The ESPN Aussie Hoops Hour

The Boomers Olympic opener against Spain is just days away with a late injury to Dante Exum producing a potential wrinkle. Kane and Olgun discuss the impact of a potential Exum absence and expanded roles for Matthew Dellavedova, Joe Ingles and Josh Green. Have the Australian coaching staff been adjusting on the fly? Is Dyson Daniels the biggest positive to this point? Josh Giddey and Patty Mills c...

The 2024 Paris Olympics will feature the most stacked men's basketball tournament in its history, so ESPN's Olgun Uluc and Brian Windhorst run the rule on the big storylines to keep an eye on. The Australian Boomers have a renewed hope despite being in the group of death, Team USA looks unsurprisingly unbeatable, and there are clear medal contenders emerging. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

After a week of questions following squad selection, the Boomers impressed in warm up games against the USA and Serbia. Kane and Olgun break down the big man rotation and address a lack of Duop Reath minutes, praise the emergence of Dyson Daniels and dive into the Patty Mills discussion. Can a lack of volume shooting be overcome? Can the Josh Giddey-Jock Landale pick-and-roll carry the offence? Ha...

As Australia announced their squads for the Paris Olympics, the Boomers drew all the headlines with some big names missing out including Matisse Thybulle. Kane and Olgun discuss the final squad after the dust has settled on the initial announcement. Does the makeup make sense? Does the selected team fix problems from the World Cup? Are they able to compete in a loaded Group A with Greece, Canada a...

 With NBA free agency underway another Australian has been traded, with Josh Green heading to Charlotte. Kane and Olgun break down the news, while also touching on recent transactions involving Dyson Daniels and Josh Giddey. With further cuts looming to the Olympic squad, the guys look at all the big stories from the Boomers camp and what decisions Brian Goorjian is faced with during the Melbourne...

The road to the Paris Olympics continues to ramp up, with the Boomers dropping their initial 22-man squad. While the entire World Cup squad has been named, who are the players pushing for a spot in the squad? Kane makes a case for Matthew Dellavedova. Olgun makes a case for Jack McVeigh. The young additions to the squad are on the agenda and so is the idea of building a team and rotation that make...

Island. Defended. In what may have been the greatest NBL Championship series of all time, the Tasmania JackJumpers walked away with the title. From Jack McVeigh's heroics, Scott Roth's sideline genius, Jordan Crawford's scoring outbursts and Will Magnay's toughness, Tasmania got the job done. Kane and Olgun break down everything that went down in the series and discuss the Melbourne perspective af...

Well, that was emphatic. Melbourne United handed Tasmania it's biggest loss of the season, dominating the JackJumpers to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Kane and Olgun break down what went right for Melbourne, what went wrong for Tasmania and what it means for Game 2 and beyond. Will Magnay's minutes, the influence of officiating, MVP progress and the McVeigh vs. Travers matchup. It's all on the ag...

It all comes down to 40 minutes. Illawarra upset Melbourne and Tasmania steady to down Perth, forcing a pair of Game 3's on Wednesday night. Kane and Olgun name one thing that has surprised them from the series' so far. What happened to Keanu Pinder? How was Marcus Lee suspended? What has happened to Melbourne's defence? How has Sam Froling formed into a dominant force? Learn more about your ad ch...

The final four is set in the NBL, with the Illawarra Hawks outlasting the New Zealand Breakers on Monday night. How did the Hawks win? Should the Breakers feel unlucky? Was this a coming of age moment for Sam Froling? How will the Hawks handle United? Also, Brian Goorjian looks set to re-join the Sydney Kings, as Kane and Olgun ponder why this job would be attractive for the legendary coach. Will...

After an unfortunate pause for the FIBA break, the NBL postseason is ready to launch. Kane and Olgun preview New Zealand vs. Sydney and Illawarra vs. Tasmania. Key matchups, concerns and important storylines are all on the agenda. Should Justin Tatum have won coach of the year? Has the NBL ruined league momentum with the pause into the postseason? How can it be fixed? Did any of Boomers put their...

Brad Newley -- a two-time Olympian who was among the trailblazers for Australians playing professional basketball in Europe -- has made the decision to retire at the conclusion of the 2023-24 NBL season. He sat down with ESPN's Olgun Uluc to talk about the decision, his career, and what lies ahead! Congratulations Newls! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With one round to play, one of the Sydney Kings, New Zealand Breakers, Illawarra Hawks or Brisbane Bullets will miss the Play-In tournament. How did the Kings get here? Why have they been unable to stop the skid despite boasting a star studded roster? Which team is in the greatest danger of missing out? Have the Breakers found an easy fix for losing Anthony Lamb? Who is the coach of the year? How...

With two rounds to play, the race for the NBL Play-In Tournament in delicately poised. Can New Zealand withstand the loss of Anthony Lamb? Will Illawarra navigate a four-game gauntlet to end the regular season? Can Sydney find any semblance of their old selves? Where does Brisbane fit in the mix? Kane and Olgun discuss this, before pouring into an interesting weekend for the Perth Wildcats, a mass...

South East Melbourne stunned the Sydney Kings behind a monster Mitch Creek game, but another postseason without Creek seems on the cards. Have the Phoenix wasted the last few years? Illawarra once again nullified Bryce Cotton, but what did the loss mean for the Perth WIldcats in the big picture? Between Dean Vickerman and John RIllie, press conferences are heating up in the road to the postseason,...

A dominant first quarter from the Perth Wildcats set up a big road win that has them within touching distance of Melbourne United for top spot and home court throughout the playoffs. That road win came against the Sydney Kings, but did the defending champs make progress despite the result? What led to Tasmania's dominant win over Melbourne United and with the re-emergence of Will Magnay and Isaac...

Tasmania are really difficult to put away. That's a good thing. But....they keep losing close games so what does it all mean? As for the Sydney Kings, did a blow out win over New Zealand re-ignite the faith in the team? Kane and Olgun also look into bounce back seasons for Nathan Sobey and Isaac Humphries, while also looking ahead to this week and discussing with teams are in focus this week. Lear...

The Sydney Kings lost twice on the weekend and the postgame press conference left the impression that they are a team unclear on where to turn. What are the issues? Can they be fixed? Is the 3-peat possible? If the Kings are looking for in season turnaround inspiration, they could look West, with the Perth Wildcats continuing to run through the league. We know Bryce Cotton is on fire, but who are...

Finally healthy, have the New Zealand Breakers announced themselves as a threat in the NBL title race? Losers of four out of their last five games, what is going on in Tasmania and are the JackJumpers in trouble? Only one team has beaten Melbourne United twice this season….the Cairns Taipans. While that might be surprising, the young talent on the Taipans roster continues to bring a unique look at...

It’s a Christmas edition of the ESPN Aussie Hoops hour. A double dose of upsets on Christmas Day, leaves Kane and Olgun pondering the Illawarra Hawks revival and the grit of South East Melbourne. Where is the urgency for the slumping Sydney Kings? Has Tasmania lost an edge? Do the Perth Wildcats need to help Bryce Cotton? Is there such thing as an upset in the wild NBL playoff chase? Also, Dante E...

The NBL is wildly tight in the standings right now, which begs the question...what teams can we actually trust? Kane and Olgun discuss a South East Melbourne setback, the suddenly competitive Illawarra Hawks and what to take from a highly entertaining matchup between Tasmania and Perth. Has Kane's faith waivered on the JackJumpers? Did Olgun personally fix the Sydney defence? Are Dante Exum and Jo...

Kane Pitman and Olgun Uluc are back together for this week's ESPN Aussie Hoops Hour. The boys discuss the import signing of Abdel Nader to the Phoenix, ask whether Olgun is FINALLY on the JackJumpers contender train, before diving into the slumping Sydney Kings woes. The boys also ask whether the Illawarra Hawks can cause some hassles down the stretch and take an overall look at the NBA's first In...

Olgun is joined by Pete Hooley to deep dive on all things Adelaide 36ers. The team parted ways with head coach CJ Bruton amid a wild set of circumstances, in the middle of another horror season. How did the 36ers get to this position and was moving on from Bruton the right move? Where to next for a team that spends big but hasn’t made the postseason in 5 years? Everything is on the table, and ther...

The FIBA break may have brought a halt to the NBL for a weekend, but it hasn't stopped the storylines, with a change to the All NBL criteria leading off the show. Kane and Olgun then take a temperature check on the Adelaide 36ers, Brisbane Bullets, New Zealand Breakers and Tasmania JackJumpers. On the second portion of the episode, the guys discuss the early NBA returns for Dyson Daniels, Josh Gre...

Melbourne and Sydney played out a heavyweight matchup with United coming out on top. What changed in the second half? Why didn't Sydney attempt to halt momentum? Is Chris Goulding playing better than ever? Also, what has changed in Perth? Did New Zealand completely mess up their roster? Can we trust Tasmania yet? Plus more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices