NICKNAME/S: Aliir Jet

BIO: Akech Aliir was born in Kenya to a family of South Sudanese heritage and grew up in Canberra (ACT) after moving to Australia.

Aliir grew up in a large extended family and played basketball with his siblings and cousins, including older half-brother Aliir Aliir, who later played AFL football for the Sydney Swans and Port Adelaide.

Aliir developed his basketball career in Canberra before moving to South Australia, where he was invited to trial with the Adelaide 36ers and subsequently signed as a development player for the 2023/24 NBL season.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Akech Aliir made his NBL debut with the Melbourne United at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

After spending a season with the Adelaide 36ers but failing to get any court time, Aliir signed as a Development Player with Melbourne United on 5 July 2024 for the NBL25 season.

“I’m really looking to take that next step and make an impact for a club where I can have an opportunity to play, and Melbourne is the place where I think I can do that.” said Aliier upon signing with the club.

“Every kid dreams of playing in big games in front of huge crowds, and this year it’s really special to know I can have that opportunity with United. It’s going to take a lot of hard work but I’m ready to do that to make my dreams come true.” Said Aliir at the time of his signing.

He joined a United squad that had seen the exits of Brad Newley (retired), Luke Travers (to Cleveland), Ariel Hukporti (to New York), Jo Lual-Acuil Jr (to Liaoning), Zac Triplett (to Illawarra) and Malith Machar (to Sandringham). Chris Goulding, Matthew Dellavedova, Shea Ili, Ian Clark, Jack White, Flynn Cameron, Tanner Krebs, Kyle Bowen and Rob Loe returned, while coach Dean Vickerman added Marcus Lee (via Tasmania) and development players Akech Aliir (via Adelaide), Campbell Blogg, Tom Koppens and Joel Foxwell.

On 5 September 2024, United elevated Aliir to its 11-man main roster ahead of the NBL25 regular season and opened the regular season at HoopsFest with an 88-79 win over defending champion Tasmania, although Aliir did not take the court.

Aliir (2.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.5 assists across 17 games) joined United after spending the previous season as a development player with Adelaide without appearing in an NBL game. His speed, outside shooting and ability to defend multiple positions earned him a two-year agreement, with a club option to elevate him to the main roster for the second season.

He made his United debut during the road loss to Tasmania on 28 September, collecting 1 rebound and blocking 1 shot in three minutes. His role remained limited behind Melbourne’s experienced frontcourt, but he continued to receive opportunities late in games while developing through training against White, Loe, Lee and Bowen.

Aliir produced 2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block in Melbourne’s 106-63 win over Cairns on 27 October, helping the bench maintain United’s pressure as the club recorded the second-largest victory in its history.

His first significant scoring contribution came against New Zealand on 5 December, where Aliir (9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) made three three-pointers in 18 minutes as Melbourne defeated the Breakers 97-70. Loe (25 points), White (16 points and 10 rebounds), Dellavedova (10 points and 7 assists) and Ili (10 points and 6 assists) also contributed as United held New Zealand to seven points during the third quarter.

Aliir delivered his best game of the season against Illawarra on 13 December, scoring 10 points with 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal in 13 minutes. He made all four of his field-goal attempts, including two three-pointers, during Melbourne’s 106-91 loss to the Hawks.

He followed with 4 points and 1 assist against South East Melbourne before adding 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 block in Melbourne’s 91-89 win over New Zealand on 13 January.

Aliir received another extended opportunity in the final regular-season game against South East Melbourne, finishing with 5 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist in eight minutes. He connected from outside during the opening quarter as Melbourne defeated the Phoenix 103-93 to complete four consecutive wins, finish second with a 19-10 record and secure direct entry into the semifinals.

Goulding (18.4 points) led Melbourne offensively, with White (13.8 points and 9.4 rebounds), Clark (12.7 points), Ili (11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals), Dellavedova (10.9 points and 7.1 assists) and Loe (10.0 points and 5.7 rebounds) forming the primary group. Goulding was selected to the All-NBL Second Team and received Melbourne’s club MVP award, while Ili won the Damian Martin Trophy as Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Melbourne opened its semifinal series against Perth at John Cain Arena with a 105-93 win behind Goulding (41 points), Clark (22 points), White (13 points and 10 rebounds) and Lee (10 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks), while Keanu Pinder (24 points and 11 rebounds), Bryce Cotton (22 points and 6 assists) and Kristian Doolittle (22 points and 9 rebounds) led Perth. Aliir did not take the court.

Game two moved to Perth, where the Wildcats recovered from a 20-point deficit to win 96-89. Dylan Windler (27 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks), Cotton (18 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Doolittle (17 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists) powered Perth, while Goulding (15 points), Dellavedova (13 points, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists), White (13 points and 6 rebounds) and Clark (13 points) led Melbourne.

The deciding third game returned to Melbourne and required overtime, with Clark (38 points), Goulding (30 points), White (15 points and 9 rebounds) and Dellavedova (10 points and 11 assists) leading United to a 113-112 victory. Doolittle (37 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists), Cotton (33 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) and Pinder (15 points and 5 rebounds) led Perth as Melbourne advanced to a second consecutive Championship Series.

The Championship Series opened in Wollongong, where Melbourne recovered from a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat Illawarra 96-88. Dellavedova (18 points and 7 rebounds), Goulding (15 points and 4 assists), Lee (14 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 blocks), Clark (13 points and 4 assists) and Ili (13 points and 4 assists) led United, while Sam Froling (16 points and 7 rebounds), Will Hickey (14 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals), Todd Blanchfield (13 points) and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (11 points and 2 steals) were best for Illawarra.

Game two moved to Melbourne, where Illawarra tied the series with a 102-100 win. Clark (31 points) scored 16 during the fourth quarter, but Tyler Harvey (24 points) answered with the game-winning three-pointer. Froling (23 points and 5 rebounds), Trey Kell III (18 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals) and Swaka Lo Buluk (12 points) led the Hawks, while Goulding (17 points and 4 assists), Dellavedova (14 points and 5 assists) and Tanner Krebs (12 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists) supported Clark.

Game three returned to Wollongong, where Melbourne erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit with a 20-4 run to win 83-77. White (20 points and 5 rebounds), Clark (16 points and 7 rebounds), Dellavedova (16 points and 11 assists) and Goulding (14 points and 3 steals) led United, while Hickey (12 points), Darius Days (11 points), Kell III (10 points and 8 rebounds) and Swaka Lo Buluk (10 points) led Illawarra.

Illawarra kept the series alive in game four with an 80-71 win at John Cain Arena. Hickey (22 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals), Lachlan Olbrich (13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Harvey (12 points and 4 rebounds) led the Hawks, while Dellavedova (17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists), Goulding (17 points and 5 rebounds) and Clark (16 points and 2 steals) were Melbourne’s best. Aliir entered for the final 21 seconds and collected 1 rebound.

The final game returned to Wollongong, where Illawarra defeated Melbourne 114-104 to win the championship. Kell III (26 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists), Hickey (21 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists), Harvey (16 points and 7 rebounds) and Swaka Lo Buluk (16 points) led the Hawks, while Goulding (21 points, 3 assists, and 2 blocks), Ili (20 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals), White (17 points and 7 rebounds) and Clark (15 points and 4 rebounds) led Melbourne, with Aliir playing the final 29 seconds.

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX
2025/26
After Josh King transformed a 0-5 start into a 16-13 record, fourth place and a semifinal appearance in 2024/25, South East Melbourne entered his first full season as head coach without Matt Hurt (to Trapani), Derrick Walton Jr. (to Holon), Joe Wieskamp (to Jena), Ben Ayre (to Tasmania), Luke Fennell (to Syracuse) and Matt Kenyon (to Adelaide). Nathan Sobey, Jordan Hunter, Angus Glover, Owen Foxwell and Malique Lewis returned, while King added Akech Aliir (via Melbourne), Daniel Foster (via Nevada), DJ Mitchell (via Manchester), Gorjok Gak (via Tasmania), Hunter Maldonado (via Ludwigsburg) and John Brown III (via Belgrade).

Aliir signed a one-year deal with South East Melbourne after being elevated from development player to Melbourne United’s main roster the previous season. The 204-centimetre forward had also produced another strong NBL1 South campaign with Mount Gambier before joining the Phoenix, although personal reasons kept him away from the team during the latter stages of the preseason and the beginning of the regular season.

Aliir (4.3 points and 2.5 rebounds across 29 games) provided energy, athleticism and defensive versatility from the bench, increasing his playing time from 5.2 minutes per game with Melbourne to 11.2 minutes during his first season with South East Melbourne.

Aliir’s best game came against Tasmania at John Cain Arena on February 14, where Aliir (11 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) produced season highs in points and assists as South East Melbourne defeated the JackJumpers 120-104. Glover (21 points) and Sobey (19 points and 9 assists) led the Phoenix, while Deng (36 points and 9 rebounds) was Tasmania’s best as South East Melbourne improved to 22-10 and remained in contention for a top-two finish.

Wes Iwundu (11.6 points and 3.3 rebounds) (via Patras) joined after the season began and moved into the starting lineup. Gak (2.9 points) (to Sichuan) and Maldonado (11.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.4 steals) (to Brisbane) departed during December, while Ian Clark (13.7 points) (via Santurce) was added to strengthen the team’s bench scoring.

Sobey (22.5 points, 4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.7 steals) led South East Melbourne in scoring and assists, while Hunter (11.6 points and 5.9 rebounds), Brown (10.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.1 steals), Foxwell (10.7 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.3 steals), Glover (10.4 points) and Lewis (6.9 points and 4.3 rebounds) formed the main rotation around him. Sobey and Brown were selected to the All-NBL First Team, Brown won the Damian Martin Trophy as Defensive Player of the Year and Glover became the first Phoenix player to receive the NBL Best Sixth Man award.

South East Melbourne finished the regular season third with a club-record 22-11 record before opening the postseason against Perth at John Cain Arena, where Aliir (6 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists), Sobey (24 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals) and Foxwell (18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals) helped the Phoenix defeat the Wildcats 111-94, while Doolittle (22 points and 6 rebounds) and Windler (13 points, 7 assists, and 2 blocks) led Perth.

Game one of the semifinals was played at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, where Aliir (6 points and 1 block) provided six minutes from the bench and was caught by a hard unsportsmanlike foul from Rakocevic as Adelaide defeated South East Melbourne 104-97. Sobey (23 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals), Hunter (14 points and 4 rebounds) and Glover (14 points and 4 rebounds) led the Phoenix, while Cotton (42 points and 5 assists), Vasiljevic (17 points) and Rakocevic (14 points and 10 rebounds) were best for Adelaide.

Game two moved to John Cain Arena, where Aliir (1 assist and 1 steal) played 5:56 as South East Melbourne recovered from an 18-point deficit to win 101-92 and force a deciding game. Sobey (41 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists), Brown (12 points and 7 rebounds) and Glover (10 points and 3 rebounds) led the Phoenix, while Cotton (29 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists), Rakocevic (18 points and 10 rebounds) and Vasiljevic (14 points) led Adelaide.

Game three returned to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, where Aliir (1 assist) played 1:14 as Clark (32 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals), Sobey (17 points and 8 assists) and Brown (9 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals) led South East Melbourne, while Cotton (38 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists), Vasiljevic (27 points and 4 assists) and Rakocevic (14 points and 12 rebounds) carried Adelaide to a 108-96 win.

Watch Akech Aliir’s NBL26 highlights on YouTube

2026/27
After making the semifinals in NBL26, South East Melbourne re-signed Aliir on a two-year deal in May 2026, keeping him with the Phoenix through the 2027/28 season. Coach Josh King retained Nathan Sobey, Jordan Hunter, Angus Glover and Owen Foxwell, among others, as the club prepared for another season.

In the club’s May 2026 re-signing announcement, Phoenix General Manager of Basketball Operations Simon Mitchell praised Aliir’s ability to play either frontcourt position, his length and athleticism, and his contribution as a supportive teammate who remained prepared throughout NBL26. Mitchell viewed the new contract as an opportunity for Aliir to keep developing with another preseason in South East Melbourne’s system.

In an early road game against Perth in October 2026, Aliir scored 13 points and collected 4 rebounds, but the Wildcats prevailed. The Phoenix also defeated Illawarra 113–96 on October 4 before losing the October 10 Throwdown against Melbourne United 104–99.

Akech Aliir currently plays for the South East Melbourne Phoenix and has played 58 games in his NBL career. He has averaged 3.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists since entering the league in 2024.

CURRENT CONTRACT:

South East Melbourne Phoenix – 2 Year Deal (2026-28)

HIGHLIGHTS: