'Aussie' Starling: "This is Home"

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

The Adelaide 36ers have wasted no time in bringing Alex Starling into the fold for NBL24

The Adelaide 36ers have wasted no time in bringing Alex Starling into the fold for NBL24, and have announced his commitment to the club on the day he receives his Australian citizenship.

Starling, 34, will now classify as a local player, despite being born in Miami and raised in the United States – a similar situation to another potential NBL24 signing, Dillon Stith.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A South Australian basketball legend is linking up with the <a href="https://twitter.com/Adelaide36ers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Adelaide36ers</a> for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL24?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL24</a> ?<a href="https://t.co/Fl0aDb6iQF">https://t.co/Fl0aDb6iQF</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1660780916732723201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The South Australian hoops legend initially arrived in Australia with the hopes of making his mark on the AFL with the Sydney Swans. Instead, he’ll take to the floor as a professional for the first time in his life in the upcoming NBL campaign.

“I’ve always known I was good enough to play at NBL level and now I get my chance,” Starling told NewsCorp. “I never lost faith and just put in the work, regardless, knowing that it would eventually pay off.

“On the actual contract it had my nationality, and it’s the first time I saw 'American-Australian' – that’s when it really hit me. I was born and raised in the USA, but I’m here now and this is home for me.”

Starling has joined Jason Cadee, Isaac Humphries and Keanu Rasmussen as new signings for the 36ers for the upcoming season.

For the full story head to: NBL free agency: News, whispers and player movement from the 2023 off-season.