Harrell: 'Australia made me love the game again'

Montrezl Harrell credits the NBL with helping him reconnect with his love for the game, calling his Australian experience “a blessing.”

The former NBA Sixth Man of the Year confirmed he’d return for NBL26 over the past fortnight, teaming up with Bryce Cotton for a second tilt at a championship in Adelaide.

The 31-year-old says he’s excited to get back to Australia and get the season started.

“It’s a blessing. It’s a place where I was able to go and be able to fall back in love with the game of basketball and just be where people appreciate me and not judge me for just being who I am, and that’s a player that comes in and plays hard and just leaves it all over the floor,” Harrell told Brandon Robinson.

“I wear my emotions on my sleeve on the court, but that’s just what it is … it’s on the court. You’ve got to play with passion and play with the love of the game and actually love what you’re doing. That’s all it is when it comes to me and they’ve embraced me and accepted me for that and it’s been amazing.”

Harrell said he’d be forever grateful for having the chance to relaunch his career in the NBL, after missing the entirety of the 2023–2024 NBA season with an ACL injury.

He made 28 appearances in NBL25, averaging 20.5 points and 9.3 rebounds a game.

“To be able to come down there right after my injury and just being able to be in a humbling experience and just being able to be loved and appreciated for what I do on the court and what I can do, it was a blessing,” he said.

“To be right down there and just to be with the same organisation that really saw me and how much they really wanted me throughout the whole time, from the season ending to us getting a deal done, and being back there with them for a full year and seeing what I can do … it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”

Read the full story here >> Montrezl Harrell: On Loss, Loyalty and Life After the League That Forgot Him

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