Canberra NBL star Jesse Wagstaff's only discovered his love for basketball by pure chance as a teenager.
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He grew up in the ACT playing every sport under the sun, except for basketball, before it all changed at 14. After his Radford College friend asked him to fill in for a game.
It has since grown into a 400-game legacy at the Perth Wildcats, but a lot of cards had to fall into place to get him there.
"I was never the one to grow up wanting to have a career in basketball. I kind of went to college to play and for the experience, but also the education," Wagstaff said.
"I wasn't sure if I was even going to play basketball after college.
"I landed in Perth after I signed a three-year deal, my initial deal, and loved it. It's a beautiful city. I love it, and 13 years later we're still here."
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The 35-year-old will mark his 400th game on Saturday when Perth face Melbourne United, and the captain will be chasing a win to mark the occasion and keep his side atop the NBL ladder.
His NBL career began in 2009 when he signed with the Wildcats as a rookie, after the club he was set to sign with - South Dragons - folded. His entrance into Australia's top flight was aided by Perth's new coach at the time, fellow Canberran Rob Beveridge.
"I was ready to sign with another team and unfortunately they went bankrupt so I didn't really have a second option and Rob had just gotten the job in Perth," Wagstaff said.
"He was new that year, and my mum actually taught him in primary school. So we knew the family well, and he was always around NSW Basketball predominantly, but I kept in touch. So it was kind of fortuitous that he got the job in Perth and brought me across."
The move paid off for both Canberrans, as they won the NBL championship and Wagstaff was named NBL Rookie of the Year.
Before the Perth captain went on to win another five rings, play in a record-breaking nine grand finals, play 56 finals games to mark an entrance to every post-season of his career and become one of only two players to win six titles with the one club.
The forward has become one of the Wildcats' most successful players and despite all the accolades, he said he still felt good and was not ready to retire just yet.
Wagstaff said the NBL and WBNL just kept getting better each year with the talent Australian was both developing and attracting.
"You look at Matthew Dellavedova, this year he's playing for Melbourne United. You look at Andrew Bogut who came back a couple of years ago I've even guys like Brad Newley came back from Europe this year to play. It's exceptionally talented, so that pathway, I think, is there," he said.
"Then you touch on the WNBL as well, that's a premier competition and that continues to get better, and the calibre of imports, especially that the Perth Lynx have this year, is just huge."
Isobel Cootes
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
