Sons Out, Guns Out: NBL26 full of family ties

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The Perth Wildcats recently added a familiar name to their roster for NBL26, with Jaron Rillie, the son of NBL legend and current Wildcats’ head coach John, signing a two-year deal with his dad’s team.

The first year will be as a development player before being elevated to the main roster the following season. Because of this signing, there are now 12 different father-son combinations who are a part of an NBL roster, with a quarter of them featuring on the Brisbane Bullets' roster.

Ahead of Father's Day this weekend, we are going over every active son of a gun playing in the NBL next season.

Jonah + Bruce Bolden

Former Philadelphia 76er and current Illawarra Hawk Jonah Bolden is entering his third season in the NBL.

Being drafted 36th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, Bolden is the son of former Sydney Kings and South-East Melbourne Magic import Bruce Bolden. Bruce won the 1992 championship and Finals MVP with the Magic.

Jonah went onto play for his father’s old team, the Sydney Kings in 2023 after coming out of retirement. He also had a stint with the New Zealand Breakers in 2024/25.

Jensen + Mark Bradtke

The son of NBL legend Mark Bradtke, Jensen has signed with the Brisbane Bullets as a development player for next season.

Jensen played last season at the Montana Grizzlies in the NCAA, helping them to a Big Sky Conference Championship.Mark is the NBL’s all-time rebound leader with 6238 across 554 games. He won three championships, two with the Melbourne Tigers and one with the Brisbane Bullets.

He also claimed an NBL MVP in 2002 and was a 10-time All-NBL First teamer.

Flynn + Pero Cameron

The Cameron’s with father Pero and son Flynn could be the royal family of New Zealand Basketball. Pero is a legend of New Zealand basketball both as a player and as a coach.

Being named in the 2002 FIBA World Championships (now World Cup) all-star. He has since coached the Tall Blacks at the very same tournament. In the NBL he played for the New Zealand Breakers in their inaugural season, and later for the Gold Coast Blaze.

Flynn, who spent the last two years coming off the bench at Melbourne United has made the move to the city of churches to play a starting role for the 36ers.

Last year he averaged 6 points, 2.1 rebounds and an assist in just 13 minutes a night and is expected to take a big leap this season for Adelaide.

Xavier + Eric Cooks

Former NBL MVP Xavier Cooks is beginning his sixth NBL season with the Sydney Kings.

Starting his NBL career in the 2019/20 season, Cooks has won back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023, including a Finals MVP in 2022 and three All-NBL team selections (1x first team, 2x second team).

Cooks’ father Eric played four seasons for the Illawarra/Wollongong Hawks, averaging 7 points and 4.7 rebounds across his 119 game NBL career.

Callum + Mark Dalton

Current Brisbane Bullets injury replacement player Callum Dalton is the son of Mark Dalton. Mark played for five different NBL teams across a 15-year career. Mark won a championship with the Canberra Cannons in his first season and was named to the Sydney Kings 25th anniversary team in 2013.

The upcoming season will be Callum’s third season with the Bullets and his fifth in the NBL. He started his NBL career with the Bullets as a development player in 2021 before moving onto Melbourne United for the following two seasons.

Sam, Harry + Shane Froling

The Froling family has been a part of the NBL for decades. Father Shane made his NBL debut in 1987 for the Eastside Melbourne Specters and finished his career in 1997 with the Townsville Suns. He also played for the Brisbane Bullets and Hobart Devils across his 271-game career.

Sons Harry and Sam like their father have been in the NBL since being teenagers. Harry made his debut in the 2015/16 season for the Townsville Crocs as an injury replacement player before jetting off to college for the next two seasons. He won Rookie of the Year in 2019 while playing with the Adelaide 36ers and has since played for the Brisbane Bullets and Illawarra Hawks, where he is now.

Sam has played for the Illawarra Hawks since 2019, winning Most Improved Player in 2021 and the Next Gen Award in 2024. Last season, Sam helped the Hawks to their first championship in 24 years.

He also picked up All-NBL second team honours in 2025 as he averaged 13.9 points, 7 rebounds and 1.9 assists a night.

The two sisters, Alicia and Keely, also both play in the WNBL, while mum Jenny Froling (nee Lind), also won two titles in the WNBL.

Tanner + Dan Krebs

Melbourne United wing Tanner Krebs is the son of Dan, who played for the Hobart Devils in the 1990 season, and also a single game with the

Southern Melbourne Saints in 1991. In his single season in Hobart, Dan averaged 25.3 points, 12.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists.Tasmanian born Tanner also played for the Brisbane Bullets and is entering his sixth NBL season.

Last season he averaged 5.3 points and 2.1 rebounds, helping United to a Grand Final appearance.

Sam + Wayne McDaniel

Sam McDaniel has played for three different NBL teams. Starting his career with Melbourne United, he was a part of their starting five in their 2021 Championship.

He has since moved to Tasmania to be a part of the JackJumpers initial roster and now the Brisbane Bullets where he’s now entering his third season there.

Sam’s father, Wayne, was an import for four different NBL sides. Playing 288 games and scoring over 7600 points in the league. In 1989, he scored 57 points against Adelaide, which is tied 10th for the most all-time.

Donovan “DJ” + Mike Mitchell

Donovan “DJ” Mitchell is entering his third NBL season playing for the South-East Melbourne Phoenix, after playing two years for the Brisbane Bullets.

His father Mike was an import for the Gold Coast Rollers, Brisbane Bullets and North Melbourne Giants.

He was named in the All-NBL First team in 1991.

Jack + Nigel Purchase

Current Brisbane Bullet and former NBL1 South MVP Jack Purchase is the son of Melbourne Tiger Nigel Purchase.

Nigel played 250 games in the NBL across 10 seasons and infamously made the longest shot in NBL history.

Jack has had a few stints in the NBL before joining the Bullets.

He was a development player with Melbourne United and an injury replacement in Adelaide before joining the Perth Wildcats in the 2021/22 season. He was out of the league for three years until joining the Bullets this off-season.

Jaron + John Rillie

Jaron played five years in the NCAA.

The first three at Samford University before transferring to Northern Colorado for the final two. In his super senior season, he averaged 12.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and one steal a night, starting all 35 games, he played.

Rillie Jr has trained with the Wildcats over the past two off-seasons, making it a seamless transition for the Sydney born local.His father John is entering his fourth season as Wildcats head coach, playing 481 NBL games and scoring 7861 points across five different teams.

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