JAWAI JOINS RAPTORS

Jawai
Ex-Cairns Taipans basketballer and the 2008 NBL Rookie of the Year, Nathan Jawai, has signed a two-year contract with the Toronto Raptors in the NBA.

He is the first Indigenous player to be drafted by an NBA team. He was picked at number 41 by the Indiana Pacers but will go to the Raptors as part of the O’Neal trade.

Jawai, who 206cm tall and has been dubbed “Aussie Shaq”, is just the tenth Australian to be drafted into the NBA. Only Luc Longley, Andrew Bogut, Chris Anstey and David Andersen have been drafted higher.