Perry's Story
Perry Crosswhite was born in Washington, D.C., in 1947 and played college basketball at Davidson College. He moved to Australia in 1969 to join the Melbourne Tigers, became an Australian citizen in 1971 and was soon selected for the national team. Known as “Rocky”, the imposing centre became a prominent figure in Australian basketball.
Crosswhite was 24 when he made his Olympic debut at Munich 1972, where Australia finished ninth. He captained the Boomers at Montreal 1976 and Moscow 1980, leading them to eighth place at both Games. Crosswhite also captained Australia at the 1974 World Championship and played more than 300 international matches.
A member of four national championship-winning Victorian teams, Crosswhite was inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. After retiring as a player, he became a leading sports administrator and held senior roles with the Australian Sports Commission, Australian Olympic Committee and Commonwealth Games Australia. He also helped organise Australian teams and contributed to major event bids and participation programs.
