NBL Tribunal Needs Overhaul After a Decade of Inconsistencies
September 16, 2024
Jordan Usher
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 21/02/1998
- Place of Birth: Atlanta, Georgia (USA)
- Position: SF
- Height (CM): 201
- Weight (KG): 100
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Georgia Tech (2018-2022)
- NBL DEBUT: 29/09/23
- AGE AT DEBUT: 25
- LAST NBL GAME: 13/03/24
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 26
- NBL History: Perth 2024
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Jordan Usher was born in Atlanta, Georgia (USA).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Jordan Usher made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 25 years of age. He scored 35 points in his first game.
After finishing sixth and being eliminated by Cairns during the 2023 play-in tournament, Perth reshaped its roster for John Rillie’s second season as head coach. Luke Travers (to Melbourne), Todd Blanchfield (to Illawarra), Mitchell Norton (to Brisbane), TaShawn Thomas and Brady Manek departed, while Keanu Pinder (via Cairns), Hyrum Harris (via Adelaide), David Okwera (via Melbourne), rookie Ben Henshall, Next Star Alexandre Sarr and imports Jordan Usher and Kristian Doolittle were added.
In August, Perth signed Usher to a one-year deal after he spent his first professional season with Besiktas in Turkey and then played alongside Pinder for the Phoenix Suns at NBA Summer League. The move reunited him with Rillie, who had previously recruited Usher out of high school while coaching at Boise State before Usher ultimately took a different college path.
“I’m a elite athlete, I get out in transition, I’m a top-tier defender and I’m trying to come get that Defensive Player Of the Year award over there,” he said.
Perth opened the season at RAC Arena on September 29, where Usher produced his best scoring game of the year with 35 points and 3 rebounds on 13-of-20 shooting, including four three-pointers, as the Wildcats recovered from conceding the first 12 points to defeat Tasmania 101-95. Cotton (21 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) and Corey Webster (16 points) provided support, while Jack McVeigh (22 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block) led the JackJumpers. With Tasmania back within one point in the final minute, Usher made his fourth three-pointer to help secure the victory, finishing with the highest-scoring debut by a Wildcat.
Usher (12.3 points and 3.4 rebounds across 31 games) struggled to maintain his opening-night production as Perth lost five of its next six games and fell to 2-5. Rillie responded by moving Usher to a sixth-man role on November 4 and inserting Harris (5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds across 30 games) into the starting five. Usher accepted the change and reached double figures in 15 of his next 24 games.
“It’s never a hit to the ego. You have to be resilient to that type of stuff, especially in-house or anything with my teammates or my own coaches. If that’s what we think is going to win more games, then I am all for it,” Usher remarked.
Usher delivered one of his strongest games from the bench against Melbourne on December 23, finishing with 23 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal as Perth led by 12 late in the third quarter before United recovered to win 109-103 in overtime at John Cain Arena. Cotton (36 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Pinder (15 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals) led the Wildcats, while Ian Clark (25 points) scored 13 points in overtime for Melbourne.
On January 21, Usher (24 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal) produced another of his best performances as Perth defeated Sydney 104-98 at Qudos Bank Arena for its sixth consecutive victory. Cotton (29 points, 3 assists, and 4 steals) and Tai Webster (16 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals) provided support, while Jaylen Adams (29 points) led Sydney. The win was Perth’s first at Qudos Bank Arena under Rillie and continued a run that moved the Wildcats firmly into the top two.
Cotton (22.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.5 steals across 30 games) led Perth offensively and won his fourth NBL MVP award, while Pinder (13.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.7 steals across 31 games) provided the second scoring option. Doolittle (9 points and 6.7 rebounds across 29 games) led Perth in rebounding and won the Andrew Vlahov Medal as the club’s Best Defensive Player, while Sarr (9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks across 27 games) emerged as one of the leading prospects for the NBA Draft and Tai Webster (8.9 points across 28 games) remained part of the main backcourt rotation. Harris was named Perth’s Most Improved Player, while Usher finished fifth in Gordon Ellis Medal voting as the Wildcats recovered from their 2-5 start to finish second with a 17-11 record.
Perth opened its semifinal series against Tasmania at RAC Arena on March 8, where Usher (11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block), Pinder (25 points and 7 rebounds) and Cotton (15 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists) helped the Wildcats take game one 89-81. Jordon Crawford (19 points and 3 assists), McVeigh (17 points) and Marcus Lee (16 points) led Tasmania. Lee was assessed an unsportsmanlike foul for his fourth-quarter contact on Usher and was later charged with unduly rough play and suspended for game two.
Marcus Lee has received an unsportsmanlike foul after this play. pic.twitter.com/OCO3guHcIY
— NBL (@NBL) March 8, 2024
Game two moved to MyState Bank Arena, where Usher (6 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists), Cotton (26 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals) and Doolittle (20 points and 9 rebounds) led Perth, while Milton Doyle (24 points and 6 rebounds), McVeigh (22 points and 5 rebounds) and Majok Deng (18 points and 5 rebounds) helped Tasmania win 102-94 and force a deciding game.
Game three returned to RAC Arena, where Usher (7 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals), Cotton (21 points and 4 rebounds) and Harris (13 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) led Perth, while McVeigh (27 points and 6 rebounds), Doyle (24 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals) and Will Magnay (18 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 block) carried Tasmania to a 100-84 win and ended Perth’s season.
Jordan Usher played one season in the NBL. He averaged 12.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 31 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 26 | Perth | 17-11 (2) | 31 | 773 | 381 | 106 | 44 | 35 | 71 | 29 | 3 | 39 | 70 | 144 | 333 | 43% | 33 | 119 | 28% | 60 | 76 | 79% | 52% | 48% | 35 | Totals | 31 | 773 | 381 | 106 | 44 | 35 | 71 | 29 | 3 | 39 | 70 | 144 | 333 | 43.2% | 33 | 119 | 27.7% | 60 | 76 | 78.9% | 52% | 48% | 35 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 26 | Perth | 17-11 (2) | 31 | 24.9 | 12.3 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 4.6 | 10.7 | 43% | 1.1 | 3.8 | 28% | 1.9 | 2.5 | 79% | 52% | 48% | 35 | Total | 31 | 24.9 | 12.3 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 4.6 | 10.7 | 43.2% | 1.1 | 3.8 | 27.7% | 1.9 | 2.5 | 78.9% | 52% | 48% | 35 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 35 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
|---|
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Turkey - Beşiktaş J.K. (2022–2023) | France - JL Bourg (2025)
Usher joined Beşiktaş J.K. for the 2022–23 Turkish Basketball Super League season in Turkey, and he averaged 14.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals while shooting 40 percent from three-point range.
In 2022–23 with Beşiktaş, Usher also played in the Basketball Champions League and averaged 14.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.3 assists across 14 games.
Usher signed with JL Bourg for the 2025 LNB Élite season in France, reuniting with Tai Webster.
COLLEGE
Jordan Usher played his NCAA basketball at Georgia Tech, enrolling in January 2019 and becoming eligible midway through the 2019–20 season, which began his on-court career with the Yellow Jackets across the second half of 2019–20 through the end of 2021–22.
Usher’s first connection to the NBL dated back to high school, when future Perth Wildcats head coach John Rillie recruited him to play at Boise State, but Usher ultimately chose a different college pathway before later crossing paths with Rillie again professionally.
After he became eligible on December 18, 2019, Usher started all 23 games he played to close the 2019–20 season at Georgia Tech and averaged 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds, with a season-high 18 points against Boise State in just his second game in a Tech uniform.
In 2020–21, Usher took a major step forward as an all-around wing, averaging 11.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, and he helped Georgia Tech win the 2021 ACC Tournament while earning a place on the ACC All-Tournament Team.
Georgia Tech’s ACC Tournament title run earned the Jackets an NCAA tournament berth, and Usher scored 15 points in the 2021 NCAA tournament first-round game against Loyola Chicago as Tech played without ACC Player of the Year Moses Wright due to COVID-19 protocols.
As a senior in 2021–22, Usher produced career-best numbers at 14.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, scoring in double figures in 26 of 32 games and posting seven games of 10 or more rebounds while functioning as a primary scorer and matchup defender in the Tech rotation.
That senior season included two 30-point performances in overtime wins, scoring 30 against Georgia State on December 21, 2021 and later reaching 30 again against Boston College, marking the top single-game scoring outputs of his Georgia Tech career.
Across his Georgia Tech career, Usher started all 81 games he played for the program through 2019–20 to 2021–22, finishing with 963 points in a Tech uniform and 52 double-figure scoring games at the school while being used as a guard/forward capable of defending across multiple positions.
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