As more than 70 countries across the globe celebrate the UN’s inaugural World Basketball Day (WBD) on 21 December, National Basketball League (NBL) Hall of Famer legend, Calvin Thomas Bruton OAM, founder and CEO of the Bruton Basketball Foundation, reflects on the sport in Australia.

“The culture has definitely changed since Australia has won an Olympic medal; that set the platform and the girls have won medals for a while at this point. We’re being recognised now as a basketball country, and a reputable one at that. We have players in the WNBA and the NBA and international competitions – the world is our oyster,” Bruton says.

One of the first Americans imports to Australia for the NBL, Bruton played a pivotal role in promoting the game in Australia and cementing its place in our culture. Whilst supporting various charities around the country, which Bruton says was a gift, a close friend pointed out that he did everything for everyone else but nothing for himself. Considering the sentiment, Bruton thought of his six children and five grandchildren who all love basketball.

“I thought, from a legacy point of view, this gives me a chance to not only do it for them, but for my sister back home. On the eve of WBD in collaboration with The Y Canberra, we are going to support RAID, Recreational Activity for the Intellectually Disabled basketball game. I have a sister who is albino and intellectually handicapped who has worked at McDonalds for 43 years without missing a day. She won’t come to Australia because she said that the sun was too much but I told her I would get her a sombrero,” Bruton smiles.

The Foundation threw its support behind the WBD with its Taking a Shot campaign. Bruton came up with the idea after studying young kids on the court taking their first shot. Even though the former coach suggests making 50 shots in the keyway before stepping up, many of them don’t listen and go straight for the three-pointer or half-court.

“It changes the game if they make it, but more times than not, they don’t. I tried to encourage the Taking a Shot campaign to back yourself; it’s not just a physical shot but taking a shot at life – so back yourself, take the shot and make the shot, and it gives you confidence for the next shot.”

Bruton says he is thankful for the support of RD Consulting, the wonderful team gave BBF a platform to reach the world. Inviting others to take a shot of themselves taking a shot and uploading it to social media to spread awareness, Bruton says the response has been unbelievable.

“We had one young First Nations kid about eight years old, looked like he weighed about 20kg, he talked to the camera about taking a shot and making a shot. He went through a little dribble through his back legs and shot a three-pointer that hit nothing but net. He got 5,000 views himself; now we are getting all sorts,” smiles Bruton.

Winners will receive their title and prizes on 21 December, and although the campaign draws to a close then, the sentiment of taking a shot remains.

“You have to keep the faith; you have to believe in yourself. It’s also the way you want to represent not only yourself but your family. You don’t have all these responsibilities, you can reach out for help; it is about a collective effort of everyone to take your shot,” Bruton says.

“People who don’t make their shot, don’t worry; there is a net that can help you through, don’t just go crash land and not get up. No, get up and continue on. There is help there to encourage you to take your next shot.”

“Every socioeconomic, men and women, disabled, intellectually disabled – anybody in the world can go play the game of basketball.”

In his 60s and with no plans of slowing down, Bruton’s passion for basketball and helping youth remains ignited. He spoke with CW about his love of the sport and the way it can help people.

What draws people to basketball?

“It’s a sport where you can play it by yourself, first and foremost; you can develop your own skill set, understand the game by watching the top players, then go out and imitate them. Then, if someone walks up to you, you can have shots together and introduce yourselves and play one-on-one, and then another couple of guys come up and it’s two-on-two. Before you know it, it’s three-on-three, five-on-five, you’re running around the court and you want to meet again. It establishes a lot of different relationships and I think that is what makes the sport so popular.”

Are the team relationships important when playing?

“No ifs and/or buts about it. My coin phrase, the one I cherish the most is ‘Teamwork makes the dream work’. When you talk about people coming together, everyone’s feeling equal; you have the attitude because that’s going to be your altitude how you grow; then you all have different skill sets and you try to make them together.

“Once you have the team, you’ve got to go to work and it’s all about the we; being organised, a strong organisation; you’ve got a role to play, everyone has a role and each role is important; then at the end of teamwork, you’ve got the K and that’s all about kindred spirit.

Do you think people are drawn to the sport because there isn’t an a huge straight-out cost, you start with a ball?

“That’s correct. There are a lot of facilities, but I can tell you right now, we need a whole lot more. That’s the one downfall to being the fastest-growing sport in Australia, we don’t have the facilities for the young, particularly when it comes to weather, difficulty or elements. Here in the ACT, we would love to have another facility that would help kids to have almost 24-hour access, so we can keep them off the streets and start thinking about the social impact that basketball can play.

“I come from that environment, from New York City where there are two ways to go- to the streets or you can go to the courts, I chose the court.”

“It gave me a vehicle to travel throughout the United States and internationally to Brazil and South America and to Australia. Making the Australian team, I got a chance to travel the world. I believe that it’s a tremendous vehicle if you learn to play the game the right way, you can be unselfish, you don’t care who gets the credit for it, consistent with the game’s goals and values.

What about the players who won’t make it to the big stage, how does basketball help them?

“The Bruton Basketball Foundation always brings hope. The social aspect of the sport, being involved in a team, being involved in a network of people, physicality – it helps you get fit jogging, walking; we have walking basketball, you can walk up and down the court,” Bruton says.

“Then there’s the intellectual side that stimulates you, gets you involved in all facets of the game. The game is growing on the court with referees, off-court with statisticians, cameras, photography, you name it, the game is growing. I think when you have a mental capacity as well, you’re being mentally tough to compete at a level maybe above your capabilities.

“Also, the emotional part; you’re gonna win, you’re gonna lose, you’re gonna learn how to deal with that as well and that’s important. In life, it’s definitely not about winning all the time. In the end, it’s all about the spirit. My mum told me once if you put sunshine in other people’s lives, you can’t keep it from yourself, and I’ve always tried to share that.”

With more big plans on the horizon for 2024, stay up-to-date with the Bruton Basketball Foundation via brutonbasketballfoundation.com.au