Chicago Bulls
19992000Phoenix Suns
2000–2001New York Knicks
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points4,090 (7.2 ppg)
Rebounds2,794 (4.9 rpg)
Blocks549 (1.0 bpg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Lucien James Longley AM (born 19 January 1969) is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player. He was the first Australian to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played for four teams over 10 seasons.[1] He most notably played for the Chicago Bulls, with whom he won three championships from 1996 to 1998. Longley represented Australia as a player at three Olympic Games in 1988, 1992 and 2000; he has worked as an assistant coach for the Australian national basketball team.

Longley began his career in Australia with a brief stint playing for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1986. He played collegiately for the New Mexico Lobos and was drafted 7th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1991 NBA draft. He played three middling seasons with the Timberwolves before he was traded to the Bulls in 1994. He became the Bulls' starting centre during their historic 1995–96 season when they set the NBA record for most wins in a regular season with 72. Longley was an important component of the team's success and stayed in the Bulls' starting lineup during their championship three-peat. After the demise of the Bulls after their 1998 championship win, he had brief stints playing with the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks.

  1. ^ a b Arsenis, Damian. "Australian basketball's forgotten NBA pioneer". The Pick and Roll. Retrieved 3 November 2020.