Cal Bruton has 'The Answer' for Aussie hoops fans

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NBL legend and Hall of Famer Cal 'The Black Pearl' Bruton believes the arrival of NBA icon Allen Iverson in Australia is one of the biggest moments for basketball in this country.

Iverson, most commonly known as 'AI' or 'The Answer', will be the special guest at HoopsFest in Perth from January 15-18 before taking off for a tour along the east coast of Australia, including events in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

The 2001 NBA MVP is the latest in a long line of superstars to visit Australia and be a guest of the NBL's, following on from the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Kenny 'The Jet' Smith, Scottie Pippen and more in recent years.

Bruton, who will be with Iverson for his tour along the east coast, was the special guest on the latest edition of 'Cut to the Jase' with Jason Cadee and said it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Aussie basketball fans because of how the 11-time All-Star transformed the game and the culture in the NBA.

"The calibre of player, person and cultural icon in Allen Iverson to come here and travel the country... to reach each and every one of us and let us know how he went about achieving the goals that he set for himself, I think it's a very exciting time for Australian future (of basketball)," he told basketball.com.au.

While Iverson was the main topic of conversation on 'Cut to the Jase', Bruton also spoke about what the start of HoopsFest meant for Australian basketball and the NBL and how it has grown going into its second year.

Cadee and Bruton - an NBL champion as a player and a coach - broke down the current state of the NBL with the father of six-time champion CJ Bruton also giving his reasons why he believed Adelaide 36ers superstar Bryce Cotton could catch Andrew Gaze as the greatest to ever play in the league.

Bruton enjoyed a long and decorated playing career in the NBL, which spanned from 1979-1992 with the Brisbane Bullets, Geelong Supercats, Perth Wildcats and Hobart Devils. He won a title with the Bullets in 1985, was the league's scoring champion in 1979 and was two-time All-NBL in 1983 and 1984.

The 71-year-old spent several seasons as a player-coach, winning Coach of the Year in 1982 while with Geelong before leading the Wildcats to a championship as a coach in 1990. He was one of the first inductees into the NBL Hall of Fame and now spends his time coaching youth and doing charity work across Australia.

ALLEN IVERSON PROFILE

• 11-time NBA All-Star
• Four-time NBA scoring champion
• Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2016)
• NBA MVP 2001
• Rookie of the Year 1997
• 3-time NBA steals leader
• NBA 75th Anniversary Team
• No.3 jersey retired by the Philadelphia 76ers

For tickets to HoopsFest click here or for tickets to Iverson's tour visit here.