Cotton on: Bryce Cotton signs for three

The Adelaide 36ers are delighted to announce the signing of five-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton for the next three seasons.

Widely regarded as one of the best players in NBL history, Cotton arrives as a three-time NBL Champion, having topped the league’s scoring on eight occasions since making his debut in the 2016-17 season.

Across his 258 NBL games, the 32-year-old has averaged 23.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists.

As well as being named in the All-NBL First Team on eight occasions, Cotton was the Grand Final MVP in both 2017 and 2020.   

“The opportunity to bring in one of the all-time greats of the NBL is hard to pass up,” said General Manager of Basketball Matt Weston.

“Bryce has a history of winning championships, of personal and team excellence, and he’s going to help us transform our culture and our standards to build a team capable of winning championships.

“We know when he’s up and going, he’s hard to stop and we think our fans will love having him on our side instead of playing against us.”

Cotton finished as the NBL’s top scorer last season, averaging 28.07 points per game, including a record-breaking 59 points against New Zealand in December.

Head coach Mike Wells was thrilled to have signed the reigning NBL MVP.

“Over the last season as I’ve got a handle of the NBL and the players in this league, Matt Weston and I had a really clear vision of how we wanted to reshape this roster and I think we have systematically picked guys we’ve wanted, and that wanted to be here,” Wells said.

“We’re really excited about who we’ve been able to bring in so far, but then to be able to bring in a guy like Bryce Cotton, it just takes our reshaping efforts to a new level.

“He brings a unique set of skills and talents to an already talented group, and we’re excited by what the future looks like.”

Adelaide 36ers Executive Chairman Grant Kelley welcomed Cotton to the club and praised the work of Weston and Wells in landing his signature.

“This is one of the biggest signings in our club’s long and proud history,” Mr Kelley said.

“Our fans will know from this that we’re serious about putting together a team to challenge for the title.”

Cotton is currently playing in Puerto Rico for Mets de Guaynabo and will link up with his new 36ers teammates ahead of pre-season training.