Name: Andrew Michael Bogut
Nicknames: Bogues, Drew
Born: 28th of November 1984
Birthplace: Mulgrave Hospital, Melbourne Australia
Height: 7-0" / 2,13cm
Weight: 260 lbs. / 117.9 kg
Current Club: Milwaukee Bucks
Favorite Food: Ćevapčići (Minced Sausages) Burek (Pastry Filled with Cheese or Meat) Dim Sims & Potato Cakes
Favorite Drink: Lemon, Lime & Bitters
Favorite Color: Blue
Idols: Drazen Petrovic & Toni Kukoc
Influences: Parents
Favorite Music: House, Trance, Classic Rock, Pop, Croatian
Inside Andrew
I was born in Mulgrave, and spent my early years living in the suburb of Dandenong.(Melbourne, Australia). At the age of about 4 I moved to a newly established suburb which neighbored Dandenong called Endeavour Hills. I spent the rest of my childhood there, going to school just down the street at Thomas Mitchell Primary School.My first sport funnily enough was Gymnastics, yes Gymnastics. Let’s not forget that I was not always 7 foot tall! Gymnastics only lasted a matter of months. Australian Rules Football was next on the agenda, I enjoyed the game but the cold winters of Melbourne and wet muddy games were too much, thus moving on once again. I then gave Taekwondo a go. Fun, but yet one year later I had also given this up!
I attended high school at St John’s Secondary College, Dandenong from 1997 to 2001. I admit I was never the best behaved student, and being the tallest kid in my year, and almost the tallest kid in school by year 8 sure didn’t help. From the first term of school in 1997 I was already accustomed to the Coordinators office, and the school Principals office for that matter. Fights, run ins with teachers and being a teenager trying to grow up were all causing me problems. I was always just an average student, I never flattered myself with A's, but I also was never close to failing. My school was basketball. I still remember the days when I would be in class on a Friday afternoon, counting down the hours, minutes and seconds until school would be done so I could go home, eat, get changed and get in the car wherever my junior side was playing that night. Or maybe it was the countless times I would be caught drawing a basketball, basketball player or basketball plays whilst in class.
The constant trouble I was in led to the school to asking me to leave. But the most ridiculous thing was there was only 5 weeks of school left, meaning it was nearly impossible for me to change schools with so little time, meaning I would fail year 11, but the school turned its back on me and I was very hurt by the decision. There is no doubt I was a big cause and had surrounded myself with trouble, but all I wanted was another chance. After having to leave the school I became very nervous, as I was still waiting for a reply regarding whether I would be accepted into the A.I.S. for one of twelve of its well known scholarships. Almost every player that has attended the Basketball program there has made some sort of pro league or college team around the world. I knew it was a stepping stone to be the best player I could be. Nervous times were ahead. Thankfully, Cleeland Secondary College, Dandenong had given me that second chance to finish year 11. I was actually at a school which wasn’t known to be the best, nor the worst, but it was where I fitted in and felt like I belonged. For the first time in my life, I was at a school where being a sportsman was not only respected, but accepted. The School was proud to have a tall basketball player who stood out among the pack, and I was proud to be a part of the school. If you asked me today which school I attended in Melbourne, I would almost always say Cleeland, even though it was only for 5 weeks.
Both of my grandparents had migrated to Australia in the 1970's. They had moved after tension started to arise in Croatia. A lot of migrants left the country at the time, mainly to Australia, Canada and the USA. I am also proud of my bloodlines and heritage, and I think it’s important to try and learn about my family history, and I thoroughly enjoy just sitting back and talking with my Grandfather Mile for hours on end about his life growing up and where the family name is all over the world. I still have a lot of family in Croatia and thoroughly enjoy visiting them. I usually get there for at least a week or two every offseason.
I still come home to Australia every off season, and spend time with some of the same people I grow up with in Dandenong and Endeavour Hills. For good or for bad, there’s no doubt I have lost touch with a lot of old friends like most people tend to do in life. I still reside in the South Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne in the offseason. The best thing about being home? Being a normal person, not a basketball player. Going to a café and enjoying a coffee with friends, playing cards with friends, or maybe even the epic ping pong battles with my good friend Edmond! But overall, I feel like I’m a regular person again, and not a Basketball player. I think a lot of people don’t realize that any celebrity or athlete, is just like them, and usually have the same hobbies or interests as the next person!
Some of my Hobbies include; Billiards, Texas Hold 'em Poker, Table Tennis, Belot (Ancient European Card Game), Playing with my Dogs, Cars from old to new, cheap to expensive, if it’s got four wheels chances are I admire it, or want it!
