From Michael Jordan to Masters glory: Butch Hays still shooting for success

More than four decades after sharing a room with Michael Jordan at the Chicago Bulls, Australian basketball great Butch Hays is still enjoying the thrill of competition as he prepares for the Pan Pacific Masters Games on the Gold Coast.

The former NBL star, who was drafted by the Bulls in 1984, will line up alongside fellow basketball veterans in a Megabucks team, with the tournament also serving as preparation for next year’s international Masters competition in Europe.

For Hays, who just turned 64, basketball remains a lifelong passion.

“I’m like an old Holden. If you stop moving, its going to rust up and seize up, so I just keep moving,” Hays laughed.

“We’ve even made a pact that we’d like to keep playing in the 75s or 80s. That’s our drive.

“There’s great camaraderie and there’s guys coming from all over the country so it’s a great way to catch up.”

Hays’ remarkable basketball journey included being drafted by Chicago in the same year the Bulls famously selected Jordan.

“I always laugh, they didn’t draft too many guards that year, and the one guard they did draft was Michael Jordan,” he recalled.

“It was good luck and bad luck being drafted alongside probably the best player, at least for my generation, to ever touch the hardwood.

“They ended up rooming us together at rookie and veteran camp, so I got to hang out with him. He’s an awesome guy, just a fierce competitor.”

Hays subsequently enjoyed a lengthy NBL career in Australia, playing more than 230 games from the early 1990s until 2003.

These days, he remains heavily involved in basketball through coaching junior players and competing in regular Sydney competitions.

At the Pan Pacific Masters Games, he will reunite with former NBL players including Joe Hurst and Murray Shiels, with plenty of familiar faces expected among the opposition.

“We’re not slam dunking like we used to. We say that we don’t run anymore, we shuffle,” he joked.

“But we’re still pretty accurate with the ball.

“There’s always plenty of banter and everyone’s competitive, but we’re probably more friendly now than competitive.

“We get together during the tournament, have a drink and talk about how good we were.”

With players travelling from across Australia, Hays says the opportunity to reconnect with old teammates and rivals is what makes Masters sport special.

“It’s amazing to see everyone 40 years on,” he said.

“There’s great camaraderie, and it’s always a blessing to come back and see the same faces.

“Hopefully we can all stay healthy and keep playing for many more years.”