Last Updated on August 7, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Luc Longley brought size, passing ability, and a strong understanding of team basketball to the center position during his NBA career. While he was never a high-volume scorer, his contributions helped provide balance and stability for the championship teams he played on in Chicago.

Here’s the information about Luc Longley:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Lucien James Longley
  • Nationality: Australian
  • Age: Born January 19, 1969
  • Hometown: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  • Height: 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
  • Weight: 265 lbs (120 kg) during his playing career
  • Wingspan: 7 feet 7 inches (231cm)
  • Shoe Size: US size 16
  • Number: Wore #13 for most of his career
  • Position: Center
  • High School: Scotch College (Perth, Western Australia)
  • College: University of New Mexico (played for the New Mexico Lobos, 1987–1991)
  • NBA Draft: Selected 7th overall in the 1991 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves
  • Teams Played For:
    1. Minnesota Timberwolves (1991–1994)
    2. Chicago Bulls (1994–1998)
    3. Phoenix Suns (1998–2000)
    4. New York Knicks (2000–2001)
  • Championship Rings: 3 NBA Championships (with the Chicago Bulls, 1996, 1997, 1998)
  • Kids: 2 daughters (Clare Hanna Longley and Lily Samantha Longley)
  • Siblings: Has one brother, Sam Longley, an Australian actor and improviser.

Player Archetype / Play Style

Luc Longley’s player archetype was that of a classic passing center, a true seven-footer who gave structure to an offense without needing to dominate the scoring. At 7-foot-2 with a big frame, he brought size, strength, and a steady interior presence, but what made him more interesting than a standard old-school big was his feel for the game and willingness to keep the ball moving. Offensively, his role centered on screening, finishing around the basket, making the extra pass, and occasionally working from the post as a connector rather than a volume scorer. Defensively, he filled the job of a positional interior anchor, using size and discipline to body opposing centers, hold the paint, and do the hard, unglamorous work that contending teams need from the middle. The overall style was functional and team-first: Longley was a smart, selfless center whose value came from fit, touch, and basketball IQ as much as raw size.

Scouting Report

Luc Longley was the kind of center who quietly changed possessions without needing them to end with his shot. The first thing you notice is how comfortable he was making decisions from the elbows and high post, catching the ball, waiting for cutters to develop and delivering simple, well-timed passes that kept the offense flowing instead of stopping with him. He understood spacing exceptionally well for a player his size, setting wide screens that created real separation before slipping into open pockets for a short jumper or an easy finish around the rim. His scoring wasn’t built around overwhelming defenders in the post. It came from patience, deep seals, soft touch with either hand and recognizing when the defense had become preoccupied with someone else. That’s where his value often gets underestimated because he rarely forced the action. Defensively, Longley relied on positioning far more than explosiveness. He anchored drop coverage effectively, used his size to absorb drives without overcommitting and made opponents finish over length rather than chasing highlight blocks that took him out of the play. The trade-off was mobility. Pull him away from the paint into repeated pick-and-rolls or ask him to switch onto quicker guards and the limitations became obvious, especially when offenses could stretch the floor and force multiple rotations in the same possession. To me, his ideal role was as the offensive hub who connected stars rather than competing with them for touches. He made life easier for ball-dominant teammates by screening with purpose, making the extra pass and understanding exactly when to occupy the weak-side defender with a timely post seal. It’s easy to overlook just how valuable that restraint can be because it rarely fills a box score, but it creates cleaner possessions over the course of a game. His style shared plenty with Brad Daugherty as a skilled passing center who valued timing over volume, while there were shades of Andrew Bogut in the way he blended physical screening, interior defense and understated playmaking into a role that elevated the players around him.

Sources:

Basketball-Reference — Luc Longley Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more
The Guardian — The forgotten story of … Luc Longley | Chicago Bulls
The Ringer — The Long Life of Luc Longley
Basketball.com.au — Aussies in NBA history: Luc Longley