Isaac Humphries

Last updated

Isaac Humphries
Isaac Humphries 2020.jpg
Humphries with the Lakeland Magic in 2020
No. 8Adelaide 36ers
Position Power forward / center
League NBL
Personal information
Born (1998-01-05) 5 January 1998 (age 26)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Listed height211 cm (6 ft 11 in)
Listed weight114 kg (251 lb)
Career information
High school
College Kentucky (2015–2017)
NBA draft 2017: undrafted
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–2018 Sydney Kings
2018 FMP
2018–2019 Erie BayHawks
2019 Atlanta Hawks
2019–2020 Lakeland Magic
2020–2022 Adelaide 36ers
2022–2023 Melbourne United
2023–presentAdelaide 36ers
Career highlights and awards
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at NBA.com
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
FIBA Under-17 World Cup
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2014 Dubai National team

Isaac Bradley Humphries (born 5 January 1998) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Contents

Early life

Born in the Sydney suburb of Caringbah, Humphries grew up in Cronulla and started playing basketball at the age of 12. He had earlier played rugby league. [1] In 2010, he spent six months in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. [2] "I had a pretty big growth spurt when I lived in Canada", he told theleader.com.au in January 2014. [1]

College career

Humphries attended Scots College in Sydney and the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra before taking his game to the United States in December 2014 [3] to play prep ball at La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana. [4] Humphries enrolled at the University of Kentucky in 2015 and saw action in 23 games as a freshman. Coming off the bench in all but one game, he averaged 1.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per contest. [5]

In the 2016–17 campaign, Humphries appeared in 38 games for the Wildcats with one start, producing averages of 2.8 points and 2.8 boards per outing in 8.3 minutes a game. [6] He scored a career-high 12 points in his last college game, Kentucky’s 73-75 loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the South Region finals where he was also named in the NCAA All-Regional tournament team. [7]

In April 2017, Humphries declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility. [8] [9]

Professional career

Sydney Kings (2017–2018)

Opting to turn professional, Humphries worked out with several NBA franchises over the summer, including the Washington Wizards, after going undrafted in the 2017 NBA draft. [10] Humphries returned to Australia and signed with his hometown team the Sydney Kings on 27 July 2017 for the 2017–18 NBL season. [11] With the Kings, Humphries averaged 6.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks while shooting 58 percent in 16 minutes per game, making six starts in 26 appearances. He was subsequently named the NBL Rookie of the Year. [12] [13]

FMP (2018)

On 27 February 2018, Humphries agreed to a deal with FMP of the Basketball League of Serbia. [14] [15]

Erie BayHawks (2018–2019)

On 8 October 2018, Humphries signed a training camp deal with the Atlanta Hawks, [16] but was waived the next day. [17] He subsequently joined the Erie BayHawks for the 2018–19 NBA G League season. [18]

Atlanta Hawks (2019)

On 1 April 2019, Humphries signed with Atlanta for the remainder of 2018–19 NBA season. [19] [20]

Humphries joined the Los Angeles Clippers for the 2019 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. [21] [22]

Lakeland Magic (2019–2020)

On 24 September 2019, Humphries signed with the Orlando Magic. [23] [24] He was waived and assigned to the Lakeland Magic. [25] Humphries averaged 8.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game during the 2019–20 season. [26]

Adelaide 36ers (2020–2022)

On 16 July 2020, Humphries signed a two-year deal to return to the NBL with the Adelaide 36ers. [27] He averaged 13.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and a league-leading 2.8 blocks per game during the 2020–21 season. His mutual option for a second season with the 36ers was not exercised. [28]

On 9 July 2021, Humphries re-signed with the 36ers for the 2021–22 NBL season. [29] He played just six matches, averaging 7.7 points in 17.7 minutes per game, before a knee injury ruled him out for the season in February 2022. [30]

Melbourne United (2022–2023)

On 22 July 2022, Humphries signed with Melbourne United for the 2022–23 NBL season. [31] [32]

Return to Adelaide (2023–present)

On 26 April 2023, Humphries signed with the Adelaide 36ers for the 2023–24 NBL season, returning to the franchise for a second stint. [33] [34] [35] He had the most productive season of his career, playing all 28 games and averaging 15.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. [36] He was subsequently named 36ers Club MVP. [37]

On 7 March 2024, Humphries re-signed with the 36ers on a three-year deal. [38]

National team career

Humphries made his debut for the Australian junior national team at the 2013 FIBA Oceania Under-16 Championship. In 2014, he helped Australia win the silver medal at the FIBA Under-17 World Championship, averaging 18.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game during the tournament. He was named to the All-Tournament Team. [39] Humphries made his senior debut for the Australian national team in a 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifying match against Kazakhstan, where he recorded 17 points and 7 rebounds in a dominant performance. [40]

Career statistics

Legend
  GPGames played  GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage 3P%  3-point field goal percentage FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game APG  Assists per game SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high

NBA

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2018–19 Atlanta 5111.2.286.2732.2.0.2.03.0
Career5111.2.286.2732.2.0.2.03.0

NBA G League

Regular season

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2018–19 Erie 463421.8.538.337.6627.01.0.81.011.3
Career463421.8.538.337.6627.01.0.81.011.3

NBL

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2017–18 Sydney 26616.5.583.000.6533.7.8.71.06.9
Career26616.5.583.000.6533.7.8.71.06.9

College

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
2015–16 Kentucky 2319.1.390.7332.4.1.1.71.9
2016–17 Kentucky 3818.3.511.6002.8.2.2.52.8
Career6128.6.473.6502.7.2.2.62.4

Personal life

On 16 November 2022, Humphries came out as gay. [41] [42] The announcement saw Humphries become the only active openly gay male professional basketball player in a top tier league anywhere in the world. He also became the first ever Australian male basketball player and first player in the NBL to be openly gay. [43] [44] He said that he had struggled with his sexuality and contemplated suicide, but ultimately decided that he would be happier to be open about it with his teammates. [41] [45]

See also

Related Research Articles

Luke Dean Schenscher is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played four years of college basketball for Georgia Tech before having stints in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls in 2006 and the Portland Trail Blazers in 2007. In 2010, he won an NBL championship with the Perth Wildcats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Jawai</span> Australian basketball player (born 1986)

Nathan Leon Jawai is an Australian professional basketball player for the Darwin Salties of the NBL1 North. Standing at 209 cm, he plays at the power forward and centre positions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerome Randle</span> American-Ukrainian basketball player (born 1987)

Jerome Jerry Randle is an American-Ukrainian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the California Golden Bears before playing professionally in several European countries. Randle has a Ukrainian passport and represented Ukraine at EuroBasket 2015.

Daniel James Dillon is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for the Waverley Falcons of the NBL1 South. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats before playing professionally in Australia, Romania, Poland, Japan, and France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jermaine Beal</span> American basketball player

Jermaine Darnell Beal is an American former professional basketball player. He had a four-year college basketball career with Vanderbilt, where between 2006 and 2010 he became the winningest four-year player in school history and earned first-team All-SEC honors as a senior. He began his professional career in Poland, before having stints in the NBA Development League, Belgium, and Brazil. In 2013, he joined the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia and helped them win a championship in his first season behind his Grand Final MVP performance. After winning Club MVP honors in 2015, Beal helped the Wildcats win another title in 2016. After parting ways with the Wildcats, he won a championship in Belgium, had a short stint with the Brisbane Bullets, then won another championship, this time in Israel. His professional career ended in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesse Wagstaff</span> Australian basketball player

Jesse Kendall James Wagstaff is an Australian professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). After playing college basketball for the Metro State Roadrunners in the United States, he joined the Wildcats in 2009 and won Rookie of the Year and a championship in his first season in the NBL. He went on to earn NBL Best Sixth Man in 2012 and then won five more championships in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucas Walker</span> Australian basketball player

Lucas Walker is an Australian basketball player for the Illawarra Hawks of the NBL1 East. He played 10 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL) between 2010 and 2020. He played college basketball for Montana State University Billings and Saint Mary's College of California before joining the Melbourne Tigers in 2010. After five seasons with Melbourne, he had stints with the Adelaide 36ers, Perth Wildcats, Cairns Taipans and Sydney Kings. He won an NBL championship with the Wildcats in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryce Cotton</span> American basketball player

Bryce Jiron Cotton is an American professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). In the NBL, he is a four-time winner of the Most Valuable Player Award and has won three championships. He is also a two-time grand final MVP, seven-time All-NBL First Team recipient, and has seven scoring titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey Prather</span> American basketball player

Casey Prather is an American professional basketball player for the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Florida Gators before playing professionally in the NBA Development League, Australia, Germany, Greece and Israel. He won three straight NBL championships between 2016 and 2018, the first two with the Perth Wildcats and the third with Melbourne United. He joined Hapoel Eilat in 2020 and was named as the Israeli League MVP in 2021, but missed the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons with knee injuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Jervis</span> Australian basketball player

Thomas Lachlan Jervis is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for the Rockingham Flames of the NBL1 West. He played college basketball for Bevill State Community College and Troy University in the United States before debuting in the National Basketball League (NBL). He won two NBL championships with the Perth Wildcats between 2013 and 2016. After two seasons with the Brisbane Bullets, Jervis returned to the Wildcats in 2018 and won his third championship. He retired from basketball in 2019 but made a comeback in January 2021 to re-join the Wildcats. Jervis is also well known for his time spent in the State Basketball League (SBL) with the East Perth Eagles, having played for them every year between 2009 and 2016, helping them win their maiden championship in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Frazier II</span> American basketball player

Michael Frazier II is an American professional basketball player who last played for the NBA G League Ignite of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators.

Matthew John Hodgson is an Australian professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Southern Utah University and Saint Mary's College of California before debuting in the National Basketball League (NBL) and playing for the Adelaide 36ers, Brisbane Bullets and Perth Wildcats.

Kyle Reginaid Adnam is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Majok Deng</span> South Sudanese-Australian basketball player

Majok Machar Deng is a South Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for the Tasmania JackJumpers of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball in the United States for Indian Hills Community College and Louisiana–Monroe. He debuted in the NBL for the Adelaide 36ers in 2016. After three seasons for the 36ers, he joined the Cairns Taipans in 2019 where he spent four seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keanu Pinder</span> Australian basketball player

Keanu Tecumseh Pinder is an Australian professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for Hutchinson Community College and the Arizona Wildcats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhys Vague</span> Australian basketball player

Rhys Anthony Vague is an Australian professional basketball player for the Cockburn Cougars of the NBL1 West. He made his debut for his hometown Perth Wildcats in the National Basketball League (NBL) as a development player in 2014. After four seasons as a development player, he was elevated to a fully contracted player in 2018. In his six seasons with the Wildcats, he was a part of four championship teams in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Vague also made a name for himself in the State Basketball League (SBL), playing for the Cockburn Cougars, East Perth Eagles and Stirling Senators, earning the State Basketball League Most Improved Player Award in 2015. Between 2020 and 2023, he played in Japan for the Kagawa Five Arrows.

Sunday Dech is a South Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for the East Perth Eagles of the NBL1 West. He is also contracted with the Adelaide 36ers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He is a two-time NBL champion with the Perth Wildcats, having won in 2014 and 2019. Dech played NCAA Division II college basketball for the Metro State Roadrunners and Barry Buccaneers.

Hyrum Tipene Harris is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Wellington Saints of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He is also contracted with the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wani Swaka Lo Buluk</span> Australian basketball player

Wani Lodu Swaka Lo Buluk is a Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for the Darwin Salties of the NBL1 North. Opting to forgo college basketball in the United States to begin his professional career in Australia, he made his debut for the Perth Wildcats in the National Basketball League (NBL) in 2018. He won two NBL championships with the Wildcats over three years before joining the Sydney Kings in 2021 and winning a third championship in 2022. He also helped the Warwick Senators win the West Coast Classic in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Travers</span> Australian basketball player

Luke Jacob Travers is an Australian professional basketball player for Melbourne United of the National Basketball League (NBL). Opting to forgo college basketball in the United States to begin his professional career in Australia, he made his debut for the Perth Wildcats in the NBL as a development player in 2019 and became an NBL champion in 2020. At state league level, he played three seasons for the Rockingham Flames in the State Basketball League (SBL) between 2017 and 2019, and then had a stint with the Cockburn Cougars in 2020 during the West Coast Classic. He was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 56th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft.

References

  1. 1 2 Haigh, Paul (16 January 2014). "Giant leap for Cronulla teen, 16, who scores top basketball scholarship". St George & Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  2. "La Lu Defeats Wasatch, Isaac Humphries Australian Impact On Canadians". Northpolehoops.com. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  3. Haigh, Paul (23 September 2015). "Sutherland Sharks Basketball Association junior Issac Humphries' US dream". St George & Sutherland Shire Leader. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  4. "7-Footer Humphries Joins Four Canadians At La Lumiere - Hoops Hype Canada | Canadian Basketball News". Hoops Hype Canada | Canadian Basketball News. 14 December 2014. Archived from the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  5. "2015-16 Men's Basketball Team Stats - UK Wildcats". University of Kentucky | Official Athletics Site. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  6. "Basketball (M) Stats - UK Wildcats". University of Kentucky | Official Athletics Site. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  7. "Humphries leaving Kentucky to pursue pro basketball career". kentucky. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  8. "Isaac Humphries Turns Pro, Plans to Sign with an Agent | UK Wildcats News". University of Kentucky | Official Athletics Site. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  9. "Aussie big man Humphries set for NBA draft". The West Australian. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  10. Logue, Matt (27 July 2017). "Sydney Kings sign Aussie US college big man Isaac Humphries in huge boost to NBL title chances". News.com.au. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  11. "SYDNEY KINGS SUCCEED IN ISAAC HUMPHRIES PURSUIT". NBL.com.au. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  12. Fisher, Chris (27 February 2018). "Isaac Humphries named NBL Rookie of the Year". 247sports.com. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  13. "Isaac Humphries Named Rookie of the Year in NBL in Australia". thesportsledger.com. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  14. "Isaac Humphries agreed to a deal with FMP". sportando.basketball. 27 February 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  15. "Isaac Humphries inks 3-year deal with FMP". aba-liga.com. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
  16. "Atlanta Hawks Sign Isaac Humphries". NBA.com. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  17. "Atlanta Hawks Waive Isaac Humphries". NBA.com. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  18. Hartman, Billy (20 October 2018). "Erie BayHawks Finalize 2018 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  19. "Atlanta Hawks Sign Isaac Humphries For The Remainder Of The Season". NBA.com. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  20. "Humphries Signs Contract With Atlanta Hawks" . Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  21. "Isaac Humphries". realgm.com. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  22. "The Australians set to play in the 2019 NBA Summer League". Fox Sports. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  23. "PRESS RELEASE: Orlando Magic sign free agent Isaac Humphries". Orlando Magic PR on Twitter. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  24. "Orlando Magic sign free agent center Isaac Humphries". FOX 35 Orlando. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  25. Lambert, Ivan (7 November 2019). "Lakeland Magic open 3rd season Friday at Fort Wayne". The Ledger. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  26. Varney, Dennis (26 March 2020). "Catch up with 36 ex-Cats playing pro basketball in leagues outside the NBA". Lexington Herald-Leader . Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  27. "Bullets, 36ers announce new free agency signings". ESPN.com. 15 July 2020.
  28. Uluc, Olgun (27 June 2021). "NBL Free Agency: who's on the move". ESPN. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  29. "Isaac Humphries Re-Signs with Adelaide". NBL.com.au. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  30. "Report: Humphries ruled out for season". NBL.com.au. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  31. "Melbourne United sign Isaac Humphries". MelbourneUnited.com.au. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  32. "Melbourne United had landed former NBL Rookie of the Year, Isaac Humphries, for the 2022/2023 NBL Season" . Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  33. "Humphries returns to 36ers on one-year deal". adelaide36ers.com. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  34. "NBL's Isaac Humphries signs with Adelaide 36ers". The West Australian. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  35. "Sources: Isaac Humphries agrees to join 36ers". ESPN.com. 22 April 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  36. Uluc, Olgun (2 March 2024). "Sources: Humphries inks three-year deal with 36ers". ESPN.com.au. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  37. "Humphries wins Mark Davis Trophy". adelaide36ers.com. 23 February 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  38. "Humphries extends Adelaide stay". NBL.com.au. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  39. "Isaac Humphries's profile". FIBA.com. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  40. "Aussie G-League stars help Boomers clinch top spot after win over Kazakhstan". Fox Sports Australia. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  41. 1 2 "Former Kentucky center, Melbourne United star Isaac Humphries comes out publicly as gay". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  42. "NBL's first openly gay player Isaac Humphries 'disappointed' by Cairns rejection of Pride jersey". The Guardian. 26 January 2023. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  43. "Opinion: Why Australia's elite basketballer is ready to tell the world he is gay". cnn.com. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  44. "Melbourne United supports and celebrates Isaac Humphries' courageous decision". melbourneutd.com.au. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  45. "'Courageous': NBL star comes out to teammates as first openly gay player as NBA reacts". Fox Sports. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2023.