BIO: Maxwell Mackinnon was born in Sydney (NSW) and later moved to Brisbane (QLD), where he grew up in a basketball family.

Mackinnon developed through Queensland junior basketball, playing in Brisbane’s representative basketball system before progressing into state and national representative competitions.

As a teenager, Mackinnon attracted attention as one of Queensland’s leading junior basketball prospects through his performances at the Australian Junior Basketball Championships.

Mackinnon received a scholarship to attend Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence and NBA Global Academy in Canberra, where he continued his basketball development while attending Lake Ginninderra College.

At the 2021 Australian Under-20 National Championships, Max Mackinnon (15.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game) helped Queensland win the gold medal.

Mackinnon was named among the All-Star Five at the Australian National Championships and won consecutive gold medals with Queensland’s under-20 representative teams.

After developing through the Centre of Excellence, Mackinnon attracted interest as a young professional prospect.

On September 16, 2021, Mackinnon signed with the Brisbane Bullets as a development player for the 2021/22 NBL season.

Mackinnon received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 2021. He spent one year there and played for the program’s state league team.

FAMILY: Max MacKinnon is the son of Sam MacKinnon who played 459 games in the NBL. Max Mackinnon’s mother is Rebecca Mackinnon.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Max Mackinnon made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 18 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

2021/22
After finishing sixth and missing the playoffs, Brisbane replaced Andrej Lemanis with former Sydney Kings assistant James Duncan. Vic Law (to Perth), Matt Hodgson (to Perth), Harry Froling (to Illawarra), BJ Johnson (to Orlando) and Callum Dalton (to Melbourne) departed, while Lamar Patterson returned and Robert Franks (18.2 points and 8.9 rebounds across 27 games), Jack Salt, Deng Deng, Liu Chuanxing and Next Star Tom Digbeu joined the roster.

Brisbane signed Max Mackinnon as a development player after he spent the previous year at the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence.

“Max is a high IQ athlete and has the ability to impact the game at both ends of the floor,” Duncan said.

The local guard made his NBL debut at Nissan Arena on January 15, playing the final 23 seconds without scoring as Brisbane defeated South East Melbourne 100-84, with Sobey (18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) and Franks (17 points and 10 rebounds) leading the Bullets, while Creek (19 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) led the Phoenix.

Mackinnon (0.2 points across 5 games) remained outside Brisbane’s regular rotation, with his brief opportunities coming late in games. He missed the February 5 loss to Cairns under COVID protocols, while no basketball injury was reported during the season.

His best game came at WIN Entertainment Centre on March 31, where Mackinnon (1 assist) played 42 seconds as Brisbane lost 87-70 to Illawarra, with Franks (13 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists) leading the Bullets while Jessup (29 points and 2 blocks) led the Hawks.

Mackinnon (1 point) scored his only NBL point from the free throw line during Brisbane’s final home game on April 9, while Franks (19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) led the Bullets and Reath (28 points and 11 rebounds) led Illawarra to a 108-77 win.

His final appearance came against Melbourne at John Cain Arena on April 16, where Mackinnon (1 rebound) played 4:57 as Lual-Acuil Jr (25 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks) led United to an 88-79 victory.

After the season, Mackinnon (to Elon) left Brisbane to begin his college career in the United States.

Mackinnon was unavailable for Brisbane’s season finale against Cairns at Cairns Convention Centre on April 23, with the club not identifying his individual reason among a depleted roster. The Bullets used only seven players and lost 112-98, with Franks (30 points and 15 rebounds) leading Brisbane while McCall (42 points, 10 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block) led Cairns, leaving Brisbane eighth with a 10-18 record.

2026/27
After completing his US college career, Mackinnon represented the NBL Next Stars at the 2026 adidas Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy. The Next Stars defeated Eurocamp 1 66–62 in the final, with Mackinnon (21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-6 three-pointers) earning Finals MVP honours. Across the three games he averaged 18.7 points.

Mackinnon then represented the Charlotte Hornets at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. On 29 July 2026, he returned to the Brisbane Bullets on a two-year contract, five years after his first NBL appearances as a development player.

Brisbane began NBL27 under new head coach Will Weaver. Mackinnon starred in the Bullets’ 103–95 win over Illawarra on 26 September, scoring a then career-high 31 points with 12 rebounds and six three-pointers, helping Brisbane open the season with consecutive victories.

In October, Mackinnon bounced back from a 3-of-16 shooting night against Cairns, producing 24 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists on 9-of-18 shooting, including 4-of-8 from three, in Brisbane’s 115–105 victory over South East Melbourne on 15 October 2026.

On 21 October 2026, Mackinnon (21 points, 4 rebounds and four made three-pointers from eight attempts) led Brisbane’s scoring in a 106–85 loss away to the Tasmania JackJumpers. Josh Bannan (22 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists) and Taran Armstrong (19 points and 6 assists) led Tasmania, who took the full seven Ignite Cup points.

Max Mackinnon currently plays for the Brisbane Bullets and has played 14 games in his NBL career. He has averaged 10.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists since entering the league in 2021.

CURRENT CONTRACT:

Brisbane Bullets – 2 Year Deal (2026-28)