Luc Longley's status as a legend in Australian basketball is undisputed after winning three championships with the Chicago Bulls in the late '90s.
While Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman grabbed the headlines, for Australian fans, all eyes were on 'the man in the middle from New Mexico' — who was the first Australian to win an NBA championship.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Chicago Bulls' 3-peat, Mitchell & Ness have brought his previously hard-to-come-by Bulls No. 13 jersey to the masses with the launch of Longley's Aussie Legends range.
"It came about I suppose from this resurgent interest in '90s basketball and the appreciation of our Bulls team," Longley told The Sporting News of the collaboration with Mitchell & Ness.
"The NBA and Mitchell & Ness recognising my part in it, is what's really cool."
Longley, who rarely sought the spotlight during his NBA career and even less in retirement, says the honour of seeing his jersey taking over the NBA Stores in Melbourne and Sydney is something he never expected, but puts things in perspective to the level of impact he had in his home country.
"When I saw the jerseys hanging up, when I first saw them, it just sort of overwhelmed [me]," he said.
"It never happened when I was playing. I've never been a feature in an NBA store or any store, so to have it happen 25 years later, it's a moment of pride.
"It just didn't occur to me that people still cared that much about '90s basketball."
"It's a moment of pride."
— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) June 4, 2023
Luc Longley on the release of his #AussieLegends x @chicagobulls jersey range. #NBAAustralia pic.twitter.com/Li4ZJbK0Dg
Following the global success of The Last Dance, in which Longley was largely an afterthought, it spawned the ABC to create a compelling two-part 'Australian Story' documentary about his career and life after basketball — a nostalgia hit for older fans and an introduction to an Australian legend for the younger generation.
As hundreds of fans flocked to the NBA Stores in Australia to get their hands on the exclusive Longley range, the 7-foot-2 center appreciates seeing people now rocking his jersey all these years later.
"My kids did see one lady at a pub the other night wearing a Longley jersey, so yeah it's a trip for me, for sure," he said.
"Until now, the young kids really only have known me from the game, from the NBA [video] game. They're like, 'you're the guy on the Bulls with the lefty hook.'"
The Luc Longley x Mitchell & Ness range is now available in Australia, exclusively at the Melbourne and Sydney NBA Stores.
