Basketball Career
Son of Australian basketball player and coach, Lindsay Gaze, Andrew began his career in the NBL at age 18, being named Rookie of the year in 1984. He was the top scorer in the league for a total of 14 seasons. Not an outstanding athlete, Gaze's heavy scoring was due to exceptional shooting, including from three-point range. A crowd favourite, one of Gaze's trademark plays for the Tigers was a pass to American import Lanard Copeland for an alley oop. Playing under his father with the Tigers, Gaze led the team to two titles and were perpetual finalists.
Gaze also excelled at the international arena, and in 2000 became (jointly with American Teresa Edwards) the third basketball player to compete at five Olympics, after Puerto Rican Teófilo Cruz and Brazilian Oscar Schmidt. He led the Boomers to their best performance, fourth at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. (The Boomers also came fourth in 1988 and 2000.) He was selected as flag-bearer for the Australian team at the opening ceremony at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He is the scoring record holder in Olympic competition, and second-highest scorer of all-time in World Championship play.
In 1988–99, Gaze played a season of U.S. college basketball at Seton Hall, where his team made the 1989 NCAA finals, losing in overtime to Michigan. He tried out with the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics, but was not offered a contract and ultimately waived. In 1993–94 he played seven games for the Washington Bullets. He had another short stint in the NBA in lockout-shortened 1998–99 with the San Antonio Spurs, but received very little court time and was injured for the latter part of the season. He received a championship ring after the Spurs won the 1999 NBA title, although he was left off the playoff roster.
After the Sydney Olympics, Gaze retired from international competition, but continued to play in the NBL. On 12 May 2005, he announced his retirement from the game after 612 games in the NBL and 20 years of professional basketball.
Soon after, he released his autobiography, A Kid, a Ball, a Dream, co-authored with Grantley Bernard.
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