INTERVIEW: Australian basketball legend Andrew Gaze - 6 April 2026

0:00Worldcage extraordinary in the NBA. Oh, what a series though. Game five for the ages. Sadly for us, it didn't go the way that Adelaide fans would have hoped. Oh, we had our chances leading. I'll ask our next guest. We should have won it in regular time. One 13 to 101 in the end, Bryce Cotton, the team on his shoulders, he's the second best player of all time in the NBA. Bryce Cotton behind our next guest. The great man, Andrew Gays, called it last night for Kaye. Kaye, good morning. Good morning, you're very, very generous. I think that most people wouldn't remember me running around. But certainly, with the way Bryce is doing his thing, he's an exceptional talent that's going to be a really challenge by Kendrick Davis for what we saw yesterday. He's an other superstar. So we're lucky to have two incredible players playing our league. Exactly. Andrew, what a wonderful promotion. We're disappointed we didn't get the jokers, but what a wonderful promotion. 18 to 1,000 people there for the sport of a basketball.

1:02Yeah, incredible. It was, before the game, as I thought they were getting ready for it, we were calling it, of course, for ESPN. Yeah, I looked around and yes, sort of had to pinch yourself to think that, you know, when back when I first started playing, we played at the old corner stadium in Adelaide or we were playing at the Helmer Park stadium with a capacity of about eight or nine hundred to see where it is today. It is, it's fantastic. And I think it really does help provide that in check. He's the youngsters coming through the ranks that there's a career that you can have here in Australia. If not, other parts of the world. Exactly right. Guys, we know the two previous losses, the sixes had in Sydney in these best of five. They got smashed. Yep, we felt like we could just get in, pinched this one and get out and they almost did it. Yeah, they did. In fact, we're two minutes ago, you six points up, you couldn't have scripted better for the Adelaide 36es. And Sydney's credit, and in particular, Kendrick David,

2:02he hit a huge three. It was really a chuck at the ring. He was trying to play for the foul. And it was one of those ones, you just feel like the fickle hand of fake was working in favor of Sydney because some of our other that went in. And, and then of course, the very last play where Bryce tries to kiss one off the glass and put it in for the wind, just came up a little short. So it was right there for the tanky tanking, but you felt that once it went to overtime, I meant to clearly in the favor of the Sydney Kings and they were able to get it done. But yeah, they'll have some sleep with night thinking of those last couple of minutes in regulation. Gee, but Andy, what rivalry we've built up now, not just for what we saw last night, but for the future between those two sides, wonderful rivalry. Absolutely. Yeah, and not just because of some of the stuff that was going on the court, some of the shenanigans of the court was also brought a spotlight to it all.

3:04But I think that it was all within the spirit. I don't think we really saw anyone cross the line. I mean, he comes down to your judgment, I suppose, with some of the behavior of Kendrick, but he is a fierce competitor. And ultimately has incredible respect for Bryce, which we saw at the end of the game. But those two guys, they are really the benchmark in the competition right now. Gaze is a two-symbol to say Bryce just didn't have enough friends to go with him to help out. A little because the attention that he was getting was just astronomical. They were double-cleaming him every single time. And for him to do what he did was quite extraordinary. Particularly in that first half, he came out of the box and we thought, hello, this is going to be one of those Bryce games where he's single-annually just wins it up his back. But they've got a very good team. I think Flynn Cameron fouling out was a big step back. You're saying the same with Raka Savage, but they really changed up their strategy. They only used seven guys.

4:06And Isaac White has been playing a bit, Matt Kenyon has been playing a bit, but they never saw any court times. So they really just went with their core seven guys and almost got it done. So maybe in the end, Fatigue might have got the better of and particularly for Bryce, because he has to do a mountain of work both on and off the ball. Andrew, I don't want to single out one person, but Vasilovich, one from 11 shooting normally it'd kill him. Yeah, he had a dirty day. It was just one of those days from the field where the Scott wasn't dropping. He had some good looks, but just wasn't able to get him to connect. He was one of 11 from three, which really is an area of expertise that he has two or 14 overall. But, you know, I think it would be unfair just to pin it on him, but clearly, Kim not playing at his best was not helpful. All right. We appreciate your time, Gasey. Before we let you go, there's been murmurings about issues with the coach and with the players and the 36 is going through the season. Can you see them keeping this core for next season

5:07to have another crack and go one better? I think it would be crazy if they didn't. You know, they were the last player of the game that Bryce makes that bucket. They win a championship and these things aren't easy to do. I think Mike Wells has caught a lot of criticism. In my view, from a far looking out in, I think it's been unfair. And he clearly, when you've got that talent, there's such parity in the league to do what they were able to do, not just in the finals, but throughout the regular season. I think that it would take a brave person to want to blow this thing up. Ooh. Well, let's hope so. So we're proud, Andrew, but we're a little flat here in Adelaide. No, you should be proud. Well done to you guys in your team. They represented you guys really, really well. Absolutely. Thanks, Andrew. Thank you. Anytime. See you guys tonight. Good luck to you, Hawkes today. Gee, he is great for the sport. Superstar. Isn't he? Superstar as a player. As a person. Commentator. Yep. That's just as important. Thing as Superstar as a person.

6:07So you got... Oh, God. Bryce Cotton is a three-time NBA champion, almost four. What's Gorge in there? Seven. Andrew, one two as a Melbourne Tiger. You've got a MVP six times Bryce Cotton. Andrew goes seven times MVP. You've got Bryce Cotton as the leading scorer of the NBA nine times. You've got Andrew goes leading scorer 14 times. 14 times. So the two clearest best players of all time. No doubt. So we should be blessed that we're seeing Bryce. And we're blessed that we're seeing Bryce in our Colors. He just needed a few more friends to go along. Exactly. And help out in the stretch. Exactly right. So I think they had four turnovers in the entire game and then eight in overtime. So they were just gassed. The thing I loved at the end of the game, how the two teams when they sort of embraced each other, they'd been some fireworks, they'd been some pushing and shoving,

7:08but at the end of the game, end of the series, that was it. Yeah, I think you're right. But there's rivalry though. Great rivalry, but there was a respect shown between Bryce and Hayden and of course Kendrick played for us. So he's got friends. I'm sure in the organization, but exactly. The NBA will be licking their lips. Four continuous sellouts. So four sellouts in a row. What about the final crowd? 18,000 amazing. Oh, what? And you want it in your bigger city. So Sydney would be loving it, whether you like the Andrew Bogot grand Kelly stuff. No, I don't. That's personal. Correct. And that'll be sorted out. Ever happened. But I tell you what it does do. It gives you ink space in the paper. And it gives you radio airtime and it does give you TV. So we don't approve of it. We don't condone it. That we love it. Better than anything. All the theater. The great Andrew guys called it for ESPN on KO yesterday, our guest.