Brantley Brothers Create NBL History

Jarrell and Jamaal Brantley created their own slice of NBL history during round three. When Jamaal checked into the game against Illawarra, the Breakers pair became the first duo of import brothers to ever feature together at NBL level.

Incredibly, over 40 sets of brothers have now played in the league at one point or another, with plenty of past and present stars sharing the court.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Last night the Brantley bros became the first<br>pair of import siblings to take the floor in an NBL game<br>together!! ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UNBREAKABLE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UNBREAKABLE</a> <a href="https://t.co/zHbIjlu5Rd">pic.twitter.com/zHbIjlu5Rd</a></p>&mdash; Sky Sport New Zealand Breakers (@NZBreakers) <a href="https://twitter.com/NZBreakers/status/1582164557102989319?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

NBL Media looks at some of the best brothers to share the floor over the history of the NBL.

Mark and Brad Dalton – Sydney Kings 1988-1991
The Dalton brothers linked up at the Sydney Kings after both had tasted individual success at NBL-level – Mark was part of the West Adelaide side that won the 1982 championship, while Brad earned the 1984 crown in his debut season at the Canberra Cannons.

The pair arrived at the Kings having already played together at the top-level, but never in the NBL. They were both a part of the Boomers squad that travelled to Los Angeles for the 1984 Olympics.

They were unable to bring the ultimate success to Sydney though. A tenth-placed finish in their first season together preceded three straight runs in the playoffs, however they were unable to reach the pinnacle of Australian basketball together.

Brad’s retirement at the end of the 1991 season ended the pair’s playing affiliation. Mark would go on to represent Brisbane and Wollongong, before retiring in 1999.

Mark Dalton in action for the Kings during the 1993 playoffs.

Rod and Terry Johnson – North Melbourne Giants 1993
The Johnson brothers played just one season in the NBL together in 1993, representing the North Melbourne Giants in Terry’s first season in the league.

Rod was the more established of the two talents at NBL-level when they linked up, having arrived at the Giants the year prior after five seasons with the Hawks. He’d already made over 100 NBL appearances by the time they suited up together for North Melbourne.

Terry left the Giants after just one season and went on to play 200 games across five clubs. He retired in 2001 after two seasons with the Kings.

The older Johnson, Rod, remained at North Melbourne and was an integral part of their championship winning side of 1994.

After six years at the Giants, he hopped around the league for one season stints at Canberra, Newcastle and Brisbane, before retiring in 2000.

Terry Johnson shoots a free throw while playing for Cairns in 1999.

Michael and Chris Cedar – Townsville Crocodiles
Anyone who grows up dreaming of a career in professional sport dreams of representing their hometown club. For the Cedar brothers, they managed to fulfill that dream together.

Michael was the first of the pair to pull on a Crocs jersey, linking up with the side in 2005. Chris would come on board two years later in 2007.

The pair formed an exciting backcourt partnership during one of the most successful on-court periods for the Crocodiles, and were heavily involved in Townsville’s back-to-back second place finishes in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Playoff success eluded them though, as they suffered elimination at the first time of asking each year.

They both departed the organisation at the end of the 2013 season, however Chris returned as an injury-replacement player for the club in 2016 and played two more games in Townsville green.

The Cedar brothers team up to defend Perth's Shawn Redhage in 2013.

Corey and Tai Webster – 2012/13, 2020/21
While Corey and Tai Webster still share the court when representing the Tall Blacks, they began their careers by winning a championship with the New Zealand Breakers.

Corey was a member of New Zealand’s brilliant stretch of three championships in five years and played a starring role in each of them. Younger brother Tai was in college during the 2011 triumph, but they linked up in time to share in the glory of the 2013 win.

Corey has remained in the NBL for most of his career, and only left the Breakers for the Perth Wildcats ahead of the current season. Tai, on the other hand, has looked to carve out a career in Europe.

He did however return to the NBL in the 2021 season, and the pair once again pulled on Breakers pink side-by-side.

Tai and Corey Webster celebrate a Breakers win with Levi Randolph in 2021.

Sam and Harry Froling – Illawarra Hawks 2021/22
Despite less than two years separating the age of the Froling brothers the pair have taken vastly different journeys in the NBL.

Harry began his career with his hometown Townsville Crocodiles in 2016, but due to the folding of the organisation he ended up at the 36ers in 2018. After leaving Adelaide in 2020, he spent a season at the Brisbane Bullets before hopping to the Hawks in 2021, and then back to the Bullets ahead of NBL23.

Sam, on the other hand, linked up with Illawarra in 2019 and has remained there ever since.

Both have been the recipients of major awards during their time in the league, Harry was named as the Rookie of the Year in his debut season at the Crocodiles, while Sam was named as the league’s most improved player in 2021.

The pair played key roles in Illawarra’s surge to a second-placed finish in NBL22, however they would miss out on the NBL grand final after losing to local rivals and eventual champions Sydney in the first round of the playoffs.

Sam was elevated to the position of co-captain of the Hawks alongside import guard Tyler Harvey this season, while Harry is playing a strong role at the Bullets alongside Aron Baynes.

The Frolings celebrate an Illawarra bucket in 2021.