MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Matthew Dellavedova is returning from the NBA to reunite with Melbourne United in Australia's National Basketball League.
The 32-year-old guard agreed Wednesday to a two-year deal with United. A 2016 NBA Championship winner with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dellavedova helped United to a first-place regular season finish in 2021-22 — his only previous season in the NBL.
He then headed back to the NBA and took a role as veteran leader with the Sacramento Kings, who ended a 16-year playoff drought before being eliminated by the Golden State Warriors.
Dellavedova is also hoping to earn a spot on the Australian men's national team — the Boomers — for the FIBA World Cup starting in August and next year's Paris Olympics.
“I want to come back and win a championship here. It’s a great club that has a really strong culture and I’m happy to be back a part of it," Dellavedova said in a statement. “There’s excitement about getting to play with a lot of those same guys we had success with a year ago. It was a great group of guys, some I knew and some I grew close with.”
United coach Dean Vickerman said Dellavedova’s return would make everyone around him better.
“There are so many things that Delly brings to the table,” Vickerman said. “It starts with his competitiveness and his grit to just want to win. You never feel like you’re out of a game when you’ve got him on the floor."
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The Associated Press
