Three-year deal for three-time MVP

Three-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton has extended his commitment to the Perth Wildcats, signing a new three-year contract with the 10-time champions.

Cotton joined the Wildcats midway through the 2016/17 season and has gone on to play 170 games for the club, compiling an unprecedented list of accolades in the process.

The new contract will see the dominant guard remain in Perth until at least the end of the 2024/25 NBL Season, which will be his ninth at the club.

“This is extremely exciting for me and my family, as well as the club,” said Cotton. 

“The past six seasons have been amazing, and I now get to paint the canvas some more for the next three years.”

Bryce Cotton’s CV from his six seasons in the NBL is remarkable.

In his first season he led the Wildcats to the 2017 NBL Championship, claiming Grand Final MVP honours with a record-breaking 45 points in the deciding game.

The following year he claimed his first NBL MVP trophy, before again leading the Wildcats to championship success in 2019.

In 2020, he claimed the trifecta; winning another championship while being named both NBL MVP and Grand Final MVP, and in 2021 he was named NBL MVP for a third time.

Cotton has led the NBL in scoring in five of his six seasons in Australia and been named on the All-NBL First Team for the last five years.

“Bryce committing to three more years is a fantastic outcome for the club and we’re excited to see him in a Wildcats uniform going forward,” said Perth Wildcats general manager of basketball operations, Danny Mills.

“As we look toward free agency, it’s exciting to have cornerstone pieces like Bryce as well as Mitch Norton signed on multi-year deals, and we’ll continue to work on what we want the roster to look like next season.”

Bryce Cotton has averaged an incredible 22.3 points per game over his career, plus 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals.

The 29-year-old has scored the seventh most points in Perth Wildcats history (3,784) and is already ranked second for the club in three-pointers made (499).

Coach Scott Morrison said its extremely rare to find a player with Cotton’s combination of talent and selflessness.

“On the court Bryce commands more defensive attention than any player in the League and he accepts that responsibility head on,” he said.  

“He defies the odds to lead the League in scoring on a regular basis, while consistently getting his teammates opportunities as a result of his sound decision-making with the basketball.” 

Bryce Cotton’s Achievements
• Three-time NBL Champion (2017, 2019, 2020)
• Three-time NBL MVP (2018, 2020, 2021)
• Two-time Grand Final MVP (2017, 2020)
• Five-time NBL Scoring Champion (2017, 2019-2022)
• Five-time All-NBL First Team (2018-2022)
• Three-time Gordon Ellis Medallist (2018-2020)

Bryce Cotton’s Perth Wildcats Rankings
• 170 Games (17th)
• 22.3 points per game (2nd)
• 3,784 points (7th)
• 499 three-pointers (2nd)
• 707 assists (8th)
• 237 steals (9th)