Leroy Loggins facts for kids

Leroy Loggins, born on December 20, 1957, is a famous Australian-American former professional basketball player. He played in Australia's top league, the NBL, for many years, from 1981 until 2001. Loggins is known as one of the greatest players in NBL history.

College Basketball Journey

Leroy Loggins was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in the United States. He went to Fairmont State University in Fairmont, West Virginia. After his college career, he was chosen by the Detroit Pistons in the 8th round of the 1980 NBA draft.

Professional Basketball Career

Starting in the NBL (1981-1983)

In 1981, Leroy Loggins joined the Brisbane Bullets for his first NBL season. He helped the team reach the NBL Semi-finals for the second time in a row.

For the 1982 NBL season, Loggins moved to play for the West Adelaide Bearcats. He joined other great players like Ken Richardson and Al Green. The Bearcats won their only NBL Championship that year. They beat the Geelong Supercats 80–74 in the Grand Final. Even though there wasn't an official Grand Final MVP award in 1982, Loggins was the top scorer with 32 points. He was also picked for his first All NBL First Team.

After the 1983 season, where West Adelaide lost the Grand Final, Loggins went back to the Brisbane Bullets. He stayed with them for the rest of his career.

Becoming an NBL Star (1984-1987)

In 1984, Loggins continued to play amazingly well. He was chosen for the All NBL First Team again. He also won the NBL's Most Valuable Player award. He averaged 29.3 points, 3.4 steals, and 1.9 blocked shots per game that season.

In 1985, Loggins won his second NBL championship, and the Bullets won their first. They defeated the Adelaide 36ers 121–95 in the Grand Final in Brisbane. Loggins was again the top player, scoring 41 points. He was selected for his fourth straight All NBL First Team.

The Bullets moved to the much bigger Brisbane Entertainment Centre in 1986. Leroy Loggins won his second NBL MVP award that year. The Bullets reached the Grand Final again, playing against the Adelaide 36ers. This time, the final was a three-game series. Game 1 set a record for Australian indoor attendance with over 11,000 fans. Loggins scored 38 points in that game. The 36ers won the series 2–1. Loggins was picked for his fifth straight All NBL First Team.

In 1987, Loggins made history by becoming the first player to win back-to-back NBL Most Valuable Player awards. He shared the award with Mark Davis of the Adelaide 36ers. Brisbane reached their fourth Grand Final in a row, playing the Perth Wildcats. Loggins played brilliantly in the Grand Final series, averaging 26.5 points. The Bullets won the championship 2–0. Loggins was named the Grand Final MVP and also the league's Best Defensive Player. He was also named to a record sixth straight All NBL First Team.

Later Career and Retirement (1988-2001)

Loggins was selected for his seventh straight All NBL First Team in 1988. In 1989, for the first time since 1981, Loggins was not on the All NBL First Team.

In 1990, Loggins became the captain of the Bullets. He returned to the All NBL First Team and won his second Best Defensive Player award. Brisbane reached the NBL Grand Final series against the Perth Wildcats. The Wildcats won the series 2–1. Game 2 of the series saw the largest NBL crowd ever in Brisbane, with 13,221 fans.

Loggins continued to captain the Bullets until he retired after the 2000–01 NBL season. He led the Bullets to the playoffs every season from 1992 to 1999. He was also selected to the All NBL First Team in 1993 and 1994.

During his career, Loggins played in many NBL All-Star Games. He won the All-Star Game MVP award twice, in 1982 and 1988. He is one of only three players to win this award twice.

Leroy Loggins retired after 21 seasons in the NBL. He was still an important player for the Bullets even at 43 years old. The Bullets retired his number 30 jersey to honor him.

Loggins played a record 567 games in the NBL, though this record has since been broken. He scored 13,106 points, grabbed 3,897 rebounds, and is second all-time in steals with 1,221.

In 2006, Leroy Loggins was inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame.

International Basketball

After becoming an Australian citizen, Loggins was chosen to play for the Australian Boomers (the national team) at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. He joined other famous players like Luc Longley and Andrew Gaze. Australia finished 6th in the tournament. Loggins' best game was against Puerto Rico, where he scored 19 points. He averaged 12.2 points per game at the Olympics.

Awards and Records

Major Awards

• NBL Most Valuable Player – 3 times (1984, 1986, 1987)
• All NBL First Team – 10 times (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994)
• NBL Grand Final MVP – 1 time (1987)
• NBL All-Star Game MVP – 2 times (1982, 1988)
• NBL's Best Defensive Player – 2 times (1987, 1990)
• NBL's 20th Anniversary Team – (1998)
• NBL's 25th Anniversary Team – (2003)
• Note: No official Grand Final MVP was awarded in 1982 or 1985, but Loggins was named player of the match in both games.

Brisbane Bullets Records

Leroy Loggins holds many records for the Brisbane Bullets team:

• Most games played (539)
• Most points scored (11,777)
• Most assists (1,463)
• Most steals (1,194)
• Most blocked shots (463)
• Most offensive rebounds (1,147)
• Most defensive rebounds (2,286)
• Most total rebounds (3,433)
• Most turnovers (1,344)
• Fifth in free-throw percentage (83.2%)
• Tenth in three-point percentage (39.4%)

NBL Records

• 23 games with 40 or more points scored.