Damian Martin
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Damian Patrick Martin (born 5 September 1984) is an Australian former professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player, best known for his 11 seasons with the
Perth Wildcats The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at RAC Arena, known colloquially as "The Jungle". Afte ...
of the National Basketball League (NBL). After four years of
college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
for
Loyola Marymount Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...
, Martin began his NBL career in 2007 with the
West Sydney Razorbacks The West Sydney Razorbacks (known in its final season as the Sydney Spirit) were an Australian professional basketball team that competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). The club was based in Sydney, New South Wales. They were the s ...
. In 2009, he made the move to Perth to join the Wildcats, where he went on to become a six-time NBL champion and six-time NBL Best Defensive Player. He is considered one of the NBL's all-time best defenders.NBL Awards: Defensive Player of the Year
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Early life and career

As a 15-year-old at the NSW Institute of Sport, Martin was influenced by future and long-time mentor
Rob Beveridge Rob Beveridge (born 15 January 1970) is an Australian professional basketball coach. After coaching the under-19 Australian Emus at the 2003 World Championship to a gold medal win, he began his National Basketball League (NBL) coaching caree ...
to concentrate on
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
rather than
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
, a move that set Martin on the path to his greatest personal achievement – winning a gold medal with the Australian national junior team under Beveridge and alongside the likes of
Andrew Bogut Andrew Michael Bogut (born 28 November 1984) is an Australian former basketball player who spent the majority of his professional career playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The tall center was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks ...
at the
2003 FIBA Under-19 World Championship The 2003 FIBA Under-19 World Championship (Greek: 2003 Παγκόσμιο Πρωτάθλημα FIBA Under-19) was the 7th edition of the FIBA U19 World Championship. The men's U19 youth international basketball championship organized by FIBA. I ...
. In 2002 and 2003, Martin attended the
Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...
and played for the program's SEABL team. Between 2003 and 2007, Martin played three seasons of
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
college basketball for
Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...
. After a successful freshman and sophomore seasons, he was forced to redshirt the 2005–06 season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered while playing with the national team. He returned to the Lions in 2006–07. In his three seasons for LMU, he played 88 games (69 starts) and averaged 4.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game, and was a West Coast Conference All-Freshmen team honouree in 2003–04.Damian Martin Bio – Loyola Marymount Official Athletic Site
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Professional career


West Sydney Razorbacks / Sydney Spirit

In 2007, Martin returned to his home state and signed with the
West Sydney Razorbacks The West Sydney Razorbacks (known in its final season as the Sydney Spirit) were an Australian professional basketball team that competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). The club was based in Sydney, New South Wales. They were the s ...
of the National Basketball League. Ten games into the 2007–08 season, Martin suffered a season-ending knee injury. He continued on with the club for the 2008–09 season, with their new name being the
Sydney Spirit The West Sydney Razorbacks (known in its final season as the Sydney Spirit) were an Australian professional basketball team that competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). The club was based in Sydney, New South Wales. They were the s ...
. The Spirit were in dire financial straits during the 2008–09 season, with the 10 contracted players and three coaches, including head coach
Rob Beveridge Rob Beveridge (born 15 January 1970) is an Australian professional basketball coach. After coaching the under-19 Australian Emus at the 2003 World Championship to a gold medal win, he began his National Basketball League (NBL) coaching caree ...
, all agreeing to live off just $150,000 between them to keep the franchise going—roughly $700 per week for Martin. Furthermore, Martin played much of the season with a broken wrist, an injury that occurred during the pre-season tournament. The injury should have sidelined him immediately, but in December 2008, it was noted that Martin didn't want to make a fuss because he put the team first and himself second.


Perth Wildcats

Following the demise of the Sydney Spirit, Martin followed Beveridge west, where the pair joined the
Perth Wildcats The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at RAC Arena, known colloquially as "The Jungle". Afte ...
for the
2009–10 NBL season The 2009–10 NBL season was the 32nd season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The 48-minute game switched to a 40-minute game. Preseason Pre-season training began for a majority of clu ...
. Martin saw immediate success, helping the Wildcats win the championship in his first season. He subsequently earned an
Australian Boomers The Australian men's national basketball team, known as the Boomers after the slang term for a male kangaroo, represents Australia in international basketball competition. Since the late 1980s, Australia has been placed among the world elite t ...
call-up. In 2011, he won the
NBL Best Defensive Player Award The National Basketball League Best Defensive Player is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award given since the 1980 NBL season to the best defensive player of the regular season. At the season's end, each club nominates one player for ...
for the first time and was named to the All-NBL First Team. Over the ensuing three seasons, he won three more Best Defensive Player awards, was named to the
All-NBL Team The All-NBL Team is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) honour bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBL season. The team has been selected in every season since the league's second year in 1980. The All-NBL Team i ...
every year, and helped the Wildcats reach three straight grand finals, winning his second championship in 2014. He missed the 2013 grand final series with a partial tear of his Achilles tendon, an injury that he suffered during the semi-final series. In January 2013, Martin was named co-captain of the Wildcats alongside
Shawn Redhage Shawn Michael Redhage (born 21 January 1981) is an American-Australian former professional basketball player who is most known for his 12 seasons played with the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played four years of co ...
. In October 2013, he was named the sole captain of the Wildcats.


2014–15 season

On 14 May 2014, Martin re-signed with the Wildcats on a two-year deal (with the option of a third). On 24 October 2014, he recorded nine rebounds, nine steals and eight assists in an 84–63 win over the
Sydney Kings The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The Kings were formed from a merger between the West Sydney Westars and the ...
. Nine steals is the second most by a Perth Wildcat in the club's history, behind only
Ricky Grace Ricky Ray Grace (born August 20, 1966) is an American-Australian former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his career in the Australian National Basketball League with the Perth Wildcats. Playing career Ricky "Amazing ...
's 10 in 1990. He was subsequently named Player of the Week for round three. On 31 December 2014, in an 86–77 win over the
Wollongong Hawks The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games ...
, Martin played his 200th NBL game. In March 2015, Martin was named the NBL's Best Defensive Player for the fifth consecutive year.


2015–16 season

On 4 November 2015, Martin suffered a broken jaw and missing teeth following an errant elbow from
Townsville Crocodiles The Townsville Crocodiles were an Australian professional men's basketball team based in the North Queensland city of Townsville. They competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at the Townsville Entertainmen ...
forward
Brian Conklin Brian Conklin (born September 5, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for FC Porto of the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol. He played college basketball for Saint Louis University and has since played in New Zealand, Australia, Puerto ...
. He returned to action by the end of the month, despite originally being ruled out for three weeks. In February, he played his 200th game for the Wildcats, and in March, he won his third NBL championship and was named Grand Final MVP.


2016–17 season

On 2 June 2016, Martin signed a new three-year deal with the Wildcats. Two months later, Martin made his Olympic debut for the Australian Boomers at the
2016 Rio Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...
. On 23 October 2016, Martin recorded a career-high 13 rebounds in a 72–69 win over
Melbourne United Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena. The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 as ...
. During the game, he received a heavy knock to the head, with x-rays revealing a fracture to the left side of his jaw. Consequently, he was ruled out for two weeks of action. He returned after missing just one game, but sustained another injury, this time a grade three MCL tear in his left knee against the
Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...
on 5 November. He was subsequently ruled out for 10 to 12 weeks. Much like in 2015–16, Martin managed to return from injury earlier than expected, as he joined the playing group for their first game of 2017 on 7 January in Sydney against the Kings. He helped the Wildcats win back-to-back road games for the first time in more than one year, as he picked up a team-high two steals in an 80–74 victory. On 28 January, in his 250th NBL game, Martin scored a season-high 11 points to go with six rebounds and four assists in a 73–71 win over Melbourne. The Wildcats finished the regular season in third place with a 15–13 record, and played the second-seeded
Cairns Taipans The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Conventio ...
in the semi-finals, a series the Wildcats swept 2–0. The series sweep advanced the Wildcats into the NBL Grand Final for the sixth time in eight years. In the best-of-five grand final series against the
Illawarra Hawks The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games ...
, Martin was superb on defence in Game 1 (limiting the dynamic
Rotnei Clarke Rotnei Clarke (born July 20, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for Scafati Basket of the Italian Serie A2 Basket. He played college basketball for the University of Arkansas and Butler University before beginning his profession ...
to just eight shots), hit the scoreboard in Game 2 (scoring 12 points on four three-pointers), and did a bit of everything in Game 3 (three points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals) to lead the Wildcats to a 3–0 series sweep and an eighth NBL championship. Martin collected his fourth championship, as the Wildcats defended their title for the first time since 1990/1991. It was a special championship win according to Martin, due to the team's adversity in 2016–17. The Wildcats slumped to last spot in December (7–9 record) as the team's injury toll started to have a significant impact. Long-term injuries to Martin,
Jarrod Kenny Jarrod Daniel Kenny (born 17 September 1985) is a New Zealand former professional basketball player. He played many seasons in the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) for the Hawke's Bay Hawks and represented the New Zealand Tall Bl ...
and Matt Knight hurt the Wildcats, while early-season import shuffles disrupted the team's cohesiveness. The Wildcats only just scraped through to the finals after beating Melbourne United away in the final round. The victory extended Perth's playoff streak into a record 31st straight season. Martin said in February, "I've been fortunate to be a part of three Championships. If we win it this season, it would mean more to me than any of the other three because of all the adversity we've gone through. It's been such a special season."


2017–18 season

The Wildcats started the season 10–3, as they sat atop the ladder following Round 9. On 14 December 2017, Martin was ruled out for a number of games with an ankle injury. In the two games he missed, the Wildcats dropped to 10–5; he made his return for the Wildcats' New Year's Eve game against the
Cairns Taipans The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Conventio ...
in Cairns. On 4 February 2018, in a loss to the
Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...
in Adelaide, Martin played his 250th game for the Wildcats. The Wildcats finished the regular season in third place with a 16–12 record. On the eve of the Wildcats' finals campaign, Martin was named the NBL's Best Defensive Player for the 2017–18 season, earning the honour for a record-breaking sixth time. The Wildcats went on to lose in straight sets to the 36ers in the semi-finals.


2018–19 season

A left leg injury kept Martin out of pre-season games in September 2018. After helping the Wildcats start the season with a 4–1 record, he was ruled out of the Wildcats' match on 3 November against the Breakers with a low grade tear to his right calf muscle. He subsequently missed six games. The Wildcats reached a 10–1 record before dropping to 12–9 in early January. On 25 January, he recorded 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals in a 100–81 win over the
Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...
. On 10 February, he recorded 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in a 95–86 overtime win over the
Sydney Kings The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The Kings were formed from a merger between the West Sydney Westars and the ...
. He hit a 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. The win saw the Wildcats move to a 17–9 record, with coach
Trevor Gleeson Trevor Gleeson (born 28 May 1968) is an Australian professional basketball coach who is an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After starting his coaching career in his hometown of Warrnambool, G ...
crediting Martin's form as one of the key reasons for the Wildcats riding a wave of momentum towards the finals. The Wildcats finished with an 18–10 record to claim the minor premiership, before going on to reach the NBL Grand Final series, where they defeated
Melbourne United Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena. The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 as ...
3–1 to win the championship. Martin and long-time teammate
Jesse Wagstaff Jesse Kendall James Wagstaff (born 30 April 1986) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). After playing college basketball for the Metro State Roadrunners in the United St ...
became the first players in NBL history to win five championships with just one club.


2019–20 season

On 5 April 2019, Martin re-signed with the Wildcats for the 2019–20 season. In December 2019, he played his 300th game for the Wildcats. He missed the entire month of January with a left heel injury, returning for the final two regular season games. In March 2020, he was crowned an NBL champion for the sixth time, becoming one of just four players in NBL history to win six titles, with he and teammate Jesse Wagstaff the only to do it at one club. Following the season, it was revealed Martin had played through the year with an Achilles injury that required a post-season reconstruction. On 21 July 2020, Martin announced his retirement from basketball after 13 seasons in the NBL and 342 games. Upon retiring, the league named its Best Defensive Player trophy in honour of Martin, with the award now known as the Damian Martin Trophy for the Best Defensive Player of the regular season.


Personal

Martin is the son of Anne and Raymond Martin, and has three brothers, Daniel, John and Anthony, and one sister, Beth. Martin and his wife, Brittany, have three daughters. His wife's cousin is rugby league player Michael Morgan.MY COUSIN IS PLAYING STATE OF ORIGIN!...
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References


External links


NBL profilePerth Wildcats profileNBL statsR13 Preview: Martin's 200th falls into place nicelyDamian Martin – 200 Perth Wildcats GamesDamian Martin: Red Army HeroDamian Martin: Most Inspiring ManAustralia's Most Humble Rio Olympian Just Had Two Amazing WinsWildcat Martin hopes for special NBL titlePerth Wildcats skipper Damian Martin on target for another title with strong shootingA Life Changing Phone Call300 Games Later: Rob Beveridge and Damian MartinWildcats captain Damian Martin's heroic night, defeats Sydney Kings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Damian 1984 births Living people Australian men's basketball players Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States Australian Institute of Sport basketball players Basketball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Loyola Marymount Lions men's basketball players Olympic basketball players of Australia People educated at Lake Ginninderra College People from New South Wales Perth Wildcats players Point guards West Sydney Razorbacks players Basketball players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games medallists in basketball 2010 FIBA World Championship players Medallists at the 2018 Commonwealth Games