Doug Overton (Illawarra Hawks) the first player to go from the NBL to the NBA

Doug Overton, the first player to make the jump from playing in the NBL to the NBA joins the Aussie Hoopla podcast to tell stories from his time playing for the Illawarra Hawks, stories from over a decade of playing in the NBA and what he's doing now as a basketball coach at Lincoln University.

Doug was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 1991 but wasn't able to make the roster as a rookie when he found himself playing his first professional gig in Australia for the Hawks in 1992.

An All-NBL First teamer that season who went on to sign a deal to play with the NBA's Washington Bullets the next season, the first NBL player to ever make the NBA and then went on to play in 499 NBA games over 11 seasons.

In one season with Illawarra, he averaged 24 points, 5, rebounds and 6 assists per game culminating with the Hawks team MVP.

He played for the Washington Bullets, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, New Jersey Nets, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers.

Topics include...

• The impact Doug Overton made in the NBL and how fondly remembered he is down under (2:00)
• How the Coronavirus has impacted the US (11:00)
• Playing for La Salle University and trying to make the Detroit Pistons championship team (12:00)
• Getting the offer to play in Australia (18:30)
• Taking the court for the Illawarra Hawks in 1992 (25:00)
• Memories of playing in the Snake Pit (28:00)
• Doug's biggest games in the NBL (30:00)
• A semi-final match up against Scott Fisher, Paul Maley and the North Melbourne Giants (33:00)
• Making the NBA.. finally, with the Washington Bullets (35:00)
• The mental toll of being an NBA journeyman (36:30)
• Playing alongside Chris Webber and Juwan Howard in Washington (39:30)
• Dikembe Mutombo, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Jalen Rose in Denver (40:30)
• Allen Iverson and Mark Bradtke in Philadelphia (46:00)
• Mentoring NBA players and being mentored during his time in the NBA (48:00)
• What lessons from the NBA does he share with the players he coaches today (59:30)
• Who is the GOAT Michael Jordan, Lebron James or Kobe Bryant (108:00)
• Who was the coach Doug learned the most from (108:30)
• Michael Jordan stories (1:13:00)

Visit dunk.com.au for your next set of basketball uniforms.

All of this and a whole lot more...

Listen to our previous interviews with the biggest stars in Australian Basketball, head to Aussiehoopla.com. Check out previous podcasts featuring;

Australian Basketball Legends - Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Mark Bradtke, Leroy Loggins, David Andersen, Andrew Vlahov, CJ Bruton, Chris Anstey, Brett Maher, John Rillie, Tony Ronaldson, Brad Newley

Current NBL Stars - Kevin Lisch, AJ Ogilvy, Damian Martin, Daniel Kickert, Thomas Abercrombie, Jason Cadee, Bryce Cotton, Chris Goulding, Mitch McCarron, Cam Gliddon

Our Finest Coaching Minds - Brian Goorjian, Joey Wright, Adrian Hurley, Aaron Fearne, Rob Beveridge, Phil Smyth, Ian Stacker, Shawn Dennis, Dean Vickerman, Trevor Gleeson, Lindsey Gaze, Ken Cole

NBA Stars Past & Present - Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova, Stephen Jackson, Randy Livingston, Torrey Craig, Acie Earl, Josh Childress, Reggie Smith, Todd Lichti, Ryan Broekhoff

The NBL's Greatest Imports - Darryl McDonald, Ricky Grace, Derek Rucker, Leon Trimmingham, Scott Fisher, Lanard Copeland, Mike Mitchell, Darnell Mee, Isaac Burton, Shawn Redhage, Willie Farley, Al Green, Corey "Homicide" Williams, Andre Moore, Steve Woodberry, Mike Mitchell, Dusty Rychart, Ebi Ere, Doug Overton

And the men who run things - Larry Kestelman, Paul Maley, Vince Crivelli, Jeremy Loeliger, Chuck Harmison, Jeff Van Groningen, Bob Turner

All that and much more. Follow @AussieHoopla on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and email at [e-mail]