Basketball action at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre.
Former Australian Boomer and 1979 Newcastle Falcons foundation player Len Solman, 66, has seen the development of professional basketball in Australia from a lofty vantage point.
He was there as television and a growing fan base turned amateurs into professionals but says he’s not envious of the riches that are on offer these days to the current crop of elite players.
“The early years were wonderful, and it was not a professional thing so much as a fantastic experience that we all enjoyed,” he told ABC Gold Coast radio on Monday.
“The camaraderie at the time as amazing; we had American players coming over at the time and they were participating at club level and state level and in the Australian championship.
“There was not a lot of money in it at the time and we all had jobs away from basketball.”
Len says he welcomes the earning potential that the past four decades have thrown up for players.
“There are a lot more opportunities now where players are staying with basketball rather than going to other professional sports such as AFL.
“There are more opportunities to make a permanent job for themselves in the sport and a lot of the younger ones now are playing in competitions overseas and in our national league.”
Television is often cited as a key to the sport’s growth in Australia, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s.
“We went to training after work and now I think parents (of the current crop of players) particularly are happy to see their sons and daughters on the basketball court and on TV as well.”
There are two distinct ironies in Len’s participation in this week’s basketball tournament at the 2018 Pan Pacific Masters Games.
He’s playing in the centre for the Megabucks, an apparent self-effacing wordplay on the lucrative offerings that his era largely missed out on.
And at 6’4” (193cm) he considers himself short.
“Today you have to be 6’10” (208cm) or seven feet tall to play inside and even those players these days are playing out in the point guard position, as we see with (Philadelphia 76ers NBA player) Ben Simmons and some of our other very talented boys playing overseas,” Len said.
He said his goal for this tournament is simply to make it into the finals and not get injured.
And he has strong motivation to keep the body together.
“I’m under instructions from my wife, my son and my daughter not to get injured because my son is getting married in two weeks’ time.”
