Now Bayles is back in Australia and determined to show the hoops world that he is ready to take the next step.

Biwali Bayles could have followed a different path in life if it wasn’t for his basketball loving single mum Binowee.

Bayles – a proud Indigenous man born in Brisbane – moved to the inner Sydney suburb of Redfern with his mother at age two.

His home – commonly known as the ‘Block’ – was a tight-knit community that also possessed unwanted distractions like drugs and alcohol.

Bayles had moments where he could have diverted, but his mum was determined to see her son succeed in life through sport.

Initially that dream was set to be rugby league.

As a boy from Brisbane, Bayles grew up as a passionate Broncos fan and wanted to play Origin for Queensland.

But his mum — a former hooper — pushed him to basketball at 12.

“I just got goosebumps because I give my mum full credit for everything,” Bayles told Code Sports in an exclusive interview.

“She forced me into basketball. Like literally forced me at a young age.

“I’d started out playing rugby league and that was my goal, but basketball was my mum’s dream and when I was 12 she could see the talent in me and told me I had to make a decision.

“Looking back, I’m grateful mum did that for me because where I grew up some kids didn’t have a mum that cared so much.”

Bayles’ mum was also concerned about her diminutively built son being hurt playing rugby league.

This career crossroads moment also came at a time in 2014 when former Newcastle Knights forward Alex McKinnon suffered a serious spinal injury that has left him wheelchair bound.

“That (McKinnon injury) was a big thing in sport at the time and mum was a bit rattled,” he reflects.

“She said I had to make a decision, but in the end she didn’t give me one and basketball became my focus and I feel blessed that she did that for me.”

Bayles started his junior basketball journey with Alexandria, playing point guard.

He initially juggled hoops with weekend rugby league and rugby union, but after making a Sydney Comets rep team he put all his focus into basketball.

“I could see the higher levels and that is what I wanted to aspire towards,” he said.

AIS ‘SAVED ME’

Bayles recalls joining the AIS in Canberra on a scholarship as a 17-year-old as a key moment in his budding basketball career.

He says the Nation’s Capital “saved him” from potentially following in the footsteps of troubled friends and set him on a path to hoops success.

“The AIS came at a pivotal time for me,” he said.

“I was just about to give up when the AIS came calling. A lot of kids get to this point and give up and just go back to the area. I didn’t want to be one of those kids.

“The AIS took me away from that environment at home and those teenage years where you are seeing more of the boys getting locked up and some are dying.

“So, going to Canberra when I graduated from high school was big for me.”

Bayles excelled at the AIS, using the stint to secure a US College contract with the University of Hawaii in 2020.

But it wasn’t the normal college experience due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“There were no in-person classes – it was just straight from the gym to the dorm room and parties were getting shut down,” he reflects.

“There was no tourism because all the shops were closed and when we travelled we had to wear a mask and couldn’t leave our hotel rooms and when we played they had cardboard cut-outs of people to fill a 10,000 seat arena.”

Through all the Covid-related challenges, Bayles still managed to play well, leading Hawaii in assists per game (2.6) on his way to attracting the interest of the NBL’s Sydney Kings.

KING-SIZED LESSONS

Bayles didn’t realise it at the time, but he was too busy thinking about the next step that he failed to appreciate the significance of signing with Sydney.

He was just 19 when he penned a multi-year deal at the Kings.

“I was so young and my mindset was just to get to the NBA,” he said.

Bayles helped the Kings win the NBL championship in 2022, before his happiness for basketball started to dwindle.

Upon reflection, he takes accountability for misplaced decisions, including his testy relationship with coach Chase Buford and training outside during Covid against the club’s strict protocols.

“I was fine with not playing as much, but sometimes I didn’t feel like I had clarity and it led to me butting heads with the coach a lot,” he said.

“I feel like I’ve learnt and grown from that and I could have definitely handled situations better.

“If I knew what I knew now, I would have been a lot better, but I’ve always been the type of guy to speak my mind.”

Bayles’ called time on his stint with Sydney in January, 2023.

He left the club and took unpaid leave as the Kings went on to claim back-to-back championships.

“But I had no ill-will – I was just happy for the club and my teammates because I knew how much effort they put in,” he said.

Post his time in Sydney, Bayles joined the Illawarra Hawks in NBL24 as a development player. He averaged 1.8 points in his 20 games for the Hawks.

SWISS SUCCESS

Bayles says his one-year stint with BBC Nyon in the Swiss league in 2024 was one of his best ever basketball decisions.

The move to the other side of the world forced him to “grow up as a player and a man” in subzero conditions where he saw snow for the first time.

“It isn’t a high European league, but for me it allowed me to play 35 minutes a game, I got to make mistakes and I was able to become better,” he said.

“It was a big culture shock with the language barrier as well, but I had a lot of time to learn and reflect.”

The Swiss stint paved the way for Bayles to return to Australia with greater maturity and perspective.

He has starred in the NBL1 with the Sydney Comets this season, dropping multiple 30 point games and a recent 41 point performance.

Bayles, now 23, declared he wants to be known for his basketball and not just as the token Indigenous player.

“Because I feel like I have plenty to offer the sport that isn’t just about my heritage,” he said.

NBA VISION

Bayles can’t help but feel emotional when asked about his NBA Summer League stint with the New York Knicks.

He will join the Knicks for the annual Summer League in Las Vegas this week and he is still coming to terms with the reality of the situation.

“Even you saying that (about the Knicks), I’m trying not to shed tears right now,” he said.

“You mentioning my name alongside the New York Knicks is huge because it has always been my dream to play in the NBA and it remains my goal.”

In NAIDOC week, Bayles said it’s disappointing to see only two Indigenous players in NBL26 in Hickey and fellow Illawarra Hawk Kobe McDowell-White.

There were five Indigenous players when he joined the NBL in 2021.

“It’s sad,” Bayles said.

“I’m not too much into the political side of things, but seeing that low number today is tough, especially when I feel like there has been so much effort put in to help our people with those pathways.

“Hopefully the NBL and Patty Mills’ IBA program can help develop more talent that can go on and play at the highest level like I’ve managed to do.”

HICKEY CONNECTION

Bayles feels blessed to have a strong friendship with fellow Indigenous basketball star Will ‘Davo’ Hickey – the NBL’s reigning championship series MVP from the Illawarra Hawks.

He regularly talks to Hickey, but reveals the pair didn’t see eye-to-eye growing in Sydney as kids.

“Davo and I didn’t really like each other,” Bayles said.

“We’d always get into it, I’d tease him and he’d try and catch me and throw some knees into me.”

Fortunately, Bayles and Hickey were able to put their differences aside.

They built a close bond while travelling together on the train back home from basketball training camps at Shore Grammar School in North Sydney.

“We had to go in the same direction and we were forced to talk to each other,” he says, smiling.

“That is when we started to work out together. We’re the only two guys that have gone on to play basketball from our area.

“The rest are footy players, so Will and I doing this together is huge. Hopefully we can inspire the young kids that basketball is also a path they can take.”