MOST athletes grow up dreaming of one day playing their favourite sport professionally. A very select few end up making it. For Alex Condon, he had to make a choice – pursue an NBA career or an AFL career.

Condon currently plays college basketball for the Florida Gators under head coach Todd Golden and is touted as a talented big man capable of defending, and protecting the rim, as well as averaging 7.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as a freshman last year.

Condon played in 36 games in his first NCAA season and came into year two set to take over the starting centre position. The 212cm (6’11) Western Australian talent hopes to improve his shooting percentages and bump up his averages into double-double territory.

Having grown up playing Australian Rules Football, Condon is mobile for a man of his size. He sprints up and down the floor, providing a rim running ability that creates alley-oop opportunities and allows him to chase down rebounds and block shots. He averaged 1.5 blocks per contest in 2023-24 and will look to increase that again this season. 

In the Gators’ opening match of the basketball season, Florida faced rival outfit South Florida, and after a tough first half in which Condon’s side trailed by as many as 16 points, was able to run away with the game, posting 59 second half points.

There were impressive performances across the board from Florida’s senior starting guards as Will Richard, Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin combined for 67 points and 16 rebounds. Condon spent much of the game in foul trouble, but the starting centre posted 13 points, five rebounds and a blocked shot in just 22 minutes, showing a glimpse of what sort of bigger numbers will be possible with more court time. 

As the Gators turn their attention to Jacksonville on Friday, Condon will have his work cut out for him. Jacksonville out-rebounded its opening night opponents 51-34, but if he can stay out of foul trouble, the emerging Australian star could look to have a big game, noting that his opponents boast just one player over 6’9.

Alex Condon is also set to sign with the Collingwood Magpies as a category B rookie on a multi-year deal. The catch here is that he will be paid outside of the cap by Collingwood and will only return to Australia to play AFL if he is not selected in the 2025 NBA Draft.

While this could serve as motivation for Condon, knowing a guaranteed AFL contract is your backup may hinder the output of his sophomore college season. However, Condon is, from all reports, extremely hard working and the lure of an NBA career would be motivation enough to want to have as successful a season as possible at Florida. 

The dual sport athlete grew up playing water polo as well as football, where he spent time with Claremont in Western Australia before being part of the Under 18’s National Championships in 2021. Condon was regarded as a mobile ruckman whose most impressive attribute was his athleticism.

His vertical jump was great, and he glided across the ground, providing run in transition and away from stoppage. Condon has spent three years unregistered from Australian Rules football, allowing him to sign as a Cat-B rookie with the Magpies. After walking away from football after the 2021 season, Condon spent time with the Australian National Under 18s side, winning a gold medal.

For 2024-25 though, the focus remains on anchoring the Gators to the promised land, after they bowed out in the opening match of March Madness last season, going down by two points to the University of Colorado.

After starting just one game all season, Condon was thrust back into the starting line-up for this do-or-die matchup, and played a balanced game, stuffing the stat sheet with six points, six assists, seven rebounds and two blocks. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to topple Colorado, but it set Condon up to have a successful sophomore season and gave him the momentum to keep hold of the starting centre position. 

Florida remains in a good space as a team with a healthy mix of youth and athleticism and anchored by the Australian Condon, look set to compete when it matters in March once again. It’s hard to believe the experience gained from last season’s early knockout won’t help Condon and the Gators to go further this time around, as he vies for his NBA dream at season’s end.