BIO: Born in the Sydney suburb of Caringbah, Isaac Humphries grew up in Cronulla and started playing basketball at the age of 12 with the Sutherland basketball program.

Humphries attended Scots College in Sydney and attended the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra before taking his game to the United States in December 2014 to play prep ball at La Lumiere School in La Porte, Indiana.

Humphries earned a scholarship to enrolled play at the University of Kentucky in 2015. Humphries received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 2014. He spent two years year there and played for the program’s state league team (2014).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Isaac Humphries made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 19 years of age. He scored six points in his first game.

After going undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft, Isaac Humphries returned to Australia, signing with his hometown team, the Sydney Kings, on 27 July 2017. In his debut season with the Kings, Humphries averaged 6.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game, while shooting an efficient 58 percent from the field in 16 minutes per game. He made six starts across 26 appearances and was rewarded for his impressive season by being named the NBL Rookie of the Year.

The Kings finished the season with an 11-17 record, placing them in seventh on the NBL ladder.

Following his stint with the Kings, Humphries pursued opportunities in the NBA, spending time in the G-League and Europe in his continued efforts to achieve his NBA dream.

2020/21
Longtime head coach Joey Wright was released from the Adelaide 36ers at the end of the 2019/20 season, despite still being under contract. His departure followed accusations of abuse and bullying from players, among other off-court issues. Adelaide replaced Wright with former Perth assistant coach Conner Henry.

The 36ers began the season with Jack McVeigh, Obi Kyei, Brendan Teys, Daniel Dillon, and Alex Mudronja as contracted players.

On 12 March 2020, the 36ers announced the signing of Josh Giddey, who, one month earlier, had become the youngest Australian to debut for the Boomers since Ben Simmons. Giddey joined the team under the Next Stars program.

The fallout from the previous season continued with co-captain Kevin White being granted a release from his contract in April, while Harry Froling departed to sign with the Brisbane Bullets. Obi Kyei also requested a release to focus on his clothing line.

Adelaide quickly worked to rebuild their frontcourt, extending five-time club MVP Daniel Johnson’s contract for another three years. 2018 NBL Rookie of the Year Isaac Humphries, fresh from a stint in the NBA, was signed on a two-year deal, while 25-year-old Keanu Pinder, returning from Europe, also joined the team on a one-year contract.

On 22 July 2020, former Hawk Sunday Dech signed a three-year deal with the 36ers, and shortly after, the team announced import guard Donald Sloan as their first international signing. Veteran forward Tony Crocker was added as the second import to round out the roster.

In their season opener, Adelaide opted to start their young stars, Giddey (18 years) and Humphries (23 years), against Melbourne. However, they suffered a heavy loss (65-89). This prompted coach Henry to adjust the lineup for game two, bringing in Sloan to replace Giddey at the point and Pinder to swap roles with Humphries. The changes paid off with an eight-point win over South East Melbourne (116-108), earning Humphries NBL Player of the Week after his standout performance of 25 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks off the bench.

That game also saw a scary moment when Giddey fell on his head after a dunk, causing him to miss the next game as a precaution.

Adelaide’s third game saw Sloan return to the starting lineup, but the 36ers suffered another loss to South East Melbourne. Sloan was eventually sent back to the bench, with Giddey reclaiming the starting spot for the remainder of the season. Despite Sloan’s season-high 20 points off the bench in his next appearance, his dissatisfaction with the role led to a mutual release from his contract.

Despite some early promise with a 4-2 start, Adelaide’s momentum stalled when the NBL Cup, a bubble tournament in Melbourne, was introduced due to COVID-19. By the end of the NBL Cup, the 36ers had dropped from third to seventh place on the ladder.

Though the 36ers made roster adjustments, including signing former NBA player Brandon Paul and releasing Jeremy Kendle, the team’s playoff hopes dwindled after Humphries sustained an injury that ruled him out for the remainder of the season. Jack Purchase was signed as his injury replacement and stayed with the team for the remainder of the year.

Daniel Johnson (19.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) continued to be a reliable offensive force, earning co-MVP honors with Josh Giddey, who posted 10.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 7.6 assists and was named NBL Rookie of the Year. Despite these efforts, the 36ers finished the season in a disappointing seventh place (13-23).

Humphries averaged 13.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists over the course of the season.

2021/22
Adelaide began the season by adding Mitch McCarron (from Melbourne), Filipino NBA prospect Kai Sotto, and Cairns backup guards Tad Dufelmeier and Mojave King, the latter leaving the Taipans due to concerns about his playing time affecting his NBA aspirations. Imports Dusty Hannahs and Todd Withers were also brought in to complete the core roster. In a surprising move, Adelaide released coach Conner Henry, despite him having a year left on his contract, and replaced him with CJ Bruton, who had narrowly missed out on the Brisbane Bullets head coaching position. Bruton, just weeks before the season began, added Hyrum Harris (also from Cairns) and Cam Bairstow, a player who had received no other NBL offers after multiple injury-plagued seasons. Having worked closely with Bairstow in Brisbane, Bruton convinced the big man to join Adelaide to revive his career.

McCarron (7.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.9 steals) was named the new 36ers captain, becoming the team’s franchise player moving forward. Adelaide started winless in the first round, losing to Perth (85-73) and Illawarra (71-81), but they bounced back in round two with victories over Tasmania (83-80) and New Zealand (98-85), briefly climbing to sixth place (2-2), their highest ranking for the season.

However, the 36ers were dealt a major blow when Isaac Humphries (7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds in 17.7 minutes) suffered a knee injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the season after only six games. With Humphries out, a rejuvenated Bairstow (11.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists) delivered the best season of his NBL career before a late-season ankle injury ultimately ended his career.

As the season wound down, the 36ers faced underwhelming performances from imports Dusty Hannahs (13.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) and Todd Withers (8.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists). Despite showing signs of improvement, the team (7-17) missed the playoffs once again. Adelaide closed the season just shy of four consecutive away wins, losing a tight game to the Phoenix (91-94), and finished in seventh place for the third straight year (10-18).

Daniel Johnson (16.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) led the team in scoring, earning his second consecutive Mark Davis Award as the club’s MVP. Bright spots included Hyrum Harris (4.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists), who was named the team’s Most Improved Player, and Sunday Dech (12.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists), who became a key contributor in his second year with the 36ers.

Humphries, who only played in six games due to his knee injury, averaged 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in a season marred by both his and Bairstow’s injuries, along with a lack of consistent production from imports Hannahs and Withers, resulting in a disappointing finish for the 36ers.

MELBOURNE UNITED
2022/23
Melbourne United entered the 2022/23 season as one of the favourites to contend for the championship after finishing atop the ladder the previous season. However, an early playoff exit due to Chris Goulding’s injury left the team with something to prove. Unfortunately, United’s roster took a significant hit before the season even began, with several key players either leaving for better opportunities overseas or due to injuries.

Jo Lual-Acuil, United’s leading scorer, had intended to stay with the team but received an offer from China that was too lucrative to pass up. Meanwhile, Matthew Dellavedova and Jack White, who were both under contract, secured late NBA deals with Sacramento and Denver, respectively, just weeks before the season tipped off. With the global basketball market largely settled by then, Melbourne found themselves scrambling to replace them.

To bolster their depleted roster, United signed Isaac Humphries (from Adelaide), Xavier Rathan-Mayes (from Illawarra), and imports Rayjon Tucker and Jordan Caroline. David Barlow, who had retired, was brought back to help with the team’s lack of depth, particularly in the frontcourt.

Melbourne’s injury woes only worsened when Next Star Ariel Hukporti, expected to play a key role as starting centre, suffered a season-ending Achilles injury during the NBL Blitz. With Hukporti sidelined, Humphries, who was returning from significant knee issues, was thrust into a larger role than initially planned. The team’s lack of a true backup centre meant that forwards like Barlow, Brad Newley, and Jordan Caroline had to log minutes at centre, further complicating Melbourne’s season.

Despite the setbacks, United started the season with a promising overtime win over New Zealand (101-97), thanks to a huge performance from Rathan-Mayes (33 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists). Rathan-Mayes (14.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists) had initially been signed to lead the second unit but was forced into the starting lineup after Shea Ili (8.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists) missed large portions of the season due to concussion. Ili’s absence caused significant disruptions, with Tucker (17.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) having to play out of position at times to cover for the missing playmaker.

Melbourne struggled early on, hovering at 5-6 and drawing criticism from the media, with calls for an import change. While Tucker, who had boldly claimed he would be the best first-year import, hadn’t lived up to that declaration yet, it was Jordan Caroline (5.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 0.7 assists) who ultimately lost his spot on the roster due to underwhelming performances as an undersized centre.

Melbourne responded by signing Marcus Lee (9.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks), who brought much-needed size and defence, which sparked a turnaround for United. With the return of Ili and Tucker finding his form, Melbourne’s fortunes improved. Their lowest point came with a loss to Illawarra (93-79), a team that had only one win at the time. The following game, Melbourne bounced back with a 16-point win over Brisbane (104-88), with strong contributions from Goulding (20 points), Tucker (20 points), Lee (18 points), Ili (15 points), and Rathan-Mayes (8 points and 10 rebounds). From there, United went on an 11-3 run to close the season.

Melbourne’s late-season surge gave them a chance to sneak into the Play-In Qualifier on the final day of the regular season. Despite a strong performance from Tucker (31 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists) in a win over Adelaide (116-107), Perth’s victory over Sydney meant Melbourne missed out on the playoffs due to points percentage.

Despite their struggles, Melbourne participated in some historic moments during the season. They faced Sydney on Christmas Day in a game that drew more than 300,000 TV viewers, starting a new tradition for the league. Tucker led all scorers with 31 points, but United suffered a heavy 21-point loss (101-80). Isaac Humphries (9.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks) also made headlines by publicly coming out as gay, helping to spearhead the NBL’s inaugural pride round, which celebrated the LGBTQ+ community.

ADELAIDE 36ERS
2023/24
In 2023/24, Humphries delivered his best NBL season to date, averaging 15.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1 assists, playing a key role in the 36ers rotation, helping the team finish in a ninth place (12-16).

Isaac Humphries currently plays for the Adelaide 36ers and has played 107 games in his NBL career. He has averaged 11.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists since entering the league in 2017.

CURRENT CONTRACT:

Adelaide 36ers – 3 Year Deal (2024-27)

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 48th in blocks per game.

Dan Boyce (811 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.