Adam Gibson (basketball)


Adam Matthew Gibson is an Australian professional basketball player for the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League. He made his NBL debut in 2005, and has played for five NBL franchises. He is a two-time NBL champion, having won his first in 2007, with the Brisbane Bullets and his second in 2009, with the South Dragons. He is also a five-time All-NBL Team member and was crowned the NBL Best Defensive Player in 2009.
Gibson is a long-time member of the Australian Boomers, having played at the 2012 London Olympics and at the 2010, and 2014 FIBA World Cups.

Early life

Gibson was born Launceston, Tasmania. He attended Hagley Farm School in nearby Hagley, and then attended secondary school at Prospect High School in Launceston. In 2004, he moved to Canberra to attend the Australian Institute of Sport and play for the program's SEABL team. He played two seasons for the AIS in the SEABL.

Professional career

NBL

Gibson started his NBL career with the Brisbane Bullets in 2005–06, and won a title in 2006–07, but was forced to leave the Bullets following the 2007–08 season after the club folded.
For the 2008–09 season, Gibson joined the South Dragons. He was named to the All-NBL Third Team and earned NBL Best Defensive Player honours, and helped the Dragons win the NBL championship.
Following the demise of the Dragons, Gibson joined the Gold Coast Blaze for the 2009–10 NBL season. In his three seasons with the Blaze, he earned All-NBL Second Team honours every year.
Following the demise of the Blaze, Gibson joined the Adelaide 36ers for the 2012–13 NBL season. In March 2013, he played his 250th NBL game. Returning to the 36ers for the 2013–14 season, Gibson helped the team reach the 2014 NBL Grand Final series, where they lost 2–1 to the Perth Wildcats. The 2014–15 season saw Gibson score a career-high 34 points in November and play his 300th NBL game in January. Gibson played a fourth and final season with the 36ers in 2015–16.
For the 2016–17 NBL season, Gibson joined the returning Brisbane Bullets, a franchise re-entering the league after eight seasons of inaction. In November 2016, he played his 350th NBL game. In December 2018, he played his 400th NBL game.
After three seasons with the Bullets, Gibson joined the South East Melbourne Phoenix for the 2019–20 NBL season.

Off-season stints

Gibson has played in various Australian state leagues in nearly all of his NBL off-seasons. In 2006, he played in the SEABL for the Hobart Chargers. In 2007 and 2008, he continued on in the SEABL with the Southern Districts Spartans. After a stint in the QBL with the Northside Wizards in 2009, he returned to the SEABL in 2010 to once again play for the Spartans, now known as the Brisbane Spartans. In 2011, he played for the Gold Coast Rollers in the QBL.
After not playing state league basketball in 2012, Gibson joined the Forestville Eagles of the Central ABL in 2013. He helped the Eagles win the championship behind a Grand Final MVP performance. He had a second stint with the Eagles in 2014, before sitting out the 2015 off-season.
Gibson had stints in the QBL every year between 2016 and 2019, playing for the Gold Coast Rollers, Brisbane / Southern Districts Spartans, and Rockhampton Rockets. Gibson also had a one-game stint with the Canterbury Rams in New Zealand in 2019.

National team career

Gibson represented Australia at the 2005 FIBA Under-21 World Championship, in Argentina. He then represented the Australian Boomers every year between 2009 and 2015, including playing at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.