Joe Ingles to return to Australia’s NBL following conclusion of NBA season
Apr 27, 2026, 2:39 PM | Updated: May 18, 2026, 4:42 pm
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Joe Ingles, center, guard Mike Conley, second from right, and center Rudy Gobert, left, celebrate a teammate’s basket against the Utah Jazz during an NBA basketball game held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
(Photo courtesy of Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Former Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles is heading back home to Australia after the Minnesota Timberwolves’ season came to an end in the second round of the playoffs.
The NBL’s Melbourne United and the Ingles family announced the move on Monday.
Big shoutout to Utah fan favorite Joe Ingles. Looks like he’ll be heading back home to play in the NBL for the first time since 2009. https://t.co/5CgrGkOvqE
— Chandler Holt (@CHoltSports) April 27, 2026
Ingles played for the Jazz from 2014 to 2022, becoming both a fan favorite in Utah and one of the best NBA players out of Australia.
RELATED: Top 50 Utah Jazz Players Countdown – #25 Joe Ingles
5,094 of Ingles’ 5,763 career points came in a Jazz jersey. He was an integral part of the teams led by Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, doing all of the little things for Utah, including pestering opposing star players in the playoffs.
Joe Ingles’ Path From Australia To The NBA, And Back Again
Ingles was born in South Australia, where he attended Pasadena High School and eventually started his professional career with the South Dragons. Ingles was the first-ever signing in the club’s history.
Ingles played with the Dragons for three years before joining CB Granada in the Liga ACB in 2009. He then transferred to FC Barcelona, where he would spend three more years.
He then ended his overseas career, at least momentarily, after one season with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2013.
After spending the 2014 preseason with the Los Angeles Clippers, Ingles came to Utah and debuted in the 2014-2015 season. The following offseason, he signed a multi-year extension with the Jazz.
He only missed four total games across his first three seasons in the NBA, and then made a real jump in 2017, starting in 81 games and eclipsing a 10 points per game average for the first time in his career.
Joe Ingles + Rudy Gobert = sweet, sweet Jazz! 🎶🎷#TakeNote @KSLSports https://t.co/bnPFa7Is0J pic.twitter.com/g5Pge8nBPY
— Sam Farnsworth (@Samsworth_TV) January 9, 2020
That season started a stretch where he averaged double digits in three of four years, and finished second in Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2021. Of course, losing out to his teammate Jordan Clarkson.
Ingles then played his final year with the Jazz in 2022. He made stops in Milwaukee, Orlando, and Minnesota as his NBA career came to a close.
Every time Ingles’ new team made a stop at the Delta Center, he was greeted with an overwhelmingly positive reception from Jazz fans.
RELATED: Delta Center Gives Joe Ingles Warm Welcome In Timberwolves Return
Ingles is reportedly headed back to Australia’s National Basketball League for the 2026-2027 season. He is in talks with Melbourne United, a club with 6 NBL championships and three first-place finishes since 2020.
