Newley hits 250

Written by Matt McQuade for Kings Media 

 

151 players have appeared in 250 games in the National Basketball League.

And it’s an illustrious list, populated in part by the legends of the game.

Names such as Gaze, Loggins, Maher, Crawford, Grace, Mackinnon, Anstey, Saville and both CJ and Cal Bruton feature prominently.

And this Saturday night at Qudos Bank Arena, you can add Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings forward Brad ‘El Toro’ Newley to the honour roll.

When Newley hits the floor against the Brisbane Bullets, he’ll join a club that very few Sydney Kings players have joined – in fact, just 38 men who have worn purple and gold over the last 32 seasons have reached the 250-mark in the NBL for a variety of teams.

But there’s also an ultra-exclusive club Brad will join this Saturday. In fact, it’s so exclusive, it will only have one member – Brad Newley.

He will become the player to have taken the longest in his career to reach 250 NBL games when he makes his first appearance on the court. From the time he played his first NBL game for the Townsville Crocodiles on 2 October, 2004, to the game against Brisbane, 6,091 days will have elapsed.

That’s 16 years, eight months and four days it will have taken Brad to reach his latest milestone.

“It’s not hard to figure out why,” Brad laughed.

“I spent the best part of a decade in Europe and played 431 games there, so Saturday will be game 681 in total.”

“Sometimes you don’t really reflect on milestones, but this one is a little bit special, I guess. My dad and my wife and kids will be at the game and they’re excited for it. They appreciate how long I’ve been going for and how consistent I’ve been.”

“A lot of guys are notching up 300 and 400 NBL games, so 250 isn’t a lot by comparison, but given where I’ve played and how long I’ve played, it’s a nice moment to reflect on what I’ve done.”

Indeed, Brad Newley has done a lot. A hell of a lot, in fact, in what has been a phenomenal career by any measure.

Professionally, he was the first – and to date, only – player ever to be named NBL Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year in the same season. He was the Most Valuable Player of the 2005 NBL All Star Game, and when he went to Europe after being taken by the Houston Rockets with the 54^th overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, he played in several powerhouse leagues in Spain, Turkey, Greece and Lithuania, before coming home and starring for the purple and gold, helping to take them to the NBL20 Grand Final Series.

And after all those years, he still remembers the first game he ever played in the NBL.

“Ironically, it was against Adelaide in Townsville,” Brad said.

“Adelaide were my hometown and I had supported the 36ers as a kid.”

“I scored two points. But my dad played in the NBL and his career average was like 1.6 points per game, so I’ve got that over him,” he laughed.

And as you’d expect from a guy generally considered to be one of the best small forwards this country has ever produced, there have been countless highlights over the time Brad has spent in the NBL.

Blessed with a great memory, he’s got a couple of standouts.

“In my first period in the NBL with Townsville, we played the Melbourne Tigers and I reckon it was Andrew Gaze’s last game,” he reflected.

“We played them at home in a quarter-final at the Swamp, and that win put us into the semis.”

“And then coming back to Australia with the Kings, it’s hard to go past last year’s semis against Melbourne. I was on the court during the comeback in Game One and I had a pretty good game – that comeback was exciting and pretty hard to forget.”

“To get to the Grand Final that year was a pretty big achievement for me and the club and hopefully we can get back there some day.”

For a guy whose career in the NBL has two distinct phases, Brad Newley has shared the court with some of the greatest players the league has seen; multiple legends and Hall of Famers.

He’s had many battles over the years with the best the sport has to offer in this country.

Not surprisingly, it’s a list that features a bunch of guys in his position who all can lay claim to being in the top echelon of the NBL’s finest.

“The first time around it was guys like Glen Saville, Jason Smith, Sam Mackinnon and Martin Cattalini, that kind of crop,” Brad remembered.

“They were a little bit older than me and I was coming up, so I faced them and they were strong guys.”

“When I came back it was a different generation of guys. Over the last four years Bryce Cotton has gotten the best of us at times; Casey Prather was always a good matchup with me and I enjoyed playing against him, and Casper (Ware) broke my heart a few times. Chris Goulding is another one who’s come through – it’s good to see his progress and coming up against him is always a lot of fun, we’re good mates and we always like to get stuck into it.”

“There’s a lot of guys – Damian Martin is another one who I loved watching his progress as well. There’s a lot of different guys and a lot of different stories, and I guess that’s just because of my longevity.”

“I was actually talking about that with my dad the other day, and even here in Sydney I’ve had like 40 different teammates in five years. So, that’s been tough, but at the same time it’s a bit of a testament to being able to hang in there and stay with the team. The last couple of years we’ve been a playoff team and we’re looking to make another push this year.”

Even though Brad is 36 years old and admittedly in the final phase of his stellar career, there’s no thought of retirement just yet.

As he hits 250 games in the National Basketball League, hanging ’em up is the furthest thing from his mind.

“I said earlier this year that I wanted to play on,” Brad said.

“I haven’t had any bad long-term injuries or anything like that; the injury I had this year was quite minor and I only missed a couple of weeks.”

“I guess when you reach 250 you reflect on how your career changes; you start out as a superstar young guy, then you come back still a star, then you turn into more of a role player and then a veteran kind of player. I guess it’s just learning as you go.”

“There’s been some really good moments this year; some other moments where I haven’t done as well, but provided my health and fitness is still there I don’t see why I can’t contribute on any team.”

Indeed, Brad Newley still has a lot to offer. Every team needs an outstanding veteran like him who always plays exceptionally hard and can still get a lot of things done, whether it’s hit a key outside shot, attack in transition for the deuce or take on a critical defensive assignment.

Bottom line – he’s one of the best to ever wear the purple and gold.

The Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings salute ‘El Toro’ on hitting the 250 mark. Let’s hope there’s more to come.

Rise With Us Sydney.