It’s easy to enjoy the pipedream of stardom for rookies who haven’t had a single minute of NBA action yet, but at some point, you wake up to reality. What was the truth for the past five draft picks?
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Kai Sotto (Photo from Adelaide 36ers) Kai Sotto officially made his debut in Australia’s National Basketball League during the Adelaide 36ers’ 93-67 road loss Saturday, Dec. 18 to the Cairns Taipans. The 7-foot-3 scored one point, grabbed three rebounds, dished out two assists and blocked two shot
Jawai, 34, was the first Indigenous basketballer to play in the NBA and for the Australian Boomers.
He was dubbed Outback Shaq while playing for the Toronto Raptors in his debut season in 2008 after former LA Lakers, Orlando Magic and Miami Heat legend Shaquille O Neal.
Jawai, a Torres Strait Islander who was a fan favourite for the Cairns Taipans in the NBL, says there was one aspect of his stint in the elite league he disliked. Jawai (pictured) suffered a number of life-threating injuries including an irregular heartbeat and damage to arteries around his head and neck My nickname, Outback Shaq, isn’t abuse, but I hated it and I still hate it to this day, Jawaii told The Advertiser.