Melbourne United confirmed that veteran forward Joe Ingles has signed a two-year contract, bringing the 38-year-old back to his home country after 12 seasons in the NBA.
Ingles, born in Adelaide and a high school standout in Canberra, began his professional career in Melbourne with the South Dragons from 2006 to 2009. After going undrafted in 2009, the 6-foot-8 wing spent time in Spain and Israel before joining the NBA in 2014.
The sharpshooter logged significant minutes with the Utah Jazz early in his NBA tenure but has served mainly as a veteran presence since arriving in Minnesota in the summer of 2024. With the Timberwolves, he appeared in 46 regular-season games, totaling 267 minutes—an average of 5.8 per contest—largely in late-game situations.
ESPN’s Olgun Uluc reported in early April that Ingles was exploring options with Melbourne-based clubs, including the South East Melbourne Phoenix. Uluc later indicated the forward was poised to join United, a move that was finalized this week.
In a statement released by the team, Ingles said returning to the city where his pro journey started nearly two decades ago is “something I don’t take for granted.” He added that he still loves to compete and believes he can help United contend for a championship.
Internationally, Ingles has represented Australia at four FIBA World Cups and five Olympic Games, helping the Boomers capture their first Olympic medal—a bronze—at Tokyo 2020.
Across 750 NBA regular-season appearances with the Jazz, Bucks, Magic and Timberwolves, Ingles averaged 7.7 points, 3.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 23.5 minutes, while shooting 40.9 percent from three-point range.
Source: Hoops Rumors
