Advertisment

Sport

8 July, 2024

Matthew Dellavedova earns selection to fourth Olympic Games in Paris

Delly’s in! Our very own Matthew Dellavedova will represent Australia at his fourth Olympic Games when he takes to the Paris courts in three weeks time, with the Boomers officially naming their 12-man squad on Sunday. The squad was leaked on...

By Michael Thompson

Photo: Peak Sport Australia.
Photo: Peak Sport Australia.

Delly’s in!

Our very own Matthew Dellavedova will represent Australia at his fourth Olympic Games when he takes to the Paris courts in three weeks time, with the Boomers officially naming their 12-man squad on Sunday.

The squad was leaked on Friday afternoon, confirming that the Melbourne United guard has made the grade for his fourth Olympics, joining a very select group of basketballers in Australian history to have represented the Boomers four times.

He’ll be joined by Patty Mills and Joe Ingles, with the two experienced guards making their fifth Olympic appearance — two of four who will now represent Australia in basketball five times.

The Boomers are taking a guard-heavy lineup to Paris, sensing the need for good ball movement and spacing.

Dellavedova will have a crucial role as a veteran of the squad alongside Mills and Ingles, who will no doubt keep the likes of the Chicago Bulls’ Josh Giddey and Atlanta Hawks’ Bendigo-based product Dyson Daniels level-headed.

The squad also features the likes of Dallas Mavericks’ guard Dante Exum, Portland Trail Blazers’ Duop Reath and a host of National Basketball League stars that Dellavedova played against throughout the 2023/24 season, including Tasmania Jack Jumpers star Jack McVeigh.

Dellavedova’s return to the national setup is a story of persistence which has continued to define his career.

The 33-year-old fought his way into the National Basketball Association after going undrafted in 2013, making it to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he would play for four years, culminating in a cham-pionship in 2016.

Stints at Milwaukee, a return to the Cavaliers, two stints at United and Sacramento followed.

There were headlines last season when Dellavedova was omitted from the Boomers lineup for the FIBA World Cup, but Dellavedova was determined to ensure that he would find his way back into the team.

Throughout the 2023/24 NBL season, Dellavedova averaged 12.9 points, 6.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds after shaking off concussion issues in the early part of the season,but it was his general play in the playoffs which appealed to coach Brian Goorjian as a big-game player for the Boomers, with standout performances including a 30-point, 10-assist game against Illawarra in the finals, as well as a 21-point, eight-assist performance in game three of the championship series against Tasmania.

Dellavedova has had a storied history at the Olympics, being part of the squad which helped Australia score their first basketball medal in Olympic history at the Tokyo Olympics, while also participating in London in 2012 and Rio in 2016.

He staked his claim at the recent Ford Ballin’ friendly matches against China, which saw him score three points and four assists in 10 minutes in the second meeting on Thursday night, after scoring three points, four rebounds and seven assists in game one of their two-game series.

From here, Dellavedova and his Boomers’ teammates will now travel to Abu Dhabi for a warm-up exhibition series against tough opponents, with the Boomers playing against the USA — and a reunion with former Cavaliers teammate LeBron James, before a meeting with Serbia, led by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, on July 15 and 16.

Australia’s group has also been revealed, and they are essentially in the group of death, with three incredibly tough opponents.

The Boomers will face Greece, led by Milwaukee’s star power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Canada, who will have Denver’s Jamal Murray and Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the line, and Spain, likely to be led by Memphis’ Santi Aldama, in Group A.

Advertisment

Most Popular