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Lucien (Luc) Longley - Basketball
Luc Longley became the first Australian to be selected to play in the elite NBA competition when he was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1991. Two years later he was traded to the Chicago Bulls where he found himself playing alongside greats like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen and part of a line-up which took out three consecutive NBA Championships in 1996-7-8 He retired from the NBA in 2001 having played 567 games. He also represented Australia in three Olympic Games (1988, '92 and 2000), with two of those sides ('88 and 2000) finishing fourth, the highest placing Australia has achieved.Luc Longley's ability was apparent from an early age. At 16 he was a member of the Australian Under-19 side and the following year began his senior career with the Perth Wildcats. At 19 he was a member of the national team for the Seoul Olympics.His reputation was such that when he opted to move to the USA he was taken by the Timberwolves at number seven in the 1991 NBA draft.After his retirement from the NBA he returned to Perth to become part-owner of the Perth Wildcats and an ambassador for the "Be Active" program of the WA Department of Youth, Recreation and Sport.
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