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Exum confirms commitment to Boomers

Roar Guru
27th June, 2014
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Dante Exum says he remains fully committed to Australia’s national basketball team as he begins his new life as an NBA player.

The Melbourne-born point guard was on Friday drafted by the Utah Jazz with pick No.5 in Brooklyn, New York, instantly becoming Australia’s newest sporting millionaire.

Many pundits had expected Exum to reunite with former Australia coach Brett Brown at the Philadelphia 76ers, who instead used their fourth pick on centre Joel Embiid.

It was Brown who first invited Exum to the Boomers set-up, bringing him into the senior camp at just 15.

The 18-year-old went on to pledge his allegiance to the national side and on Friday stood by his word to make himself available for the FIBA World Cup in Spain from August.

“I have made the commitment to the Boomers for as long as I’m playing basketball,” he told Australian media from New York.

“It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do and something I will continue to do.

“I’ve been invited to the camp in late July and look forward to getting out there.”

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The Boomers aren’t short on talented guards, with newly-crowned NBA champion Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova of the Cleveland Cavaliers also committed to the team.

Exum hopes his relationship with the pair will work in his favour when links up with his new back-court partner Trey Burke at the Jazz.

“The Australian team is built on having point guards in Patty and Delly, so I think it’s a good opportunity to play similar type basketball that the Australian team plays,” he said.

“I’m sure that I’ll bring that Australian flavour to them.”

Exum said watching Mills win the 2014 title with San Antonio a fortnight ago was a “great feeling” and was keen to speak to him about the experience in camp.

“Seeing that someone from a small town in Canberra can do it, it shows that I can do it too.

“Every year that someone wins a championship, I’m always thinking that that could be me one day.”

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The NBA on Friday added another Boomer to their ranks in Cameron Bairstow, who was picked at No.49 by the Chicago Bulls – a likely contender for the 2014-2015 title.

He brings to six the number of Australians in the NBA.

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