Cam Bairstow on retiring at 31, playing through injuries and NBA, NBL and Boomers memories

Five months ago, Cam Bairstow retired from basketball at the age of 31. Cam joins the podcast to talk with host Dan Boyce about fighting through the pain of those injuries during his time in the NBL and what he plans to do for a second career. The talented forward played a total of 74 games for Brisbane, Illawarra and most recently, the Adelaide 36ers, but perhaps his greatest achievement though was his two seasons in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls, lining up on 36 occasions from 2014 to 2016. Bairstow also represented Australia during both the 2014 FIBA Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics campaigns. Topics include... How he decided it was time to retire (2:00) The luck and help from others that Cam experienced which helped him reach the NBA (9:00) Was Cam Bairstow's AIS class the most talented in AIS history? (10:00) Memories of playing at the AIS (12:00) Hurdles faced during his time at New Mexico University (14:00) Playing for Steve Alford and how his 'Bobby Knight' style didn't mesh with Cam (16:00) The way Aussie players mentally play the game compared to others (18:00) What led to his breakout season as a senior and his experience being drafted by the Chicago Bulls (20:00) How strength training played a big role in his college success and being drafted (25:00) Playing for the Australian Boomers and how it helped him prepare for the NBA (28:00) How he experienced the Chicago Bulls and why he chose to sign with Brisbane instead of trying to sign a second contract in the NBA (34:00) His experience as a part of the Boomers at the Rio Olympics and the shoulder injury that may have cost Australia a bronze medal (40:00) His two seasons with the Brisbane Bullets and playing in Australia for the first time (43:00) Playing in Lithuania as an import (46:00) A season playing with the Illawarra Hawks and again fighting through injuries (54:00) How he approached his last season in Adelaide (55:30) The biggest hurdles and learning moments from his basketball journey (59:00) Cam's plans to move into a career as a player agent next season (1:00:00) The highlights of his basketball journey (1:05:00) Visit dunk.com.au for your next set of basketball uniforms. Listen to our previous interviews with the biggest stars in Australian Basketball. Head to Aussie Hoopla to check out previous podcasts featuring; Australian Basketball Legends - Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Mark Bradtke, Leroy Loggins, David Andersen, Andrew Vlahov, Phil Smyth, CJ Bruton, Chris Anstey, Brett Maher, John Rillie, Tony Ronaldson, Damian Martin Current NBL Stars - Bryce Cotton, Chris Goulding, Jack White, Dejan Vasiljevic, Thomas Abercrombie, Daniel Johnson, Jason Cadee, Mitch McCarron, Anthony Drmic, Brad Newley, Kai Sotto, Luke Travers Our Finest Coaching Minds - Brian Goorjian, Barry Barnes, Joey Wright, Adrian Hurley, Aaron Fearne, Rob Beveridge, Ian Stacker, Shawn Dennis, Dean Vickerman, Trevor Gleeson, Lindsey Gaze, Ken Cole, Will Weaver, Bruce Palmer NBA Stars Past & Present - Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova, Stephen Jackson, Randy Livingston, Torrey Craig, Acie Earl, Josh Childress, Reggie Smith, Todd Lichti, Ryan Broekhoff, Doug Overton The NBL's Greatest Imports - Darryl McDonald, Ricky Grace, Derek Rucker, Leon Trimmingham, Scott Fisher, Lanard Copeland, Mike Mitchell, Darnell Mee, Isaac Burton, Adonis Jordan, Shawn Redhage, Willie Farley, Al Green, Corey "Homicide" Williams, Steve Woodberry, Doug Overton, Kevin Lisch And the men who run things - Larry Kestelman, Mal Speed, Paul Maley, Vince Crivelli, Jeremy Loeliger, Chris Pongrass, Jeff Van Groningen, Bob Turner, Danny Mills All that and much more. Follow @AussieHoopla on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or email us at [email protected]