I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to a great ambassador for the fantastic sport of basketball, NBL greatand one of Wollongong's favouritesOscar Forman, who announced a week and a half ago that he was stepping down from his professional career as a basketballer.

Hewasn't born in Wollongong. In fact, he started his basketball career shooting hoops in the driveway in suburbanAdelaide. He started his professional career in 2001, a career which extended over 17 years. He played over those 17 years for the Adelaide 36ers, the New Zealand Breakers, and, most recently, for my team, the Illawarra Hawks.

He won a championship with the 36ers in his first season and when he came to Wollongong, in his first season with the Hawks, he was named the NBL's most improved player. He played two grand finals for the Hawks and,on his retirement, his 511 games ranked him 11th of all time. He was fantastic from outside the boundary. Hisfield goal record will be famous for a long time in the NBL. His 904 three-pointers rank him 13th of all time. He'sa great human being. We wish him well in his future life. He's recently become a dad. We wish him, his partnerand his family all the very best for the future.