Sobey 250: One of the great NBL rises

One of the greatest NBL development stories of the modern era will notch up his 250^th game in the competition this weekend when the Brisbane Bullets take to the floor against Melbourne United on Sunday afternoon.

Nathan Sobey has established himself as one of the top new era sharpshooters in a generation of Australian basketball, and it’s fitting he registers the milestone against a pair of his Olympic bronze medal winning teammates, in Chris Goulding and Matthew Dellavedova.

"It definitely crept up on me, I actually didn’t know until a few days ago when one of my friends wrote me a message wishing me all the best for it. I had no idea right up until then," Sobey told SEN of the impending milestone.

<iframe src="https://omny.fm/shows/nbl-radio-interviews/nathan-sobey-on-sen-december-8-2023/embed?style=artwork" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write" width="100%" height="180" frameborder="0" title="Nathan Sobey on SEN - December 8, 2023"></iframe>

"A lot has happened in the ten years I’ve been in the NBL now. A lot of ups and downs with winning and losing, but obviously a lot you can reflect on, there are definitely some high moments to look back at over those 250."

Although he looked in doubt to play due to illness earlier in the week, Sobey confirmed he'll take to the floor against United.

"I just got a bit of a stomach bug there earlier on in the week. It rattled me for 24-48 hours, but I’m back on track and ready to go."

Sobey has emerged as one of the greatest offensive threats in the modern NBL era, following a full four-year collegiate career with junior college side Cochise College and NCAA minnows Wyoming, after which he joined the Cairns Taipans.

He only made 10 NBL appearances and scored a total of 15 points in a debut campaign that was marred by lack of opportunity, so he took his talents to Adelaide.

Sobey found chances more forthcoming in his debut campaign with the 36ers, establishing himself as one of the top local talents in the NBL whilst playing alongside the likes of Mitch Creek, Majok Deng, Daniel Johnson and import Terrance Ferguson in NBL17. He was named the competition's Most Improved Player at the end of the campaign - Adelaide's first since Johnson in the 2011-12 season - and was named to the All-NBL Second Team.

Sobey's time in Adelaide saw him play alongside a veritable raft of future NBL stars. Alongside his time spent playing with Creek and Deng, he also counted current JackJumpers Anthony Drmic and Jack McVeigh, and two-time NBL champion Shaun Bruce amongst his teammates.

Nathan Sobey and Jerome Randle playing for Adelaide in 2017.

Thos performances in Adelaide across four seasons piqued the interest of the Brisbane Bullets who, after a first finals appearance since coming back into the NBL in 2016, were targeting a local star to help take them to the next level.

Since arriving at the Bullets, Sobey has become synonymous with the franchise, and had a career-best season right when there was a place in the Boomers' Olympic squad up for grabs.

Sobey averaged over 21 points per game in an extended season to earn a nomination for the competition’s MVP award and a place in Australia’s historic bronze medal winning side of the Tokyo Olympics.

Patty Mills and Nathan Sobey celebrate during Australia's Tokyo Olympics campaign.

Now 33, Sobey is experiencing a mini-resurgence alongside the Bullets since the appointment of Justin Schueller as head coach of the side ahead of NBL24.

“It’s been forgotten how much he carried this club for a long time,” Schueller said during the week. “What we wanted to make sure this year was we put other pieces around him, where his talents could shine through.”

Brisbane will celebrate their star guard's 250th NBL game when the Bullets take on Melbourne United on Sunday at 2pm AEDT, live and free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies | 10 Peach and 10 Play.

Honour roll:
All-NBL First Team (2021)
All-NBL Second Team (2017, 2019)
NBL Most Improved Player (2017)
Olympic bronze medal (Toyko, 2020)
Commonwealth Games gold medal (Gold Coast, 2018)