Andrew Gaze facts for kids
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Gaze at a Melbourne Tigers home game in 2011
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 July 1965 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| High school | Albert Park College (Melbourne, Victoria) |
| Listed weight | 95 kg (209 lb) |
| Career information | |
| College | Seton Hall (1988–1989) |
| NBA Draft | 1989 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | 1984–2005 |
| Coaching career | 2016–present |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1984–2005 | Melbourne Tigers |
| 1991–1992 | Udine |
| 1994 | Washington Bullets |
| 1995 | Apollon Patras |
| 1999 | San Antonio Spurs |
| As coach: | |
| 2016–2017 | Melbourne Tigers |
| 2016–2019 | Sydney Kings |
| 2022–2024 | Melbourne Tigers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBL statistics | |
| Points | 18,908 (30.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 3,121 (5.1 rpg) |
| Assists | 3,531 (5.8 apg) |
Andrew Gaze is a famous Australian former professional basketball player and coach. He played for 22 seasons in Australia's top basketball league, the NBL, with the Melbourne Tigers. He played from 1984 to 2005.
Andrew Gaze won the NBL's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award seven times. He also led the league in scoring 14 times. He helped the Melbourne Tigers win two NBL championships in 1993 and 1997. He was chosen for the All-NBL First Team for a record 15 years in a row. Many people say Andrew Gaze is one of the best basketball players Australia has ever had.
Gaze also played for the Australian national team, called the Boomers. He played in five Summer Olympic Games. He was even the flag bearer for Australia at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He was also the team captain.
Andrew Gaze has received many honors. He was added to the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2002, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia. In 2013, he joined his father, Lindsay Gaze, in the FIBA Hall of Fame. This made them the third Australians to be inducted. Two Australian basketball awards are named after him: the NBL MVP award (Andrew Gaze Trophy) and the Australian International Player of the Year award (Gaze Medal).
Contents
Early Life and Family
Andrew Gaze was born in Melbourne, Victoria, on July 24, 1965. His parents are Lindsay and Margaret Gaze. He has an older sister named Janet. Andrew's uncle, Tony Gaze, used to coach the Australian women's basketball team, the Opals. His cousin, Mark Gaze, also played in the NBL and for Australia.
Andrew grew up around basketball because his father was a manager for the Victorian Basketball Association. After finishing school at Albert Park College, Andrew decided to become a professional basketball player. He also studied at Victoria University in Melbourne.
Playing Career Highlights
Starting in the NBL and College Basketball
In 1984, when Andrew Gaze was 18, he joined the Melbourne Tigers in the NBL. In his first season, he won the NBL Rookie of the Year Award. He scored an amazing 29.1 points per game. By 1986, he was chosen for the All-NBL First Team. He stayed on this team for 15 years in a row, until 2000.
In the 1987 NBL season, Gaze set an NBL record by scoring 44.1 points per game. This was a huge achievement, even though his team finished last that year. During that season, he scored 60 points in one game and had five other games where he scored over 50 points!
After the 1988 NBL season, Gaze went to the United States. He was recruited to play college basketball for Seton Hall University. In the 1988–89 season, he played 38 games for the Seton Hall Pirates. He helped them reach the NCAA Final Four for the first time ever. He scored 19 points in their Elite Eight win and 20 points in the National Semifinal. Seton Hall lost a very close game in overtime in the NCAA Championship. After one year, Gaze returned to Australia and rejoined the Melbourne Tigers.
Andrew Gaze was known for his amazing shooting skills, especially from long range. He and American player Lanard Copeland became a powerful duo for the Tigers. They led the team to NBL championships in 1993 and 1997. Gaze played under his father, Lindsay, as coach, and they made the Tigers a top team.
Andrew Gaze played for the Tigers for 20 seasons. He retired from the NBL after the 2004–05 NBL season. He played a total of 612 games and scored 18,908 points. This means he averaged about 30.9 points per game throughout his career.
Playing in Europe and the NBA
Besides playing in Australia, Andrew Gaze also played overseas in the 1990s. In 1991, he was the first Australian man to play professional basketball in Europe. He played for a team called Udine in Italy. He scored over 30 points per game during his six months there.
In March 1994, Gaze went to the United States to play in the NBA. He signed with the Washington Bullets. He played seven games for them. Later, in 1995, he played in Greece for a team called Apollon Patras.
He had another short time in the NBA during the 1998–99 season with the San Antonio Spurs. He didn't play much because the Spurs team was very strong. That year, the Spurs won their first NBA championship.
Playing for the Australian National Team
Andrew Gaze was also a star for the Australian national team, the Boomers. He first played in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games when he was just 19. He was the top scorer at the 1994 FIBA World Championship, helping Australia finish fifth.
In 2000, Gaze became one of only a few basketball players to compete in five Olympic Games. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he was the flag bearer for Australia at the opening ceremony. He was also the Australian team captain. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he led the Boomers to their best Olympic result at the time, finishing fourth.
Gaze also played in four FIBA World Cup tournaments for the Boomers. He played over 280 games for Australia. He is the second-highest scorer in Summer Olympic Games history. He is also third in scoring in FIBA World Cup history.
Coaching Career
Sydney Kings
In April 2016, Andrew Gaze became the head coach of the Sydney Kings in the NBL. He coached the team for three seasons before leaving in 2019.
Melbourne Tigers
Gaze also coached the Melbourne Tigers men's team in the SEABL in 2016 and 2017. He returned to coach the Melbourne Tigers men's team, now in the NBL1 South, for the 2022, 2023, and 2024 seasons.
Indiana Pacers
In 2017, Gaze joined the coaching staff of the Indiana Pacers for the Orlando Summer League. This was a chance to work with an NBA team.
Personal Life
After he stopped playing basketball professionally, Andrew Gaze became a media personality. He worked as an NBL commentator for Network Ten and Fox Sports. He also became a presenter on a TV show called Bounce. In 2006, he was a contestant on the TV show Dancing with the Stars.
Andrew Gaze is married to Melinda, and they have four children: Courtney, Phoebe, Annie, and Mason. In 2014, he was named Australian Father of the Year by a children's charity.
Records, Honours, and Awards
Andrew Gaze has achieved many amazing things in basketball:
- He played in the most Summer Olympic Games for an Australian basketball player (5 Olympics: 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, and 2000).
- He was the flag bearer and Australian Team Captain at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
- He was inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame (2004), Sport Australia Hall of Fame (2005), and FIBA Hall of Fame (2013). In 2022, he was given "legend status" in the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame.
- He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2002.
- In the NBL, he holds many records:
- 1st in Points scored – 18,908
- 1st in Assists – 3,531
- 1st in Field Goals Made – 6,484
- 1st in 3-Pointers Made – 1,826
- 1st in Free Throws Made – 4,114
- 2nd in Games Played – 612
- 3rd in Steals – 1,075
- He holds the NBL record for the highest points per game average in a single season (44.1 in 1987).
- He was an NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999.
- He won 2 NBL championships (1993, 1997).
- He was named NBL MVP 7 times (1991, 1992, 1994–1998).
- He was chosen for the All-NBL First Team 15 times (1986–2000).
- He was the NBL scoring champion 14 times (1986, 1988, 1989, 1991–2001).
- He was the NBL assist champion in 1989.
- He was an NBL All-Star 11 times (1988–1997, 2004).
- He was named NBL Rookie of the Year in 1984.
- He won the Gaze Medal 6 times (1990, 1994–1996, 1998, 2000).
- He was named one of FIBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1991.
- He was a member of the NBL's 20th, 25th, and 40th anniversary teams.
Honour Roll
| NBL career: | 1984–2005 |
| NBL Championships: | 2× (1993, 1997) |
| NBL Grand Final appearances: | 4× (1992, 1993, 1996, 1997) |
| NBL Most Valuable Player: | 7× (1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998) |
| All-NBL First Team: | 15× (1986–2000) |
| NBL Rookie of the Year: | 1984 |
| Gaze Medal: | 6× (1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000) |
| Australian Basketball Hall of Fame: | 2004 |
| Sport Australia Hall of Fame: | 2005 |
| FIBA Hall of Fame: | 2013 |
See also
In Spanish: Andrew Gaze para niños
- List of athletes with the most appearances at Olympic Games
