Bulls, NBA legend Luc Longley lists William Bay sanctuary for $4.5 million – realestate.com.au

Three-time NBA champion Luc Longley is selling his beloved beach house on the spectacular south coast of Western Australia, near Denmark, after 34 years.

The former Chicago Bulls champion is saying goodbye to his beloved coastal retreat, a sprawling 140-acre retreat at 132 William Bay Rd, William Bay, which he bought sight unseen in 1991 at the age of 22 while playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He has put the property up for sale with an expected price of more than $4.5 million.

The basketball player, who became the first Australian to play in the NBA and win three championships, bought the property with the money he earned from his first trading card deal as the first Australian to play in the big league.

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“Dad succeeded in 1991. I gave him the challenge to find me a place near the bush and the beach. He found this total unicorn with a freshwater supply and no neighbours,” Longley recalls of first seeing the property in April 1992.

“It was wild and rudimentary, but I fell in love with it immediately. I’ve always loved the smell of peppermint trees.

“There’s nothing better than the smell of peppy trees and salty air.

“It is not a working farm, but there is room to add wind and solar energy and become self-sufficient.”

The William Bay estate has been a hideaway for 34 years.

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The booth Longley built for his children.

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The 2.18 meter tall basketball player from Fremantle always loved the bush, sitting around the fire and cycling and so this property always represented much more than just real estate. It was where one of Australia’s greatest sporting heroes found peace, raised his family and reconnected with the country he loved.

The property became Longley’s ‘bonding point’ throughout his high-profile career, serving as the ultimate reset facility between seasons and after his retirement in September 2001.

“It’s the best place on earth to rest and reset,” he says.

“It was also my hiding place.”

During his 15 years playing in America, including the historic three-peat with the Chicago Bulls alongside superstars Michael Jordan, Denis Rodman and Scottie Pippen from 1996 to 1998, the beach base served as something of a refuge for Longley.

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The property has its own lake.

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One of the three bedrooms of the house.

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In the ten years leading up to 2024, Longley lived there full-time with his wife Anna Gare, embracing a lifestyle of surfing, sustainability and solitude.

“I retired in September 2001 and went straight to the beach house. I couldn’t wait to get there,” he says.

Sales agents Ray White Cottesloe – Mosman Park director Jody Fewster and Andrew Barrow of Ray White Denmark have both been appointed to the campaign with a closing date of November 5.

Officers said the property’s appeal lies in its extraordinary location within the William Bay National Park.
“The estate features a remarkable 943 meters of coastal border leading straight to the pristine Mazzoletti Beach. From the front door you have access to world-famous natural attractions including Greens Pool, Elephant Rocks, Madfish Bay and Waterfall Beach, with the Bibbulmun Track and Wilderness Ocean Walk running along the edge of the property,” the duo said.

The family-friendly kitchen.

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The property has been a place to relax and connect with family and friends.

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Luc Longley and Michael Jordan celebrate in East Rutherford in 1998 after beating the New Jersey Nets in the first round of the NBL play-offs.

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For Longley, the manual labor required to maintain the property provided ideal cross-training for a professional basketball player.

He built a tree house for his blended family of four children, constructed a viewing platform for sunset sundowners and yoga, and established a productive orchard growing citrus, olive and Mediterranean produce.

“We grew vegetables, fruit trees, peppers, olives, Mediterranean fruits and vegetables that work well here,” he explains.
“With over 140 hectares and no one around you, it is special. We even built an amphitheater!”

The main residence is elevated above a private lake with expansive lawns, with an expansive open-plan interior and commercial-quality kitchen designed for both family living and large-scale entertaining.

Luc Longley and Scottie Pippen laugh together at Michael Jordan’s antics during the game against the Detroit Pistons at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Source: Jonathan Daniel/ALLSPORT

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Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls hits the ball away from Shawn Kemp of the Seattle Supersonics with help from teammate Luc Longley during the second half of the Sonics 89–78 victory over the Bulls in game five of the NBA Finals

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Multiple outdoor areas and a spacious terrace provide a serene view.

A lakeside chalet offers self-contained guest accommodation, while the property has significant self-sufficiency infrastructure: rainwater tanks, a natural spring that flows all year round and a fire suppression system.

The extensive outbuildings house vehicles, boats and machinery, in addition to a gymnasium and a dedicated mountain bike workshop.

Eight kilometers of private trails wind through grasslands and coastal bushland.

Now that the children are grown, Longley says the time is right to cut back.

“The children are older now, so this is the right time,” he says, looking back on the property he has owned for 34 years.

Located 14km from Denmark and 436km from Perth, the estate offers potential for further development with elevated sites offering panoramic views over the coastline and national park, subject to county approval.