Before Josh Giddey was lighting up the NBA as the most exciting new Australian face in the league, he called Canberra home.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It's in the capital where he took his game to the next level, meticulously preparing for the rigours of professional basketball to compete against the best players in the world.
He didn't forget that journey either. When the Melburnian was drafted sixth overall by Oklahoma City Thunder last year he was wearing a small pin on the lapel of his suit, showing his appreciation for the NBA Global Academy.
Giddey is the first graduate to come through the program to be drafted into the NBA. Hosted by Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence within the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), the Academy is turbo-charging the next generation of home-grown talent and Giddey is the first, but not the last, to benefit.
"The Academy can be a breeding ground for NBA prospects," Giddey told The Canberra Times. "Canberra is a great place to have it because there's not a whole lot of distractions.
"The Academy has only been around for a few years, but in the time it has been there, you've seen the level of talent they've produced, not just from Australia, but all around the world.
"There's going to be a number of draft picks in the coming years."
What began as an NBA-led pilot project in 2017 with just three players has expanded greatly. The Academy now offers 16 spots in the program, comprising of 11 international players and five Australians, with an additional 12 national recipients of Centre of Excellence scholarships.
Technical Director Marty Clarke believes securing those five guaranteed places for Australians as part of the NBA's plan to have its development outpost in Canberra was a masterstroke from Basketball Australia.
"It was a really good thing they did. If the NBA are going to come here, it's not a cash payment, it's a guarantee we can enhance our Australian talent as well as players from around the world," he said.
Just this week three new additions from around Australia were offered places at the NBA Academy in Carlin Briggs (VIC), Roman Siulepa (QLD) and James O'Donnell (NSW).
With 28 players based at the AIS, Clarke oversees the highly strategic and holistic approach in fast-tracking the development of young players on the path to the pros.
"What we're trying to do is hothouse people," Clarke said. "We're trying to get them as far down the line as we can before they leave, because we've only got them for two or three years.
"We have a saying - 'Iron sharpens iron'. You've got to bring it everyday and if you don't your teammates are going to get on you and ask you for more, because if you don't bring it, you're shortcutting them.
"It's just something that is difficult to replicate in their home states because the talent level is just not there."
It's that competitive mentality, combined with world class facilities and high performance support during Giddey's formative teenage years that forged him into the player he is today.
"We had everything we needed there. There was really no excuse not to get better and I took advantage of it," the 19-year-old said.
"I loved it. I was only there for 14 months, but I made such significant improvements. That program was big for me.
"Leaving home at 15-16 years old, I had to grow up fast. It's only an hour flight [from Melbourne] but when you're that young it's pretty tough to be away from your family.
READ MORE:
"You have to do everything yourself. You've got to get your own food, wash dishes, wash your own clothes, things like that.
"So the Academy in that aspect really helped, as well as the basketball side, getting to travel around the world, playing against different types of players."
Clarke noted that Giddey's talent was "obvious" but at the Academy his qualities in having a fierce desire to win, the ability to problem-solve quickly in or between games, and not being afraid to ask questions was where he set himself apart.
Giddey said the highlight in his time with the Academy was a trip in January 2020 to Barcelona playing in a tournament where he was the MVP.
Within the two months that followed he was involved in the Academy's Basketball Without Borders at NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago, and then signed with the Adelaide 36ers in the NBL's Next Stars Program. In his first season of professional basketball he earned Rookie of the Year honours, which helped launch him up NBA draft boards last year.
With the Thunder Giddey had an impressive rookie year, making NBA history as the youngest player to score a triple-double and four times he was named the rookie of the month in the Western Conference. A niggling hip complaint ended his season prematurely, but now healthy for a full off-season, big things are expected in his second year in the league.
"It's been a busy 12 months since going from Adelaide in the NBL to the NBA but I wouldn't change it for anything," Giddey said.
"I've dreamt of being an NBA player my whole life and we're here now. I've loved every minute of being in Oklahoma City - the team, the people, the city."
Giddey fondly recalled his time in the ACT though, and the special moment from draft day when his former Academy classmates celebrated wildly in the AIS auditorium watching on a big screen.
"Some of my best friends I met during my time in Canberra," he said.
"I saw the video. I was speaking to Marty before the draft and he sent me it, so it was cool to see and hopefully I'm cheering on the next bunch of guys coming through the NBA Academy during their draft."
Clarke said there's little doubt there's more Josh Giddeys from the Academy on the way to the NBA, but even he couldn't quite believe how rapid the shooting guard's rise has been.
It all serves as ample inspiration for the graduates to come.
"I don't think you had to be a genius to know that he was going to be a good player," Clarke said.
"But people would probably be stretching the truth a little bit to say that he'd be this good this quickly.
"We knew he was going to get drafted, we didn't exactly know where. When he actually went sixth, that [video reaction] was a genuine response from everybody. People were going nuts.
"We took the kids out of school that day because we wanted them to see this can happen. This is real and you have an opportunity here to follow Josh.
"All those kids should feel like they're a part of making Josh good and whoever the next one's going to be after that."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram