AUSTRALIAN BOOMER JOE INGLES TOOK THE SCENIC ROUTE TO NBA STARDOM

Written for TEG Live.

At the weekend, Ingles hit his 500^th career 3-pointer and in doing so became just the seventh Jazz player in history to reach this milestone. But who is Joe Ingles?

Limited tickets remain for the Australian Boomers two much anticipated games against USA Basketball at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on Thursday 22 August and Saturday 24 August 2019. Secure your seats TODAY from Ticketmaster.

The South Australian raised swingman starred as a teenager, rising from a wiry thin shooter into an all-round attacker in an NBL championship winning South Dragons team.

Soon thereafter, Ingles departed for Europe where he rapidly went from Spanish ACB side Granada to powerhouse Barcelona, winning titles and making it clear he was one of the sport’s elite players not to be featuring in the NBA.

Still, American teams would only flirt with him and rather than offer a guaranteed deal, Ingles joined Maccabi Tel Aviv where he won the coveted EuroLeague championship in 2014.

That season finally pushed Ingles to the NBA and it was the LA Clippers who signed him with coach Doc Rivers picturing Ingles’ all-round game as being a perfect fit between superstar trio Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

With his hopes of making the roster strong, Ingles called wife Renae, a celebrated Australian netballer, to fly to Los Angeles before the Clippers made a shock decision to cut him due to injuries among their other guards.

The Clippers presumed Ingles didn’t have enough NBA profile to earn another contract straightaway, however Utah Jazz pounced due to his links with fellow Boomer Dante Exum and coach Quin Snyder’s knowledge of Ingles from his own time in Europe.

Ingles quickly became one of the team’s most popular players, even when not playing a big role on-court.

With each NBA season, he became a bigger factor to the Jazz’s fortunes, where both his court-time and influence grew exponentially.

In 2016, Ingles entered NBA free agency and his value soon became apparent when he was re-signed to a four-year US$48 million contract.

He proved a worthy recipient during the 2017-2018 season as the Jazz made the second round of the playoffs, losing to eventual champions Golden State Warriors. Ingles posted career-best numbers, finishing among the NBA’s best three-point shooters while he began receiving praise for his defence and communication.

The Jazz now see Ingles as one of their figureheads leading into the future as do the Australian Boomers, with the 31-year old now a three-time Olympian and one of the team’s leaders.

Ingles could be a key cog in the Australian Boomers side for next year’s FIBA World Cup in China and the Boomers’ two showdowns with USA Basketball at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on Thursday 22 August and Saturday 24 August.

Limited tickets for both games are still available through Ticketmaster.

Thursday 22 August 2019
Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Tip Off: 7.30pm
BUY HERE

Saturday 24 August 2019 – VERY LIMITED AVAILABILITY
Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Tip Off: 2.00pm
BUY HERE

The post AUSTRALIAN BOOMER JOE INGLES TOOK THE SCENIC ROUTE TO NBA STARDOM appeared first on Basketball Australia.

Since making his NBA debut in 2014, Australian Boomers guard Joe Ingles has emerged into one of basketball’s most effective sharpshooters.

The post AUSTRALIAN BOOMER JOE INGLES TOOK THE SCENIC ROUTE TO NBA STARDOM appeared first on Basketball Australia.