Andrew Bogut reflects on a journey that began at Dandenong, took in NBA and Olympics before landing in NBL
Just 12 months before he became Australia’s first No.1 NBA draft pick in 2005, Andrew Bogut was eating off the $1 menu at Wendy’s such was his dire financial predicament. How things have changed!
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In the year leading into becoming Australia’s first No.1 NBA draft pick, Andrew Bogut was living off the Wendy’s $1 menu.
“People think that me, making a lot of money through my sporting career, that I always had this journey of money and being a sports star, but I think that college was brutal,” Bogut said.
The 2.13m (7ft) centre played college basketball for the University of Utah for two seasons before being drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2005.
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“The (National Collegiate Athletic Association) is a pretty brutal comp where we can’t receive money, we can’t receive sponsorship. Back when I was in college, it was worse,” Bogut said.
“They were selling my jersey in the school bookstore and making money off my name while I couldn't really afford to go out to eat half the time.
“I was basically eating off the $1 menu at Wendy’s and McDonald’s at times.
“I had to go out and get a job, worked at a local sports bar.
“It was hard but I think at the same time I wouldn't change that because it made me respect my journey and be respectful of people for the opportunity I was given.”
Bogut is admired for winning an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors, leading the Boomers to three Olympics and returning to his roots in the NBL — not to mention his straight-shooting attitude.
But many forget that Bogut was once just a kid living in Endeavour Hills trying to find a free basketball court to practise on.
“Dandenong and Endeavour Hills, they’re not the bucket-list suburbs, as you’d say, but it was good,” Bogut said.
“There was a lot of multiculturalism around where I grew up and a lot of different nationalities, which was really awesome — just to be exposed to different food and cultures, I really enjoyed that.
“But it was a tough place at times … you had to know where to go, where not to go.”
Bogut would sometimes sneak inside the Endeavour Hills Leisure Centre to avoid paying the $2 entry fee, which felt exorbitant at the time.
The 35-year-old said that basketball helped him get through both primary and high school.
“It was always the light at the end of the tunnel for me, just an outlet to go on and do what I love,” Bogut said.
“I wasn’t the best student and I wasn't the worst student, but like most kids in primary school, school wasn't something you looked forward to. Some days it was a grind to go there, but basketball was always something to look forward to.”
After months of isolation — which included family time, cooking and paddle boarding — Bogut said the return of community sport in NSW from July 1 is the boost kids all around the place need.
“If I was a kid in this time, not being able to play organise community sport, I’d be losing my marbles … it’s important for physical fitness, but a mental health point of view, too” Bogut said.
Last week The Funday Telegraph invited our young readers to design a new uniform for Andrew Bogut. Head to https://sportility.co/ to submit your design and vote for your favourites. The three best will have their design created in real life and signed by Andrew Bogut
Originally published as Andrew Bogut reflects on a journey that began at Dandenong, took in NBA and Olympics before landing in NBL