‘Listen, we've got six': How an NBA star came to play on a Monday night in Frankston – and why it almost didn't happen

The Age06-05-2025

'I thought about benching him when he missed a lay-up,' Monaghan joked. 'But no, no … he got a couple of great blocks and as always his assists – very, very generous with his time.'
Giddey has enjoyed a career season with the Bulls, averaging 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game, and is line for a bumper new five-year contract where he could earn more than $250 million.
The 22-year-old, now a restricted free agent, is currently on a four-year contract worth about $42 million.
His presence, however, wasn't enough for Vales to get the win.
'It was an unreal experience. We just started warming up and one of our guys was like 'look who's in the stands'. And we were like 'oh no, this game's not going to go our way',' opposition player Jesse Lans told Sharnelle and Bob on ABC Melbourne.
'But we pulled through, and we had a few really big scoring performances. I had 41 [points] and Blake Jackson had 50.'
Asked if he'd gotten the better of the NBA star, Lans said: 'It felt like it. Honestly, if there was a time not to miss a shot, that was it.'
Monaghan explained: 'We were stuck in second gear. Everybody was caught watching. And the others were fantastic. Youth league players, playing on the other team, absolutely lit it up, and when we realised that we probably should have been playing a bit more [defence], it was a bit late.'
She said Giddey had been called for a carry – 'a big call by the ref' – but Giddey had agreed with the decision.
'He said, 'nup, good call',' Monaghan said.
She said it had been a long time since she'd seen such a crowd at the venue.
'There were refs and players from other teams that forgot to go to their games,' she said. 'He was fantastic. He got mobbed afterwards.
'He just wanted a run with his mates, you know what it's like.
'He's such a humble guy and he insisted that I tell the boys before the game.
'I was just going to let him rock up and tell them then. They would have been fine with it. But he said, 'no, no, no, I don't want to intrude'. Like, seriously.
'I said, 'OK', I gave them the heads-up. I said, 'Are you OK if we get an extra sub tonight?'
'They were fine.
'I said, 'do you want to know who it is?''
She said it was a great night for community basketball.
'We've had a few cameos over the last couple of seasons. Over the last three seasons, I've had a couple of Duursmas playing for me. So this is a pretty big move.
'Front office came and said to me, 'we were impressed with the Duursmas, but, geez'.'
Lans also spoke about the crowd that gathered to watch Giddey in action.
'I even heard that one of the games kind of got cancelled and they all made their way over,' he said.
'I was a little bit wary about [injuring an NBA star in a local game] ... [but] kind of forgot about it once we all got going.'
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Lans wasn't aware of Giddey's connection to the opposition, or how it came to be that he was facing off against an international star. But he said he didn't care.
'To be honest, [I] stood absolutely no chance. He was much taller than you expect of someone at the point guard position. It was just another level to it. Unreal experience.'
Said Monaghan: 'I woke up this morning, I had this dream. Josh Giddey came and played with us last night on court five at Frankston, and we lost.'
Traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he had been the sixth overall pick in 2021, Giddey was embraced by the Bulls this season, and he became a key player in their run to the play-in rounds before falling short of the play-offs.
The son of former Melbourne Tigers forward Warwick Giddey, the highlight of the season for the Boomers guard was his buzzer beater at Chicago Stadium to sink the Lakers, capping a classy triple double of 25 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists and two steals.
Giddey lifted his output after the All-Star break, averaging 22.6 points, 10 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game.
He represented Australia at the Paris Olympics, and will be the man the team is built around come the 2028 Los Angeles games.
Fellow young NBA star Dyson Daniels, voted the NBA's most improved player, is also back in Melbourne after his Atlanta Hawks also missed the play-offs.