NBL champions' ultimate honour

Six-time NBL Champion CJ Bruton has joined his father Cal in the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame.

Bruton, who played 516 games across an illustrious 17-year career, was a two-time All-NBL First Team member, Grand Final MVP and had his number 23 jersey retired by the New Zealand Breakers.

He won championships at three different clubs, Sydney (two), Brisbane (one) and New Zealand (three) and represented Australia at the Olympics in 2004 and 2008 and FIBA World Championships in 2006.

CJ’s father Cal won a championship as a player (1985 – Brisbane Bullets) and coach (1990 – Perth Wildcats) and inducted into the NBL’s Hall of Fame in 1998.

Two-time NBL champion and 2004 Most Valuable Player Matt Nielsen also gained Hall of Fame honours, after an incredible career domestically and internationally, in both playing and coaching roles.

Nielsen was the league’s leading scorer in the ’04 season, averaging 23.5 points a game, and played a total of 244 games with the Sydney Kings.

He spent a significant period of time playing career in Europe, where he spent time in Greece, Lithuania, Spain and Russia with great success.

More recently, he has spent time on the coaching staff with Perth as an assistant across three championship-winning seasons, and then the San Antonio Spurs.

Nielsen is also a key member of the Australian Boomers’ coaching staff.

The 2006 FIBA World Cup champion Australian Opals were also inducted, alongside Bradley Ness, Sharon Arnold, Belinda Snell and Suzy Batkovic.

Arnold was the NBL’s first ever female referee and clocked up more than 500 SEABL and WNBL games across her career.