Anonymous
Years ago
Tigers to retire Mark Bradtke's #50
Mark Bradtke is already a Melbourne Tigers legend, and now it is official.
The Tigers have announced they will retire Bradtke's No.50 in a ceremony during Sunday's semi-final against the Adelaide 36ers.
It is fitting Bradtke will be honoured on Sunday given he started his NBL career with the Sixers before joining the Tigers, finally closing his storied tenure with the Brisbane Bullets.
As a Tiger, Bradtke was at his peak, ruling the NBL as the best big man, dominating the boards, winning two championships and the 2002 MVP.
Bradtke's No.50 goes into the rafters alongside the retired jerseys of Andrew Gaze, Lanard Copeland, Dave Simmons, Ray Gordon and Warrick Giddey.
A veteran of multiple Olympic Games and world championship campaigns, as well as an NBA season with the Philadelphia 76ers, Bradtke's list of achievements include:
NBL Champion 1993 and 1997
Melbourne Tigers Most Valuable Player 2002
10 All-NBL First Team honours
554 NBL games
NBL record 6,283 rebounds
NBL's 25th Anniversary team of 2003
Represented Australia in 205 games over 14 years
Four Olympic games and two FIBA World Championships
Two Gaze medals as Australia’s International Player of the Year
http://www.tigers.com.au/article/id/flc9xnmrkegg166737m2mew51
