Yeah its deserved. Even though the guy is a knob and thinks that Australian basketball starts and ends with him he has still had a very successful career and can play the game. Lets just hope that if they retire his number it will make sure he never again makes a comeback to chase personal glory and accolades

Probably. Even though he didn't pkay his entire career there, he was the one who lead them to their first title. He was also the face of the Kings during his tenure.

I don't like the idea of retiring numbers in general. You look at the Sixers. How many have they retired? 5 or so? That's in 20 years of playing! Add to that Brett Maher in another few years and maybe even Catt and so on and so forth. In 50 years, there won't be any more numbers left!

I say honour players in another way. I also don't see the point in 'retiring' a number, then letting someone else use it, either. If someone else can use the number, why retire it?!

when you part own the club you can do what ever you want.

Here's hoping he doesn't un-retire again :P

The Sixers should have only a select few numbers retired. In my mind it should be Pearce, Green & Davis. That should be all until Maher retires.

I loved McKay and Ninnis. Both were loyal, hard working players for the franchise. But they were hardly anything more than excellent role players, not the shining stars that the success of the franchise was built on. It should be limited to a select few who showed long service and exceptional play.

Why Ali? That is crazy. I don't know what kind of player he was before he joined the Sixers, perhaps he was great. However, while with the Sixers he was (again) nothing more then a valuable role player.

Who else has their number retired?

How can you bag a player you have never seen play?

I would not call Olympians "hardly anything more than excellent role players." Would you say the same of Rillie and Cat?

I agree that the retiring of numbers should be more selective as it now is.

Pudd is the only one to actually have his number retired. The others have just been "honured"

I have seen all the players I mentioned play. The only one I didn't see a great deal of was Peter Ali because I assume he was playing before he joined the Sixers. I only ever saw him play for the Sixers, and what I saw doesn't convince me he should have his jersey hanging on the wall.

Ninnis and McKay deserved to be honored, but I fail to see the point in putting the jersey up and not retiring the number. After all, that is the practice in basketball generally, is it not?

Mike McKay was a role player for the Sixers the vast majority of his playing days here. The only time he would have ever been considered a top 2-3 player on the team was in the early 1990's when the Sixers didn't have a ton of talent. Mostly, he was a role player to players like Davis, Green, Pearce, Rose, Bradtke, ect.. A damn good one, but he never was in the same league as the three players I singled out to have their jersey's retired.

Ninnis has his jersey up there more for loyalty than anything else. He actually spent less time as a top 2-3 players for the Sixers than McKay. The only time he was key contributor for the Sixers was in 1993. He played well, and then disappeared in the playoffs. I'm not bagging him, he was great asset to the team, but as a role player for the vast majority of the time. Like McKay, I would honor him but wouldn't put his jersey on the wall.

In my opinion it would be better to have the 3 jerseys I mentioned before on the wall and retire the numbers for good. You can march a line of fat men between these 3 (and Maher) and the rest of the Sixers who played a decent number of seasons for the franchise (including McKay and Ninnis.)

Then, I would have a Wall Of Honor. Something simple with the players name, jersey number and perhaps a photo. Like the table the Sixers have below the jerseys at the moment. In there I would put players like McKay, Ninnis, Jones, Mee, Brooks, Rees, Bradtke and so on. Cat as well, although if he hung around long enough with the team you could argue he deserves his jersey up there too.

And finally, yes, John Rillie was a role player for the Sixers. In what way was he not? Sure, he has gone on to be one of the best players in the league, but he was handy, solid role player for the Sixers during his stay here and someone who on any given night could put up 30 points, but wasn't asked to do so on a regular basis. He was a role player to guys like Maher, Trimmingham, Brunson, Mee, Brooks and Cat.

Jasmnine you missed the point.

A role player is a Stephen Kerr or John Paxson. Reesy is a role player for the sixers today. He does one job very well.

McKay and Ali played in the OLYMPICS. Surely this is more than just a role player honour. The same way as Rillie and Cat are much more than "role" players now.

Scotty was the Highest scorer for the boomers in the Russian tour of Aus. I forget the year.
Again more than just a "role" player.

The singlets on the wall are Honourary. The only player whose number is retired is Pudds.

It will be a dark day if they ever honour Bradtke in the Dome again.

Rillie isn't a role player now, but he was with the Sixers. Do we honour players for what they did for other clubs?

Peter Ali played in the olympics isn't a good enough reason to hang his jersey up there. It is what he did while playing for the club that counts, and what he achieved with us isn't in the same league.

Ninnis played a great number of seasons for the Sixers, but only a one or two seasons as a player with a major, major role. Those Sixers teams achieved nothing. I don't care what he did for the Boomers. I'm not looking at how many points he scored against Russia, or that one season he average 20 points a game. I'm looking at the overall picture of his career. It was spent mostly as a role player. I;m not baggin him, but he isn't in the league as the other players I mentioned. Tell me he was more of a Key player (or McKay) than Davis, Green, Jones, Pearce and later Rose.

I know the numbers are not retired. I said so in my post. What I am saying is that I would prefer the system I explained in some detail in my post.

Cat isn't a role player. He was one but grew into a key player for the team. However, the only reason I would hesistate putting his jersey up there (as opposed to honoring him some other way like I explained) is that he hasn't stuck around for any great length of time.

No one should ever wear Davis', Pearce's, Green's or Maher's number for the Sixers. Ever again. All those numbers should be retired. McKay, Ninnis & Ali do not deserve that honor. Plain and simple. So they shouldn't be honoured in the same way the truely great playersare , as is the current situation.

Again you are missing the point.

you called Mc Kay, Ninnis and Ali role players.

I am saying that they were much more than role players.

i agree with Kent you are selling Ali and McKay very short

Again you are missing the point.

You called McKay, Ninnis and Ali more than role players.

I am saying that they were not more than role players for the Sixers for the majority of their careers.

See. My post adds just as little to the debate as yours just did.

I'm not missing the point...I've just posted two messages arguing against your point.

Stop repeating yourself and offer some kind of evidence beyond that they played at the Olympics. I'm talking about what these players did, looking at the big picture of their careers, for the SIXERS. Not Australia. Not West Sydney in the case of John Rillie. Not even for 2 or 3 seasons for the Sixers. I'm talking the BIG PICTURE for the SIXERS.

have you really jasmine?

"Cat isn't a role player. He was one but grew into a key player for the team. However, the only reason I would hesistate putting his jersey up there (as opposed to honoring him some other way like I explained) is that he hasn't stuck around for any great length of time."

Hasn't stuck around Jasmine Cat played 182 minor round games to Al's 164

did you actually see ali and mckay play at there best for the 36ers?

what are you basing your opinion on?

Jasmine go back and read your original post.

You called Ali, Mc Kay and Ninnis role players.

Are you sure you know what a role player is?

Role players do not traditionally make International teams. Players that have skills in all facets of the game play at the international level.

These 3 players played for their country with 2 at Olympic level.

You also started out saying that their numbers were retired.

You changed your mind when you were set straight.

Kent...Thanks for that. More repeating yourself. Also, I know the numbers are not retired. I can see Farley running around with #9 and also see it hanging from the wall. Incorrect phrasing, and since you are now making an issue of, I admit it wasn't expressed correctly. But I have eyes, I can see they are not retired.

Ahem...Yeah I did see McKay and Ali play. Peter Ali is not even in the same league of Davis, Pearce, Green and Maher. I challenge you to tell how he was as much a key player for the Sixers in the 1980s as those 3 players. He doesn't deserve to have his jersey up there with those players, unless the standard is lower than it should be. If that is case, more players should be up there.

McKay is no doubt the best of the 2nd tier players we are talking about. Consistently he had a much greater impact on the success of the franchise than Ninnis and Ali. I don't devalue his impact in the sense that he had no impact at all. He did and was a very important player for the Sixers. I was a fan. But compared to Davis, Pearce and Green, the impact was much smaller.

Either retire all the numbers of these players or retire none of them. I think the numbers worn by Davis, Pearce and Green should never be worn by another Sixer. I don't feel that way about McKay and Ninnis. Both McKay and Ninnis had a few season as corner stone players for the Sixers, but the team achieved very little during this time. These players were better with talent around them and servicing that superior talent.

In regards to Cat, I don't care how many games he has played compared to Ali. I don't think Ali should up there in the first place. I love Cat. I have his jersey hanging in my wardrobe. But he played as a role for the Sixers in 1996 and 1997. Was a key contribitor to the titles in 1998 and 1999 and was again a key contribitor on a very successful 2000 team. He left for 2 seasons. Came back for 2 season in which the Sixers struggled and left again. This is not his fault, he played great for the Sixers during this time, but in my opinion it is close but no cigar.

Jasmine how old are you? It seems by your post that you only watched the Sixers in the ninties. Did you see them play in the eighties? Have you read DJ's history of the Sixers?
I can tell you that Ali and McKay both deserve to be honoured and even have their singlet numbers retired. Ali was known as the 'prisoner of gravity' but the work he did in helping the Sixers win their first title (86) was absolutely priceless. The blue collar work he did (reason he was on the starting 5) and the defensive pressure he placed on the opposition was suberb. McKay won rookie of the year (albeit with Westies) and the tandem he formed with Pearce was another factor for our first title. Those two were known as Swish and the Iceman, because all of McKay's shots swished.....I Know, I was there at Apollo (by the way do you know why they named it the Apollo Stadium?).
That 86 team is classified as the greatest team in NBL history, only loosing two games for the season.
By all means have an opinion but do some background work in who and what the Sixers have been for their whole existance before coming on so strong with your statements.
Also Ninnis was one of the major factors the SEM won their title when he teamed up with Rose. I know, it wasn't with the Sixers but that was one of the reasons they took him back, and he produced!
Again, all three deserve what ever honour they can get for making the Sixers the success they have been.

"Hasn't stuck around Jasmine Cat played 182 minor round games to Al's 164"

there is an ' in there Jasmine al not ali

How old am I? I'm 35. I've been a season ticket holder for the Sixers since 1993 and saw them play countless times at Apollo.

Man, the way you describe Peter Ali makes him sound like the perfect role player. That is what he was. A role player. Out of the three players I'm arguing were role players, it is by far more clear cut about Ali.

McKay was an important part of the 1986 team and many teams after that, but again, not even close to being as important as the other players I mention. No Davis, no Green, no Pearce, no greatest team of all time. These were the players that the title team was built around.

Ninnis did play very well for Eastside/South Easy Melbourne. All the Sixers' hard work in developing paid off for them. He also played great basketball when he came back to the Sixers for a couple of years, but the team achieved nothing. He totally disappeared in the playoffs the year he had his best minor round. When Dunlap took over he used Ninnis as a role player again and the team was far more successful, until Dunlap dumped him along with half the team.

But like I said, McKay is the superior talent in this discussion, and the only real knock I have on his jersey being on the wall is that he wasn't nearly as good as Green, Davis and Pearce. But these are 3 of the greatest players in NBL history. This is what I'm talking about. Do Ali, McKay and Ninnis belong in the same breath as Gaze, Loggins, Grace, Crawford, ect.. While I wouldn't hesitate for a second to mention the Sixers big 3 with these players, I don't dare with McKay, Ninnis and Ali.

My mistake Ahem. My eyes are strugglin' I would take Al over Cat. I love Cat, but Al was simply one of the all time greats.

I'm with Jasmine on this one.

Kent is correct in that all of the players mentioned such as Ali, McKay and Ninnis have not only been a credit to the 36ers but South Australian basketball in general. No one can deny that they were great players and at their peaks arguably stars of the league.

I know that only Davis' number 33 is retired and the rest of their singlets are on a 'wall of honour'.

I do not deny any of these players are not worthy of being honoured.

However, while the 36ers have had many great stars and many great role players over the years I cannot disagree with Jasmine's comment that no other 36er should ever be allowed to wear Davis' 33, Green's 15, Pearce's 4 or Brett Maher's 5. These are the standout 4 in my opinion.

I mentioned in another post that I am of the opinion that no matter what a good team guy Williams is, he should not have been allowed to wear 15 even if Green himself approved it. This isn't meant to be a knock on Williams. I'd feel the same way if it was Farley wearing the number 15 or if Dusty was wearing 33.

I agree with you about the worth of some players being honoured on the wall with their singlets.

However, Jasmine has called Ali, McKay and Ninnis "hardly anything more than excellent role players."

Jasmine has not answered the questions of knowing what a role player is.

Jasmine i need to repeat myself because you have over looked what i am saying 3 times now.

Even you Stephon must admit that those 3 were more than "role players." I am saying again that defining these guys as role players is a bit disrespectful to what they achieved on court.


As a side issue i was at the ceremony for Ray Wood when his singlet was RETIRED. Maybe he too was just another role player?

Yeah Kent, I agree that they were more than role players. The fact that they can be mentioned as role players and came off the bench at times just shows how powerful the Adelaide teams of the mid 80s were even if we don't have a huge number of championships to show for it.

I just think that the 36ers should have been more professional re the retiring of the singlets. I was under the impression that all of the above had been retired and then they back-flipped and called it a wall of honour.

Strong arguments can be made on behalf of all players and I won't argue with any of them. However, I think that out of all these stars that at present Davis, Green and Pearce stand out (statistical records, captaincy re Pearce and Davis, etc) and I am a tad disappointed that J Williams is wearing Green's 15.

Having said that I wouldn't argue against you though Kent for one second if for example you stated that it would be inappropriate for say Gower to wear Ali's number 8.

All the player's on the wall were stars of SA Basketball in one way or another. It was only that Davis, Green (who had over 70 in a single game) and Pearce were at a different level in my opinion but this doesn't take anything away from the others.

Tell you what, you want to see a role player... then imagine Heal in the Sixer's jersey, or even Boomer's under Smyth!