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Lamar Patterson on His NBL Career, Playing in India, and his chances of returning to the NBL

Aussie Hoopla NBL & NBA Podcast

Release Date: 05/18/2025

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Aussie Hoopla NBL & NBA Podcast

Originally recorded in 2018 — this episode has been remastered and re-released following the passing of Australian basketball legend Ken Cole. Ken Cole, a championship-winning coach of the Adelaide 36ers and architect of the iconic 1986 “Invincibles” season (24–2), left a lasting impact on basketball in Australia — as a coach, leader, and later President of the Sixers. In this interview, Ken reflects on his return to the Adelaide 36ers, his battle with multiple myeloma, and shares unforgettable stories from the early days of the NBL — from the birth of the game in Australia to the...

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Aussie Hoopla NBL & NBA Podcast

Former Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks owner Dorry Kordahi takes us inside his latest venture — buying into the Lebanese Basketball League and becoming president of the NSA Falcons. Host Dan Boyce chats with Kordahi on why the LBL is one of the most powerful basketball markets in the world (and why the timing to invest is right now), how the opportunity came together through long-time connections, and what he’s already doing on the ground. From there, the conversation shifts back home. Kordahi addresses ongoing talk around NBL expansion — including his interest in a second Sydney...

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Aussie Hoopla NBL & NBA Podcast

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Aussie Hoopla NBL & NBA Podcast

We continue diving deeper into one of Aussie hoops’ fiercest rivalries — Sydney vs Illawarra — picking things up as and his rookie of the year season in 2019 that propelled the Hawks into the global spotlight, setting NBL viewership and attendance records, while the Kings reload under Will Weaver and push for a championship in a season that ends in chaos. Host Dan Boyce breaks down LaMelo’s viral debut, his back-to-back triple-doubles, and the impact of the injury to Aaron Brooks to Illawarra playoff hopes, before diving into the record-setting 17,514 crowd that packed Qudos Bank...

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Aussie Hoopla NBL & NBA Podcast

We continue diving deeper dive into one of Aussie hoops’ fiercest rivalries — Sydney vs Illawarra — picking things up from the Wollongong Hawks’ historic 2001 championship and tracking how the Kings and Hawks battled for New South Wales bragging rights through the mid-2000s. Host Dan Boyce revisits Wollongong’s underdog run to become the first NSW club to win an NBL title, then jumps into Sydney’s response — the arrival of Brian Goorjian, the recruitment of Chris Williams and Kavossy Franklin, and the three-year stretch that saw the Kings finally shed the “Violet Crumbles”...

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Aussie Hoopla NBL & NBA Podcast

We continue our deep dive into one of Australian basketball’s greatest rivalries... Sydney versus Illawarra. This episode we continue on through the late 1990s and into the Hawks’ historic 2001 championship run. Host Dan Boyce picks up the rivalry from 1995 onward, exploring the coaching swaps, player defections, and the rise of a new generation of stars — from ’s move to Sydney and ’ breakout in Illawarra, to the emergence of , who would soon become the face of the Hawks. Featuring first-hand accounts from , Shane Heal, , , Bill Tomlinson, , and Glen Saville, this episode covers a...

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Aussie Hoopla NBL & NBA Podcast

We continue our deep dive into one of Aussie hoops’ fiercest rivalries — Sydney vs Illawarra — looking at the success of both teams during the 1990s. Host Dan Boyce picks up where Episode 1 left off, bringing in Hawks legend to get his throughts on whether his move to Sydney in 1983 was the starting point of the Kings v Hawks rivalry, before moving their the success of both teams during the 1990s Featuring first-hand accounts from Gordie McLeod, , , and , this episode continues to blends personal stories of the NBL's boom period, while continuing to flesh out the history of the Hawks v...

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Aussie Hoopla NBL & NBA Podcast

We crack open one of Aussie hoops’ spiciest grudge matches: Sydney vs Illawarra. Host Dan Boyce traces the rivalry back before the Kings even existed—into state-league days at the Snakepit—then follows it through the 1986 replay controversy, the Kings’ 1988 merger and rise, and the big-city v small-town energy that’s fuelled decades of heat. Featuring first-hand stories from Bob Turner, Greg Hubbard and Chuck Harmison, this episode blends history, on-court flashpoints, and off-court theatre to show how the “Freeway Series” became must-watch basketball. Topics include: What...

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Aussie Hoopla NBL & NBA Podcast

shares his journey from a standout NCAA career at Cal and NBA aspirations, to becoming one of the most explosive imports in Australian basketball during the mid-2000s. He breaks down the Pirates’ underdog rise in 2004 under Adrian Hurley, his dynamic partnership with Kavossy Franklin, and the unforgettable playoff push that followed. We also revisit his return to the league with New Zealand, a blistering run of form that included multiple 30-point nights before injury struck. Wethers opens up about how the game has evolved since then, what came next after his playing days, and the...

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Lamar Patterson joins the podcast to talk through the highs, lows, and wild turns of a pro career that’s taken him from Pittsburgh to the NBA, NBL, China, Puerto Rico, and most recently, India.

Patterson opens up about his time in India’s pro league, his rollercoaster ride with the Brisbane Bullets, and why things unravelled during his stint with the New Zealand Breakers. He also shares how close he came to signing NBL deals in each of the past two seasons, what’s kept him motivated off the radar, and why he still hopes to return to the league that made him a fan favourite.

 
 
 

Topics include:

🏀 Competing in India’s national league (iNBL) and how the opportunity came about (2:00)
🏀 How close he came to signing with both Adelaide and South East Melbourne last NBL season (8:00)
🏀 Growing up in Pennsylvania and why he chose to play college ball at the University of Pittsburgh (13:00)
🏀 His thoughts on the positives and drawbacks of the AAU basketball system in the U.S. (21:00)
🏀 Career highlights from college and key development moments (26:00)
🏀 Playing alongside Kiwi big man Steven Adams—and some hilarious behind-the-scenes stories (27:00)
🏀 When NBA teams started to take notice and how the draft process unfolded (31:00)
🏀 Being selected in the second round and heading to Turkey instead of directly to the NBA (34:00)
🏀 Playing for the Atlanta Hawks and life in the NBA (43:00)
🏀 How his journey led him to the NBL and signing with the Brisbane Bullets (102:00)
🏀 His time with Brisbane—being the focal point, dealing with injuries, and battling through setbacks (110:00)
🏀 Leaving Brisbane for New Zealand, what went wrong with the Breakers, and how he ended up returning (118:00)
🏀 What it was like when coach Andrej Lemanis parted ways with the Bullets (125:00)
🏀 Reflecting on how his NBL career wrapped up and where things currently stand (133:00)
🏀 The toughest moments of his career and the biggest lessons he's taken from them (138:00)

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