| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 November 1942 Townsville, Queensland |
| Died | 14 February 1983 (aged 40) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Listed height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) |
| Listed weight | 73 kg (161 lb) |
| Career information | |
| Playing career | 1959–1979 |
| Career history | |
| 1959–1979 | South Adelaide Panthers |
Michael Henry George Ah Matt (30 November 1942 – 14 February 1983) was an Indigenous Australian professional basketball player. He played for the Australian national basketball team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.[1][2]
Ah Matt was born on 30 November 1942 in Townsville, Queensland,[2] and grew up in Darwin, Northern Territory.[3] He represented the Northern Territory at the 1959 Australian Championships.[3] After the Championships he moved to Adelaide, South Australia to play with the South Adelaide Panthers.[3] He played a then record 588 games over twenty seasons with the Panthers.[3]
In 1964, he was a member of the Australian team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. In 1968, he was a member of the Australian team that participated in the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament in Monterrey, though that team failed to qualify for the 1968 Summer Olympics.[3]
Former Australian Olympian Darryl Pearce said of Ah Matt, "He had an amazing sense of where he was on the court and he could see players where no-one could understand how he could actually pass the ball the way he did."[4]
Achievements and recognition
- 1964: With Adrian Blair and Frank Roberts, the first Indigenous Australians to represent Australia at the Olympic Games in 1964[1]
- !994: Inductee, Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame[3]
- 2010: Inductee, Australian Basketball Hall of Fame[3]
References
- 1 2 "Australian Indigenous Olympians" (PDF). Australian Olympic Committee website. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- 1 2 "Michael Ah Matt". Sports Reference - Olympics. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Basketball Australia Hall of Fame". Basketball Australia. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
- ↑ Coady, David. "Hall of Fame for Indigenous basketballer Ahmat". ABC News, 19 August 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ↑ Spasaro, Josh (20 December 2018). "Indigenous Round can pave the way for NBL" (PDF). Northern Territory News. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ↑ Turner, Matt (30 April 2015). "Grandson of basketball great Michael Ah Matt chases sporting dreams". The Advertiser. Retrieved 16 November 2019.