Australia may have never had more NBA talent at its disposal.
With a record 15 Australians featuring in the NBA during the 2025-26 season, the Boomers are building one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the country’s history, and one capable of challenging for medals on the biggest stage.
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But with that unprecedented depth comes an enviable headache for head coach Adam Caporn.
Patty Mills’ future is uncertain, an NBL superstar who recently earnt Australian citizenship could earn a call-up while an NBA weapon is facing a bizarre fate.
As preparations ramp up for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, Caporn will be forced to make some of the toughest selection decisions of his coaching career.
Foxsports.com.au examines the three biggest Boomers selection dilemmas Caporn must solve below!
NCA. PARIS FRANCE 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES. August 6- Day 11 Patty Mills and the Boomers lose in a very tight game in the Mens Basketball Quarterfinal between Australia and Serbia at Bercy Arena.: Adam HeadSource: News Corp Australia
WILL MILLS PLAY IN HIS SIXTH OLYMPIC CAMPAIGN?
Few players have meant more to Australian basketball than Patty Mills.
The 37-year-old is the most decorated Boomer in history, a five-time Olympian and the driving force behind Australia’s breakthrough bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics – the nation’s first ever Olympic medal in men’s basketball.
But as the Boomers usher in a new era under Adam Caporn, the biggest selection question is whether Mills’ international career still has another chapter to write.
‘In Australia we say that all the time!’ | 01:48
If selected for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar, Mills will be 38 years old. By the time the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics arrive, he will be 39.
Ordinarily, that would signal the end for most international careers.
Yet Mills continues to make a compelling case that he belongs.
At the Paris Olympics in 2024, he remained Australia’s offensive heartbeat, averaging 16.5 points per game while shooting 40.9 per cent from beyond the arc.
His memorable 26-point performance against Serbia almost dragged the Boomers into the semi-finals before they fell 95-90 in overtime.
Since departing the NBA, Mills has also shown he can still perform at a high level in Europe.
Playing for Tenerife in Spain’s Liga Endesa, the 2014 NBA champion averaged 18.6 points and 1.6 assists per game while shooting an outstanding 46.9 per cent from the field and 44 per cent from three-point range.
NCA. PARIS FRANCE 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES. August 6- Day 11 Patty Mills and the Boomers lose in a very tight game in the Mens Basketball Quarterfinal between Australia and Serbia at Bercy Arena.: Adam HeadSource: News Corp Australia
His scoring average ranked second across Spain’s top division – a league stacked with current and former NBA talent.
The biggest question for Caporn isn’t whether Mills can still score.
It’s whether Australia’s next World Cup and Olympic campaigns should continue to be built around one of the greatest Boomers of all time, or whether the program begins transitioning to its next generation of guards.
If Mills maintains anything close to his current form over the next two years, leaving Australia’s greatest-ever Boomer at home may prove almost impossible.
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COULD THE NBL’S MODERN GOAT EARN A BOOMERS CALL-UP?
Few players have dominated Australian basketball quite like Bryce Cotton.
A six-time NBL MVP, three-time champion and two-time Finals MVP, Cotton has built a resume that has many placing him alongside Boomers legend Andrew Gaze in the conversation as the greatest player in NBL history.
May 14, 2026: Boomers associate head coach Dean Vickerman presents Adelaide 36er basketball star Bryce Cotton with his gurnsey after being named in the Australian Boomers squad. Picture: Brenton EdwardsSource: News Corp Australia
Now, after finally becoming an Australian citizen, the 33-year-old has a genuine opportunity to represent the Boomers on basketball’s biggest stages.
Cotton made his long-awaited international debut during Australia’s FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Perth and immediately showed why his name will be impossible to ignore ahead of the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games.
“It’s very surreal for me. Even when I first put the jersey on, it just took a little bit of time to, I guess, stare at Australia and then see my name on the back,” Cotton said.
“It’s been a very long process. Nonetheless, finally got here. I’m very grateful for the opportunity and I’m excited.
“And of all places where I can play my first game as a Boomer, it’s Perth. So very ironic, funny how fate turns out sometimes.
“This is a huge moment for me and my family.”
Cotton didn’t just enjoy the occasion – he dominated it.
He poured in 18 points in just 18 minutes during Australia’s 124-52 demolition of Guam before backing it up with 21 points, five assists and two steals against the Philippines.
The performances were a timely reminder of exactly what Cotton offers.
‘Grateful the league has taken action’ | 00:40
Australia has no shortage of size, defence and playmaking, but pure scorers who can create their own shot remain a valuable commodity in international basketball. Few Australians have proven as consistently capable of doing that as Cotton.
Across ten NBL seasons with the Perth Wildcats and Adelaide 36ers, Cotton has averaged 23.4 points, 4.6 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while establishing himself as one of the league’s greatest-ever offensive players.
The biggest question for Adam Caporn isn’t whether Cotton can score.
It’s whether the Boomers can afford to leave one of the most accomplished players Australian basketball has ever seen off the roster.
PERTH, AUSTRALIA – JULY 03: Bryce Cotton of the Boomers drives to the key during the FIBA World Cup Qualifier match between Australia Boomers and Guam at RAC Arena on July 03, 2026 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
WHO WILL BE THE BOOMERS’ UNLUCKIEST OMISSION?
Every major Boomers tournament brings heartbreak.
No matter how talented the squad, there is always at least one player left on the outside looking in, and ahead of the 2027 FIBA World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, that task may be tougher than ever for head coach Adam Caporn.
The most notable example came before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games when defensive specialist Matisse Thybulle was sensationally omitted despite helping Australia win its historic bronze medal in Tokyo three years earlier.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JULY 04: Josh Green of the Boomers looks on during the game between the Australia Boomers and China at John Cain Arena on July 04, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
The decision stunned many around Australian basketball, including Boomers legend Shane Heal.
“I’m shocked that Thybulle was cut … I thought he was a critical piece to their defensive needs,” Heal wrote on social media.
Brian Goorjian ultimately opted for veteran Matthew Dellavedova instead, proving that difficult decisions are an unavoidable part of international basketball.
Caporn is now likely to face similar dilemmas.
In our projected Boomers squad, one of the toughest calls could involve Josh Green.
The 25-year-old has represented Australia at the past two Olympic Games and remains a valuable perimeter defender, but competition for wing positions has only intensified.
Green endured a difficult Paris campaign, finishing scoreless across 44 minutes, and is coming off an NBA season where he averaged 4.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists for the Charlotte Hornets before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves this off-season.
With Bryce Cotton now eligible for selection, Patty Mills still performing at a high level and a new wave of Australian talent continuing to emerge, Caporn may ultimately be forced to prioritise different skill sets when assembling his final roster.
Green isn’t the only established Boomer who could find himself in a selection battle.
Veterans such as Duop Reath, Matthew Dellavedova, Dante Exum, Luke Travers and Xavier Cooks all have strong cases for inclusion, but Australia’s growing NBA contingent means not every deserving player will make the final squad.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 17: Josh Green of Australia scores a goal during the match between the Australian Boomers and South Sudan at Rod Laver Arena on August 17, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
OUR PREDICTED BOOMERS SQUAD FOR THE 2027 WORLD CUP & 2028 OLYMPICS
PG: Josh Giddey, Patty Mills
SG: Dyson Daniels, Tyrese Proctor, Bryce Cotton
SF: Johnny Furphy, Matisse Thybulle
PF: Lachan Olbrich, Jack McVeigh
C: Jock Landale, Alex Condon, Rocco Zikarsky
Blending proven international experience with one of the most exciting young cores in Australian basketball history, this projected Boomers squad has all the ingredients to challenge for medals at both the 2027 FIBA World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Led by Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels and Jock Landale, Australia possesses elite perimeter defence, versatile playmaking and improved size, while the additions of Bryce Cotton and Patty Mills provide proven shot creation and scoring when games tighten late.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 16: Nicholas Kay and Josh Giddey of Australia react during the match between the Australia Boomers and Brazil at Rod Laver Arena on August 16, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Perhaps most importantly, the frontcourt now has the depth to compete with the world’s best, with Landale, Alex Condon, Rocco Zikarsky and Lachlan Olbrich giving the Boomers a mix of experience, physicality and long-term upside.
While Team USA remains the benchmark after winning five consecutive Olympic gold medals and Germany enters the cycle as the reigning FIBA World Cup champions, Australia’s growing NBA talent pool means the Boomers should once again enter both tournaments with genuine medal aspirations.
2027 FIBA WORLD CUP
Location: Doha, Qatar
Dates: August 27 – September 12, 2027
The 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup will feature 32 nations battling for the Naismith Trophy, with the tournament also serving as the primary pathway to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 24: Jock Landale of the Boomers handles the ball during game two of the International Basketball series between the Australian Boomers and United States of America at Marvel Stadium on August 24, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
2028 LA OLYMPIC GAMES
Location: Los Angeles, United States
Dates: July 14 – July 30, 2028
Basketball’s biggest prize returns to American soil, where Team USA will be chasing a sixth consecutive Olympic gold medal in front of a home crowd. For Australia, the Los Angeles Games represent another opportunity to challenge the world’s basketball powerhouse and finally add to the historic bronze medal won in Tokyo.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 17: Josh Giddey of Australia dribbles during the match between the Australian Boomers and South Sudan at Rod Laver Arena on August 17, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
2024 PARIS OLYMPICS BOOMERS TEAM
PG: Josh Giddey, Dante Exum, Matthew Dellavedova
SG: Patty Mills, Dyson Daniels
SF: Josh Green, Joe Ingles
PF: Nick Kay, Jack McVeigh
C: Jock Landale, Duop Reath, Will Magnay