Commentary legend John Casey set for 1000th game

Milestones in sport are not just restricted to those who enter the field of play, and one of the most iconic voices in the Australian sporting landscape is set to call his 1000th game of basketball when the Adelaide 36ers take on the Sydney Kings on Thursday night.

John Casey has been a constant through the highs and lows of Australian basketball, from the NBL's golden era of the 1990s to the league's near demise and back again, and has become synonymous with the greatest international success the Boomers and Opals have achieved on the world stage.

Casey sat down with NBL Media to reflect on what has been an iconic and drama-filled calling career so far.

Did you ever think when you first started out that you would reach this many games of basketball called?
Certainly not. My background was as a newspaper journalist and I moved into TV in 1987. Sport commentary wasn’t really on my radar and it was just I was working in the Channel 7 newsroom in Adelaide and they had the rights to the NBL at the time. I was working in the sports department and they wanted to get me involved so I made my way down there in 1987. In my first game I was hosting and doing the sideline commentary which is the job I’ll be doing tonight 37 years later. I didn’t have a plan to be a sports commentator, it just came along as part of the job I was doing as a sports reporter and presenter for Channel 7.

I just enjoyed the thrill of sitting courtside. Back in those days the games were at Apollo Stadium – which is tiny by today’s standards – and it was always a sellout, so my position was actually the 13^th man on the Adelaide 36ers’ bench, so it was as close as you could be without actually playing the game. I’d sit there next to Mike McKay and Scott Ninnis since they were very early in their careers, and the excitement to be that close to it was fantastic, but it’s certainly not something I thought I’d be doing for all this time and get to 1000 basketball games.

There are very few people who have been involved in the NBL in any capacity over a similar duration to what you have. The league almost died more recently than a lot of people remember and now it’s beginning to hit all these new heights once again – how has the attitude towards the NBL changed and how has the NBL as a product changed over your journey?
I have to say right now it’s the best it’s ever been, and it’s a credit to Larry (Kestelman), Jeremy (Loeliger) and everyone involved at the NBL because it has been a rollercoaster. I was lucky enough to be involved in those formative years of the 1980s, and it was electric. We had great players like Leroy Loggins – who I still think has got Bryce covered in terms of the greatest ever import, Leroy did it for 21 years and Bryce has been doing it for eight years. If he can keep doing it for a bit longer he won’t be far away. To have Leroy, Al Green and James Crawford, the ‘Alabama Slammer’, those guys brought a lot of attention to basketball because of their athleticism and the excitement they generated. It went through a period where it was just booming and those players and their ability then elevated the crop of Aussies that were coming through like Andrew Gaze, Damian Keogh, Ray Borner, and I think those Americans lifted the standards, the Australians went with it, and in turn those guys inspired the next generation like Shane Heal, Patty Mills and Mike McKay to get that standard of basketball in this country heading north.

During the 1990s it was massive, there were 15,000 people at those Grand Finals between the Tigers and the Magic, and it the hottest ticket in town. It did lose its way there for a while but, like all sports, it has peaks and troughs and I’m really thrilled that it’s back to where it is now where it’s one of the best basketball leagues in the world and producing some of the world’s best talent. It’s just fantastic to see the sport being elevated to the status is deserves with Australia being one of the best countries in the world in terms of men’s, women’s and juniors. The basketball standard in this country is something we should be very proud of and it’s a credit to everyone at the NBL that the league has been able to ride those tough times and have the league heading in a trajectory that has put basketball well and truly on the map.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Leapin&#39; Leroy Loggins ?<br><br>Shoutout to the three-time champ, three-time MVP and second all-time NBL scorer ?<br><br>Is he the greatest import to ever grace the Australian game? ? <a href="https://t.co/81QVsIMme2">pic.twitter.com/81QVsIMme2</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1736904276075852145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

There have been so many iconic commentators over the years in the NBL, and there’s a definite discussion to be had as to who could be named ‘the voice of the NBL’. Stephen Quartermain is a name that was thrown up a lot, as was your own. Is that title and iconic association a title that sits comfortably with you?
I don’t know if it’s particularly accurate because there have been a lot of good commentators involved and I’m just lucky enough to have been one of those. I’ve been involved across five decades now and that longevity means people associate my voice with a lot of highlights. I’m proud of the work I’ve done and some of the occasions I’ve been a part of in the NBL and calling NBL players when they’re playing for Australia.

I’ve done four Olympics’ and three World Championships’, and to call the Opals’ gold medal win – which is the only one we’ve had at senior level – in 2006, and more recently the Boomers’ bronze medal in 2021 are great highlights, and to know your voice is going to be on those historic moments for Australian basketball is something I’m very proud of. Also, the Boomers beating the USA for the first time at Marvel Stadium in 2019 in front of 52,000 people is such a high watermark to the sport. Just being part of it, not so much as a commentator but to be involved is just a real privilege to be courtside and to be so close.

I leant very early on, I played a lot of sport as a junior in Broken Hill, and I quickly realised my talent wasn’t going to get me anywhere on the sporting stage so the next best thing to be involved would be as a sports journalist, so that’s where it all started for me. To be involved for so long and to have your voice on those iconic moments for Australian sports is something I’m sure I’ll look back on in the fullness of time with a smile on my face. It’s just been a real privilege to be involved at such close quarters and see those elite athletes just go about their work.

You do get caught up in it when you’re so close to it, and when players are having success and winning championships they just hug everyone. If you’re in the vicinity you get a hug and it makes you feel like you’re somehow involved. I have the best seat in the house any time I go to a basketball game and they pay me to do it, so life is pretty good.

Opals representatives Laura Summerton and Jenni Screen pose with the 2006 World Championship trophy.

We found an interview you did with former NBL commissioner Rick Burton courtside at your 600^th game, and you were presented with a portable DVD player by one of the league’s major sponsors at the time in Philips – I just want to know if you still have that DVD player floating around somewhere.
I should say yes, but I don’t know if I’d be able to locate it if I was actually pressed. Now you bring that up I do remember it, and Philips were great supporters of the league so that’s a nice memory to have. Wow. There have been some great memories along the ride as well.

I was talking to Jack Bennett (TV producer) about this the other day and I recalled how determined Mike Kelly was as a player and one night he actually ran through our commentary position chasing a loose ball at Melbourne Park and he cleaned up the entire commentary set. Steve Carfino and I had two monitors on the table as well as an audio box, and as soon as I saw Mike coming I made a dash for safety. We had some of the older equipment you could get and I thought Mike was going to destroy everything. The TV got knocked off the table, bounced about three times and the picture never went off. That was pretty sturdy, that. Mike Kelly charging at you in close quarters is something I’ll never forget.

In Townsville in 2001 they played Illawarra in the Grand Final and there was a cyclone at the time and we got chased out of there by the weather at one stage, and to see Illawarra come from seven down with seven minutes to play and win their only championship was a great memory as well.

Seeing Leroy Loggins win the three-point shootout at the All Star game as a 39-year-old in 1997 is another great memory as well.

They’re all things that when it’s said and done I’ll recall those things and how much enjoyment it’s given me and a thrill it’s been to be involved.

Mike Kelly played in the NBL for over a decade thorugh the 1990s and 2000s, and is currently the head coach of the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

From a personal standpoint I’ve been going to NBL games since the Tigers were playing at the State Netball and Hockey Centre with guys like Chris Anstey, Tommy Greer, Stephen Hoare, Darryl McDonald, and growing up I’d turn the TV on and it always seemed to be ‘John Casey from the sidelines’ or ‘John Casey leading the commentary team’, so I just want to thank you for all your hard work in helping me and countless others fall in love with basketball and, more specifically, NBL basketball.
I really appreciate that, if I’ve helped grow the love of basketball for anyone that’s something I can be very proud of because I’ve had a ball doing it and I honestly feel privileged to have the position I have. It’s all been a lot of fun and if you can find something you enjoy doing it doesn’t become a job, it just becomes part of your life. To be able to do it across five decades, I really didn’t think I’d still be doing it, but if it’s something you love you never want to stop. Hopefully there are a few more years to go before I stop being involved, and I figure I’ll be involved in basketball in one way or another forever now. To get to 1000 games makes you sit back and think about it, and it’s great to hear people associate me with their love of basketball because as a commentator that’s what you try to do – you’re the eyes and ears of the people who aren’t there, and you have to try and see the passion that’s in front of you and translate that to the viewers and the listeners.