Latest news with #Ducas
West Australian
8 hours ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Alex Ducas: Geraldton product becomes ninth Australian to earn NBA championship ring as Oklahoma City triumph
Geraldton's Alex Ducas has become the ninth Australian-born player -and the second West Aussie - to win an NBA championship ring after Oklahoma City prevailed in the deciding game of the finals against Indiana. The Thunder proved too strong in Game 7 with a 103-91 triumph on Monday morning (WA time), sparking scenes of wild celebration on their home court. Among those on the podium was Ducas, who didn't take to the court in the playoffs but earns a ring after being a part of the squad in their historic season. Ducas featured in 21 games during the regular season, averaging 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds per game in a role as a depth guard behind a stacked Thunder rotation led by league and finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The 24-year-old joins three-time Chicago Bulls champion Luc Longley as the only WA products to have achieved title success in the NBA. Seven other Aussie-born players also boast championship experience: Andrew Gaze (San Antonio, 1999), Patty Mills (San Antonio, 2014), Aron Baynes (San Antonio, 2014), Andrew Bogut (Golden State, 2015), Matthew Dellavedova (Cleveland, 2016), Kyrie Irving (Cleveland, 2016) and Jack White (Denver, 2023). Ducas attended Geraldton's Nagle Catholic College and played for his hometown Buccaneers before attending Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence and subsequently heading to college at famous Aussie breeding ground St Mary's in California. He went undrafted last June but was snapped up by the Thunder after impressing for their Summer League affiliate, paving the way for his championship honour. The result meant fellow Aussie Johnny Furphy missed out on his own ring as Indiana fell short of an unlikely finals upset. Gilgeous-Alexander finished off his MVP season with 29 points and 12 assists to help the Thunder recover from a one-point deficit at half-time to romp to victory. Jalen Williams scored 20 and Chet Holmgren had 18 for OKC, who were pushed to a Game 7 brink in the NBA Finals — but finished off a season for the ages at home. Oklahoma City won 84 games between the regular season and the playoffs, tying the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls for third-most in any season. Only Golden State (88 in 2016-17) and the Bulls (87 in 2015-16) won more. The day was soured by a suspected Achilles injury to Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton in the opening quarter, cruelling the visitors' hopes of an upset win.
Perth Now
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Alexander the great! Geraldton product wins NBA ring
Geraldton's Alex Ducas has become the ninth Australian-born player -and the second West Aussie - to win an NBA championship ring after Oklahoma City prevailed in the deciding game of the finals against Indiana. The Thunder proved too strong in Game 7 with a 103-91 triumph on Monday morning (WA time), sparking scenes of wild celebration on their home court. Among those on the podium was Ducas, who didn't take to the court in the playoffs but earns a ring after being a part of the squad in their historic season. Ducas featured in 21 games during the regular season, averaging 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds per game in a role as a depth guard behind a stacked Thunder rotation led by league and finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Ducas in action during the regular season. Credit: Cooper Neill / NBAE via Getty Images The 24-year-old joins three-time Chicago Bulls champion Luc Longley as the only WA products to have achieved title success in the NBA. Seven other Aussie-born players also boast championship experience: Andrew Gaze (San Antonio, 1999), Patty Mills (San Antonio, 2014), Aron Baynes (San Antonio, 2014), Andrew Bogut (Golden State, 2015), Matthew Dellavedova (Cleveland, 2016), Kyrie Irving (Cleveland, 2016) and Jack White (Denver, 2023). If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. Ducas attended Geraldton's Nagle Catholic College and played for his hometown Buccaneers before attending Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence and subsequently heading to college at famous Aussie breeding ground St Mary's in California. He went undrafted last June but was snapped up by the Thunder after impressing for their Summer League affiliate, paving the way for his championship honour. The Thunder celebrate their win. Credit: Justin Ford / Getty Images The result meant fellow Aussie Johnny Furphy missed out on his own ring as Indiana fell short of an unlikely finals upset. Gilgeous-Alexander finished off his MVP season with 29 points and 12 assists to help the Thunder recover from a one-point deficit at half-time to romp to victory. Jalen Williams scored 20 and Chet Holmgren had 18 for OKC, who were pushed to a Game 7 brink in the NBA Finals — but finished off a season for the ages at home. Oklahoma City won 84 games between the regular season and the playoffs, tying the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls for third-most in any season. Only Golden State (88 in 2016-17) and the Bulls (87 in 2015-16) won more. The day was soured by a suspected Achilles injury to Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton in the opening quarter, cruelling the visitors' hopes of an upset win.
West Australian
30-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Geraldton Buccaneer Alex Ducas is one step closer to an NBA championship ring with Oklahoma City Thunder
Former Geraldton Buccaneer Alex Ducas is one step closer to an NBA championship ring with Oklahoma City Thunder. Thunder have stormed into the NBA finals for the first time since 2012, dominating in the regular season and booking the finals berth after a 4-1 semifinal series win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ducas messaged his dad Aaron after the game on Thursday, telling him the team felt confident in their play and that they're looking forward to the finals. When asked about having an NBA championship ring in the house, Aaron Ducas told the Geraldton Guardian on Friday: 'Yeah, it's huge, slightly better than the SBL title, it would be amazing.' 'He's put all the hard yards in, done all the little things to get him where he is, and he deserves every accolade he can get.' While Ducas hasn't had game time since mid-April he is still on the roster as a two-way player and could get some minutes on the court should the Thunder roll deep into the finals series. Competition is fierce within the squad, with teammate Jalen Williams combining with NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren to score 170 points in games four and five against the Timberwolves. Luc Longley is the only West Australian basketballer to have won an NBA championship. In fact, he has won three. Ducas debuted in 2016, playing 51 games over four seasons for the Buccs, including the SBL championship in 2019, the same year he was named NBL1 youth player of the year. He played a full five years of college basketball in the US, for St Mary's Gaels in California. The 24-year-old signed with the Thunder mid-2024 and has played 21 games in the 2024-25 season, averaging six minutes and 1.7 points a game. Oklahoma will face either the New York Knicks or the Indiana Pacers in a best-of-seven series, starting June 6.
