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Michael Ah Matt

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Michael Ah Matt
Personal information
Born(1942-11-30)30 November 1942
Townsville, Queensland
Died14 February 1983(1983-02-14) (aged 40)
NationalityAustralian
Listed height188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Listed weight73 kg (161 lb)
Career information
Playing career1959–1979
Career history
1959–1979South 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]

Ah Matt died of a heart attack on 14 February 1983.[5][6]

Achievements and recognition

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Australian Indigenous Olympians" (PDF). Australian Olympic Committee website. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Michael Ah Matt". Sports Reference - Olympics. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Basketball Australia Hall of Fame". Basketball Australia. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  4. ^ Coady, David. "Hall of Fame for Indigenous basketballer Ahmat". ABC News, 19 August 2010. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  5. ^ Spasaro, Josh (20 December 2018). "Indigenous Round can pave the way for NBL" (PDF). Northern Territory News. Retrieved 16 November 2019.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ Turner, Matt (30 April 2015). "Grandson of basketball great Michael Ah Matt chases sporting dreams". The Advertiser. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
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