Mark Worthington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mark Worthington

No. 33 – Willetton Tigers
Power forward / small forward
Personal information
Born	(1983-06-08) 8 June 1983 (age 42) Bunbury, Western Australia, Australia
High school	Australind Senior (Australind, Western Australia)
Listed weight	107 kg (236 lb)
Career information
College	Metro State (2001–2005)
NBA Draft	2005 / Undrafted
Pro career	1999–2017; 2023–
Coaching career	2016–present
League	NBL1 West
Career history
As player:
1999–2002	Bunbury Slammers
2004	Bunbury Slammers
2005–2008	Sydney Kings
2008	Bunbury Slammers
2008–2009	South Dragons
2009–2010	Melbourne Tigers
2010	Brose Baskets
2010–2012	Gold Coast Blaze
2011	Mets de Guaynabo
2011	Piratas de Quebradillas
2012–2013	Radnički Kragujevac
2013–2015	Melbourne Tigers/United
2015–2017	Cairns Taipans
2023–present	Willetton Tigers
As coach:
2016–2017	Cairns Dolphins
2017–2018	Loyola Marymount (assistant)
2020–2021	South West Slammers men's team
Career highlights and awards
BBL champion (2010) NBL champion (2009) 4× All-NBL First Team (2008–2010, 2012) NBL Rookie of the Year (2006) NABC Division II Player of the Year (2005) SBL champion (1999)
Medals Men's basketball Representing  Australia Gold 2006 Melbourne Team competition

Mark Worthington (born 8 June 1983) is an Australian basketball player. He currently plays for the Willetton Tigers in the NBL1 West league. Mark played for 11 seasons in Australia's top basketball league, the NBL. He is known for playing as a power forward or small forward.

Early Life and Junior Career

Mark Worthington was born in Bunbury, Western Australia. He grew up in a nearby town called Australind. There, he went to Australind Primary School and Australind Senior High School. As a young player, Mark played for the Bunbury Slammers. He also started his career as a development player for the Cairns Taipans.

College Basketball in the USA

Mark went to the United States to play college basketball. He played for Metropolitan State University of Denver from 2001 to 2005. His coach there was Mike Dunlap. In the 2004–05 season, Mark won a big award. He was named the NABC Division II Player of the Year. This award goes to the best player in his college division.

Professional Basketball Career

After his successful college career, Mark Worthington returned to Australia. He joined the Sydney Kings in the NBL.

Starting in the NBL

Mark made his NBL debut in the 2005–06 season. He quickly showed how good he was. He won the NBL Rookie of the Year Award in his first season. Mark played for the Sydney Kings for three seasons.

Winning a Championship

After leaving the Kings, Mark signed with the South Dragons for the 2008–09 season. He helped the Dragons win the NBL championship that year. Sadly, the South Dragons team stopped playing in 2009.

Moving to Melbourne and Germany

After the Dragons, Mark joined the Melbourne Tigers for the 2009–10 season. In 2010, he also played for a German team called Brose Baskets for a short time.

Playing for Gold Coast and in Puerto Rico

For the 2010–11 season, Mark played for the Gold Coast Blaze. In 2011, he also had short periods playing in Puerto Rico. He played for teams like Mets de Guaynabo and Piratas de Quebradillas. He then returned to the Gold Coast Blaze for the 2011–12 season.

Time in Serbia

In July 2012, Mark signed with a Serbian team, Radnički Kragujevac. He played 14 games there, scoring about 10 points per game. However, he got an injury in December 2012. This injury ended his season early, and he left the team in February 2013.

Return to Melbourne and Cairns

On 18 July 2013, Mark came back to the Melbourne Tigers for his second time. In May 2014, the team changed its name to Melbourne United.

On 7 July 2015, Mark signed a two-year deal with the Cairns Taipans. On 13 January 2016, he played his 300th NBL game. Mark decided to retire at the end of the 2016–17 season. His last NBL game was his 335th. It was a semi-final loss to the Perth Wildcats on 20 February 2017.

Coming Out of Retirement

Mark Worthington was honored in 2013 by being named to the Sydney Kings 25th Anniversary Team. In 2022, he was added to the Basketball WA Hall of Fame.

On 2 March 2023, Mark, at 39 years old, decided to play basketball again. He signed with the Willetton Tigers in the NBL1 West league for the 2023 season.

Playing for Australia

Mark Worthington first played for the Australian national team in 2005. This was at the FIBA Oceania Championship. He has represented Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He also played in the FIBA World Championship in 2006 and 2010.

Coaching Career

Mark Worthington has also worked as a basketball coach.

• In February 2016, he became the head coach for the Cairns Dolphins women's team in the QBL.
• After two seasons, he was an assistant coach for the Loyola Marymount Lions men's basketball team in the U.S. college season (2017–18).
• In October 2019, Mark was named head coach of the South West Slammers men's team in the SBL for the 2020 season. He continued coaching them in the first season of the NBL1 West in 2021.

Personal Life

Mark Worthington's family has a strong connection to basketball. His father, Greg, is a basketball coach. His brother, Trent, played for many years with the Slammers' SBL team.

Mark has two sons, Taz and Axel, with his ex-wife, Andrea. In May 2023, he announced his engagement to AFLW player Dana Hooker. They got married in December 2023. In June 2024, they shared that they are expecting their first child together in December 2024.

In August 2012, there was talk that Mark might try playing Australian rules football for the West Coast Eagles. His uncle, Kevin Worthington, was also a famous Australian rules football player in the 1970s and 1980s.

See also

In Spanish: Mark Worthington para niños