Peter's Story
Peter Ali was born in Adelaide in 1956 and began playing basketball at the age of six. He progressed through the West Adelaide program and became a powerful forward for the Bearcats, making his national league debut in its inaugural season in 1979. His performances earned him selection for the Australian team.
Ali was 24 when he represented Australia at the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games. The Boomers won five of their seven matches, including victories over Italy, Sweden and Czechoslovakia, to finish eighth in the 12-team tournament.
At domestic level, Ali captained West Adelaide to the 1982 national league championship before joining the Adelaide 36ers. He won a second championship with the 36ers in 1986 and played 259 national league games across 11 seasons. Ali later coached both clubs, worked in basketball administration and was inducted into the Basketball South Australia Hall of Fame.
