Alexander Starling (born February 6, 1989) is an American-Australian professional basketball player for the Forestville Eagles of the NBL1 Central.
He attempted to crack the ranks of the Australian Football League (AFL) between 2011 and 2014 before eventually returning to basketball and making a name for himself in the NBL1 Central in South Australia.
[10] He earned second-team All-MEAC honors[11] and helped the Wildcats win their first-ever MEAC championship.
In his final home game, he stole an inbound pass and hit a bank shot with two seconds remaining in overtime against Florida A&M that secured Bethune-Cookman's first 20-win season since 1976–77.
[16] The scholarship allowed him to finish his four-year degree in Business Administration at Bethune–Cookman University[1] while also making several trips to Sydney in 2012 to train with the Swans.
[18] After several months training with Port, the club committed its international rookie spot to Irishman Daniel Flynn and wanted Starling to prove himself via the Magpies.
[26] Starling joined the North Adelaide Rockets for the 2017 Premier League season[27] and earned Best Defensive Player honors.
[31] The Premier League was rebranded as NBL1 Central in 2020,[32] but the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
[37] In 2022, Starling helped the Panthers win the championship while earning grand final MVP behind his 31 points and 18 rebounds against the Woodville Warriors.
He was the league's rebounding leader with 13.13 per game[41] and once again earned Best Defensive Player and All-Star Five honors.
[48] In March 2024, Starling re-joined the South Adelaide Panthers for the 2024 NBL1 Central season.
[53] They reached the NBL1 Central Grand Final, where they lost 92–90 to the Forestville Eagles despite Starling's 24 points, 13 rebounds and three steals.
[55][56] On October 18, 2024, he was released by the 36ers to make way for injury replacement player Montrezl Harrell to sign with the club on a permanent contract.
[58] In December 2024, Starling joined the Sarawak Cola Warriors of the Major Basketball League Malaysia (MBL) to replace Aaron Burt.