Longtime NBA forward Joe Ingles has officially signed a two-year contract with Melbourne United, the team announced in a press release.
It’s a homecoming for the Australian veteran, who was born in Adelaide and played high school ball in Canberra. The 38-year-old was a member of the now-defunct South Dragons in Melbourne from 2006-09 before going undrafted in ’09. Ingles spent the next several years competing in Spain and Israel, then eventually made the move to the NBA in 2014.
The 6’8″ forward has been stateside for the past 12 seasons, but after playing big minutes in Utah earlier in his career, he has essentially just been a locker room leader for the last couple years in Minnesota. Since joining the Timberwolves in the summer of 2024, Ingles only made 46 regular season appearances and played 267 total minutes (5.8 per game), primarily in garbage time.
ESPN’s Olgun Uluc reported at the start of April that Ingles was interested in continuing his career with another Melbourne-based team, with the South East Melbourne Phoenix being the other National Basketball League club located in the city. Uluc reported at the end of last month that Ingles would be signing with the United.
“Coming home to Melbourne feels incredibly special,” Ingles said in a statement. “To return to where my professional career began almost 20 years ago is something I don’t take for granted. So much has happened since then, but Melbourne has always felt like home.
“… From a basketball perspective, this opportunity really excited me. I still love competing, I still love the game, and I believe I can genuinely help this group win.”
Ingles has represented Australia for many years on the international stage, playing in four FIBA World Cups and five Olympics. He helped the Boomers win their first ever Olympic medal (bronze) at the 2020 games in Tokyo.
In 750 regular season games (23.5 minutes per contest) with the Jazz, Bucks, Magic and Wolves, Ingles averaged 7.7 points, 3.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 40.9% from three-point range. He was a solid defender and play-maker in his prime on top of being an excellent three-point shooter.