Aussie NBA cult hero signs contract that is the stuff of dreams

Aussie veteran Joe Ingles may be at the back-end of his career, but it hasn’t stopped him scooping up an NBA deal most Aussie athletes can only dream of.

Aussie basketballer Joe Ingles is set to keep his NBA career going in a $5.4 million deal to return to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The one year deal would be considered an eye-watering and lucrative sum among Aussie athletes, but overseas is a measly veteran’s minimum deal for the shooting guard.

Ingles, who will turn 38 in October, will have his deal count for roughly $3.5m against the salary cap after it was confirmed by his agent Mark Bertelstein at Priority Sports.

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Assuming Ingles plays the full 82-game season, it would see him net more than $65,000 per game.

However, the Australian only managed 19 games and one start in the 2024-25 season, where he averaged 0.8 points per page, 0.6 rebounds per game and 1.2 assists per game in roughly 6 minutes per game.

It makes the deal even more lucrative considering his expected output, and Ingles is expected to become more of a mentor in the locker room than a consistent rotator in the team.

The news prompted the New York Knicks’ Josh Hart to share the news with some choice words.

“Man some tell him to go head and retire already,” Hart shared on X.

Ingles played just 19 games in the 2024-25 season for the Timberwolves. Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images.

Hart’s words were more in good-natured jest and in line with the sarcastic shooting guard known to have one of the most active social media accounts in the league.

Ingles played a couple of season in the EuroLeague before signing with the Utah Jazz in the NBA.

Ingles was there for eight seasons where he became the franchise leader for most three-pointers in their history with 1,071.

But stints later with the Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic and now the Minnesota Timberwolves have not seen the same success in the back-end of his career.

The Aussie will be looking to bounce back in what will be his 12th season in the NBA.

For the record, Ingles’ payday would be enough to make even the highest paid NRL and AFL stars salivate.

As reported by Code Sports, Richmond’s Tom Lynch was the highest paid player in the AFL last year with an annual salary of around $1.45 million. The AFL announced in February there are 10 players this season earning more than $1.2 million.

Originally published as Aussie NBA cult hero signs contract that is the stuff of dreams