Basketball On The Internet.

DANTE Exum was prepared to gamble, roll the dice and today he came out a millionaire at the NBA Draft in Brooklyn.

He didn't take up a college option, was selective in his work-outs and showed his skills at the World Under-19 Championship last year where he was selected in the All Star Five.

The Melbourne 18-year-old dubbed "the international man of mystery" by some will give Australian fans another team to support after Patty Mills and Aron Baynes were part of San Antonio's NBA Championship team earlier this month.

With Andrew Bogut at Golden State Warriors and Matthew Dellavedova at Cleveland Cavaliers, Australia's stocks have never been this high in The Show.

Throw in Cameron Bairstow, who was selected at 49 by the Chicago Bulls, and you have to figure soon someone at a free-to-air TV network will work out there could be ratings potential in screening NBA games next season.

The question today was about how highly Exum's selection as the fifth pick should truly rate for Australians?

Is it comparable to Bogut's historic No.1 Draft selection in 2005, given the Melbourne big-man had a sizeable body of work playing college ball at Utah?

Considering Exum is 18 and has no college experience, it surely must be close.

Whatever, it is a great day for Australian basketball - another in a long line of them this year.

The Cinderella story of course would have been if Exum had gone at #3 to the Philadelphia 76ers, coached by Brett Brown, a North Melbourne Giants NBL Championship coach in 1994.

Exum's father Cecil, a teammate of Michael Jordan's in North Carolina's 1982 NCAA champion, played as an NBL import with North Melbourne, Melbourne and Geelong.

As he has throughout, Dante handled himself with humility, aplomb and composure, interest in how he performs with the Boomers at the World Cup in Spain later this year now at an all-time high.

Boomers big Bairstow becomes the second Aussie to go to the Bulls via New Mexico, following in the footsteps of Luc Longley.

Should not be long before Chicago realises that.

University of Kansas' Andrew Wiggins went at #1 to Cleveland, Jabari Parker (Duke) at #2 to Milwaukee, Joel Embiid (Kansas) at #3 to Philadelphia and Aaron Gordon (Arizona) at #4 to Orlando.

AUSTRALIA AND THE NBA DRAFT

FINGERS crossed I have this right - and apologies in advance to anyone I may have overlooked - but these are the Aussies who have been drafted by the NBA from the past to now.

And before you jump all over me about Andrew Gaze or Mark Bradtke, Shane Heal or Ricky Grace, even Aron Baynes and Matty Dellavedova, remember while these great Aussie players have played or are playing in the NBA, none of them was drafted.

This is a list of our draftees only, the men Exum and Bairstow joined today.

1969 Carl Rodwell, NSW-UC Riverside, drafted 217 by Atlanta Hawks. Released.

1974 Eddie Palubinskas, ACT-Louisiana State University, drafted 61 by Atlanta Hawks. Released.

1991 Luc Longley, WA-New Mexico, drafted 7 by Minnesota Timberwolves. Played with Wolves, Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks.

1997 Chris Anstey, Vic-NBL, drafted 18 by Portland, traded to Dallas. Played for Mavericks, Chicago Bulls.

1997 C.J. Bruton, Qld-NBL, drafted 53 by Vancouver Grizzlies. Released.

1997 Paul Rogers, SA-NBL, drafted 54 by Los Angeles Lakers. Released.

1997 Ben Pepper, WA-NBL, drafted 56 by Boston Celtics. Released.

2002 David Andersen, Vic-Europe, drafted 37 by Atlanta Hawks. Stayed in Europe. In 2009, Atlanta traded his draft rights to Houston Rockets. Played for Houston, Toronto and New Orleans before returning to Europe.

2005 Andrew Bogut, Vic-Utah, drafted at 1 by Milwaukee Bucks. Played for Milwaukee 2005-2012, then traded to Golden State Warriors.

2007 Brad Newley, SA-NBL, drafted 54 by Houston Rockets. Played in Europe.

2008 Nathan Jawai, Qld-NBL, drafted at 41 by Indiana Pacers. Rights traded to Toronto Raptors.

2009 Patty Mills, ACT-St Marys, drafted at 55 by Portland Trail Blazers. Played with Portland 2009-2011, San Antonio Spurs since 2012.

2014 Dante Exum, Vic, drafted at 5 by Utah Jazz.

2014 Cameron Bairstow, Qld-New Mexico, drafted 49 by Chicago Bulls.