Basketball: The families behind Australia’s NBL, WNBL, NBA and WNBA talents

The current stars of Australian basketball look a lot like their parents. We’ve put their images side-by-side to see just how much they look alike. See them here.

Basketball in Australia has plenty of talented players take to the court in the past.

Now it’s the current generation of stars taking after their parents.

See how their photos from over the years compare.

ROBBIE AND JASON CADEE

Despite making his debut at 27, Robbie went onto play 100 NBL between the St Kilda Saints, where he made his debut, and Bankstown Bruins. He was the Bruins captain-coach during the 1983 season, winning the Coach of the Year award in the same season.

Jason has gone onto play almost 350 games across four clubs including the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane. He averaged 10.4 points and 4.9 assists during the most recent season.

Women’s basketball star Debbie Lee, the wife of Robbie and Jason’s mother, represented the Opals at the 1984 Olympic Games.

ERIC AND XAVIER COOKS

Eric played 119 games during his NBL career for the Illawarra Hawks then Wollongong which started when he was 35. He also had state league experience with Ballarat over a 10-year period.

Cook is one of the stars of the NBL right now, fresh off a drought breaking premiership with the Sydney Kings. He returned from a serious knee injury to play a key role in the Kings’ title and there is now talk of NBA interest.

MARK AND CALLUM DALTON

Mark enjoyed a standout career in Australia’s top competition as he played for five different teams — Canberra (1984-85), Geelong (1986-87), Sydney (1988-95), Brisbane (1996-97) and Wollongong (1998-2000). He averaged 9.3 points a game across 421 NBL outings.

Dalton recently spent the 2021-22 season on Melbourne United’s roster as a Development Player. It followed a two-season stint with the Brisbane Bullets. He had previously represented Australia at junior level.

CECIL AND DANTE EXUM

Cecil debuted for the North Melbourne Giants in 1986 and would go onto play for two more NBL clubs (Melbourne and Geelong) before his career ended after the 1996 season. He was part of the 1982 North Carolina team which featured Michael Jordan and took out the biggest prize in US college basketball.

Dante is currently playing in Spain for FC Barcelona as he aims to get back on an NBA roster. Injuries have been his undoing after he was selected by the Utah Jazz with pick 5 in the 2014 draft. He has also played for Cleveland and had signed for Houston but was released without playing a game. He was part of the Australian team which won a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics.

THE FROLING FAMILY

The Froling family is as famous as they come in the world of Australian basketball.

Shane played 271 games at the top level in Australia for four teams including Eastside Melbourne, Hobart, Brisbane and Townsville.

His wife, Jenny, is a four-time WNBL champion.

Meanwhile their children Sam, Harry, Alicia and Keely have also played in the NBL and WNBL competitions.

The Froling siblings followed in the footsteps of their parents. Picture: Alix Sweeney

WARRICK AND JOSH GIDDEY

Warrick enjoyed an impressive 449-game NBL career which saw him win two championships (1993 and 1997) with the Melbourne Tigers. He spent the first two seasons of his career with Illawarra, debuting at just 19. Warrick remains connected to the Tigers as the club’s NBL1 South women’s coach for the 2022 season.

Josh started his career in the NBL, playing 28 games for Adelaide, before he was taken in last year’s NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder. From there, he has quickly developed into one of Australian basketball’s favourite players. His passing ability was just one area of his game where he left commentators stunned.

SHANE AND SHYLA HEAL

Shane enjoyed a successful career across the NBA and NBL. He had two stints in the US with Minnesota (43 games) and San Antonio (six) in 1996 and 2003 respectively. But it was Australia’s national competition where he shone brightest in 440 games. His best season was in 1994 when he averaged 25.2 points a game for Brisbane.

Shyla is a rising star of the women’s game, at just 20. She was drafted into the WNBA in 2021 but was waived after being traded to the Dallas Wings. Heal came back to the WNBL for the 2021-22 where she averaged 15.6 points per game for the Sydney Uni Flames.

DAN AND TANNER KREBS

Dan played one season in the NBL for Hobart in 1990 where he averaged 25.3 points a game. He then would play one game for Southern Melbourne in 1991 where he scored 28 points and 12 rebounds. Krebs became an Australian citizen in 2000.

Tanner has spent the last two seasons on the Brisbane Bullets roster. He has 52 NBL games to his name and helped the Bullets achieve an eighth place finish in the recently completed season.

WAYNE AND SAM MCDANIEL

Born in San Francisco, Wayne’s carer in the NBL spanned 12 seasons across four teams including the Adelaide 36ers (1983), Geelong (1984-85), Newcastle (1986-88) and Hobart (1989-94). His best output was the 1990 season for Hobart when he averaged 33.9 points per game.

One achievement Sam has over his father is the fact he is an NBL champion, winning the title with Melbourne United in 2021. He then went onto follow in Wayne’s footsteps, signing with the Tasmania Jackjumpers playing a key role in their fairytale run to the grand final series against the Sydney Kings.

NIGEL AND JACK PURCHASE

Nigel’s career in the NBL started at the age of just 17. He went onto play for the Melbourne Tigers between 1984 and 1992 before switching to the Brisbane Bullets for the 1993 season.

Jack has played for three different clubs — Melbourne United, Adelaide and Perth — in the past three seasons. Although he is currently playing for the Forestville Eagles Eagles in the NBL1 Central competition.

DAVE AND BEN SIMMONS

In his 13 season NBL career, Dave played for three clubs — Melbourne (1989-96), Newcastle (1997-99), Canberra (2000-01), winning a title with the Tigers in 1993. He also earned NBL All Star honours during his time with the Tigers.

Ben currently finds himself as a member of the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA despite not playing a game this season. He was selected with the first pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers after one year in college with LSU.

KAREN OGDEN AND SARA BLICAVS

Karen Ogden in her playing days. Photo: Basketball Australia.

Sara Blicavs has gone onto enjoy a strong career of her own. Photo: Getty Images.

Karen Ogden (now Blicavs) enjoyed a success career which saw her named the WNBL’s MVP on two occasions (in 1982 and 1983). She was also part of St Kilda’s title winning team in 1981.

Sara finds herself in the middle of her carer having played across three WNBL clubs including the Dandenong Rangers, Bendigo Spirit and now Southside Flyers. She is also an Australian representative.

PHOTOS: Supplied by NBL and Basketball Australia.