Joe Ingles

Joe Ingles, a stalwart of the Australian basketball program, made his Olympic debut at Beijing 2008 where Australia was knocked out in the quarter-finals by a USA squad that went on to take gold.

The following year, he left Australian shores for Spain, where Joe enjoyed strong stints with CB Granada and national powerhouse FC Barcelona.

At the 2010 FIBA World Championships he emerged as a key figure for the Australian setup, with the South Australian native averaging 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists in six games.

Joe continued his strong tournament form with the Boomers at the London 2012 Olympics, where he was the side’s top-scorer behind star guard Patty Mills.

In 2013 he left Barcelona for Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv, where in his lone season with the club Joe won both the domestic league and cup silverware, as well as the much-esteemed Euroleague title.

In the 2014 FIBA World Championship tournament he was again a hugely influential piece for the Boomers. The swingman averaged 11.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists in six games for his side as they were eliminated by Turkey in the tournament’s round of 16.

After Joe’s showing for his country, he attracted the interest of the NBA. He was invited to the Los Angeles Clippers' training camp roster before being cut from the side just days before the season’s opening day, but was quickly acquired by the Utah Jazz. He would go on to become a starter in Utah and an important part of the team's culture over many years.

Joe was selected for his third consecutive Olympics in 2016, with the Boomers veteran set on a maiden medal in Rio. After only dropping one game in the group stages, the Boomers beat Lithuania in the quarter-finals before being defeated by Serbia in the semis.

A bronze medal match against Spain awaited Joe and Australia, which they lost in heart-breaking fashion when Sergio Rodriguez hit two consecutive free throws with little time to spare to lift Spain to a 89-88 victory.

In the years between Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 he continued to showcase his skills in the NBA, and became well known for his durability, playmaking and three-point shooting. Joe, a career 40% shooter from downtown, played every game for the Utah Jazz for four consecutive seasons between 2016 and 2020.

In 2019 he was a part of the World Cup squad that yet again missed out on a medal at a major tournament, this time being eclipsed by France in the third-place playoff after the Boomers lost a double-overtime semi-final clash against eventual champions Spain.

In the 2020-21 NBA season he shot a career-best 45.1 per cent from three-point territory, ranking as one of the league's top-five in shooting efficiency. In the same campaign Joe was a starter for the team that finished with a league-best 52-20 record, before Utah was eliminated by the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Joe and the Boomers lifted Australia to the bronze medal, defeating Slovenia in the bronze medal match 107-93.

The Boomers legend helped achieve our nation's first men's basketball Olympic medal since Australia made its men's basketball Olympic debut in 1956.

Joe played in all six matches and averaged 11.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.8 three-pointers per game on 40.5 per cent shooting from long distance in 31 minutes per game.

In 2022 Joe spent a season with the Milwaukee Bucks, then signed a two-year deal with the Orlando Magic.

He stepped up for the Boomers again at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, held in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines.  Although Australia failed to advance to the elimination rounds, they did secure a berth at the Paris Olympics, with Joe playing in five games and averaging 6.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Orlando declined the team-option on the second year of Joe’s NBA contract in June 2024, clearing the way for him to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a one-year deal for a team that has championship expectations.

Selected for his fifth Olympic Games in 2024 Joe joined teammate Patty Mills, Andrew Gaze and Lauren Jackson as the only five-time Australian basketball Olympians in history.

At the Paris 2024 Joe and the Boomers started on a strong note, defeating Spain 92-80 in what was regarded as the toughest group in the tournament. Losses followed against Canada (93-83) and Greece (77-71) to close the group stage, setting up a quarter-finals clash against Serbia.

The Boomers pushed the Serbians into overtime, but Serbia took control of overtime (95-90) to knock Australia out of the tournament.