Calvin Bruton OAM
Hall of Fame Class: 1998 Role: Player
Calvin Thomas Bruton OAM is one of the most seminal figures in the history of Australian basketball.
Born in Queens, New York City, he was a basketball playground legend as a youth and earned a scholarship to Wichita State University, with whom he played four seasons between 1972 and 1976, including an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Recruited to the National Basketball League by David ‘Doc’ Adkins for the competition’s first season in 1979, he made an immediate impact with the Brisbane Bullets, leading the NBL in scoring.
It was just the beginning of an extraordinary career in this country that saw him win NBL championships as both a coach and player and go on to represent Australia.
One of the greatest players in NBL history, Cal was a brilliant point guard who was the league’s first genuine showman. He appeared in 250 NBL games as a player and won his first NBL championship for the Bullets in 1985. He appeared in three other NBL Grand Finals in 1982 for Geelong, 1986 with Brisbane and 1987 as a player-coach with the Perth Wildcats.
He was named to the All-NBL First Team twice and was a member of the NBL 20th Anniversary Team: in 1998.
Cal also coached another 330 NBL games, including a number as a player-coach for Geelong, Perth and Hobart. He was the NBL Coach of the Year in 1982 and won his second NBL title in 1990 as the sideline leader of the Perth Wildcats.
Naturalised in 1982, Cal went on to play for his adopted country in the 1986 FIBA World Championships held in Spain.
Such was the remarkable impact he made at multiple levels of the sport of basketball, Cal was honoured with an Order of Australia Medal in the 2021 Australia Day Honours.
His son CJ, also a Hall of Famer, continued on with what has become a remarkable legacy for the Bruton family.
