NICKNAME/S: J-Chill

BIO: Josh Childress was born in Harbor City, Illinois (USA) and grew up in Compton, California where he and his brother, Chris, played basketball and did their best to stay out of trouble. The neighborhood they lived in was very tight and supportive, but they lived under constant threat of gangsters in the area.

Childress attended Mayfair High School in nearby Lakewood. Besides playing basketball in high school and being named a McDonald’s High School All-American, he also played volleyball during his senior year. He led his high school volleyball team, the Monsoons, to a undefeated record and he was voted to the All-League volleyball team. Josh has his #22 jersey retired at Mayfair.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Josh Childress made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 31 years of age. He scored 26 points in his first game.

On August 12, 2014, Josh Childress signed with the Sydney Kings for the 2014/15 NBL season. However, his season made headlines early when, on October 28, he was suspended for one game and fined $7,500 following an on-court incident where he struck Perth Wildcats’ forward Jesse Wagstaff with his elbow while driving to the basket. Despite an NBL tribunal clearing Childress of the elbowing charge, he was suspended for unduly rough play and fined an additional $3,750 for disrepute. This incident drew widespread media attention worldwide.

In January 2015, Childress’s season came to an abrupt end due to a torn pectoral muscle that required surgery. Despite the shortened season, Childress played 18 games, averaging 21.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.1 blocks, making him the only player in NBL history to lead in scoring and rebounding while also ranking top five in blocks and assists.

A man's jam, a King's slam ????

Josh Childress put the pain on Luke Schenscher with this monster dunk ???? pic.twitter.com/iL8az4XpMX

— NBL (@NBL) July 26, 2023

In 2015, he became the only player in history to lead the NBL in scoring and rebounding while also being top five in blocks and assists.

2015/16
Since rejoining the NBL in 2010, the Sydney Kings had not managed a winning record, narrowly missing out the previous season when a season-ending injury to Josh Childress derailed their campaign.

On July 2, 2015, Childress re-signed with the Kings for the 2015/16 season, and the team bolstered its lineup around him, adding promising young players like Jason Cadee, Tom Garlepp, and reigning Rookie of the Year Angus Brandt. Veterans Julian Khazzouh, Steven Markovic, and Rhys Carter were brought in, and the team added NBA draftee Marcus Thornton as the second import.

Childress missed the first four games of the season (1-3) with a foot injury but returned on October 23 to face Adelaide. Despite scoring 23 points, he fractured his right hand during the game against the 36ers (91–80 loss) and was sidelined for an additional four to six games. While recovering from his injury, Childress was also suspended for two games for verbally abusing referees in the tunnel after a loss to Adelaide on November 10, further complicating his season.

Childress returned in late November, only to suffer a fractured left hand against Cairns two games later, which sidelined him for another three weeks. He rejoined the lineup on December 29, playing out the remainder of the season, and despite the setbacks, Childress averaged 21.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.7 blocks over just 13 games. Khazzouh (13.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks) was a strong contributor before tearing his right quadriceps tendon, while Markovic managed only three games due to illness and recovery. With these absences, the Kings were forced to have assistant coach Ben Knight suit up for four games.

In early January 2016, the Kings added Craig Moller and Jordan Vandenberg to help cover the loss of Khazzouh and forward Jeromie Hill (4.1 points and 3.0 rebounds). Former NBA players Damion James (7.0 points, 7.8 rebounds) and Al Harrington (17.7 points, 6.8 rebounds) joined briefly to cover Childress, but both departed after short stints without major team success, leading to coach Damian Cotter’s mid-season departure. Washington Wizards assistant Joe Connelly was brought in, developing Cadee (14.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists), Garlepp (14.0 points, 4.2 rebounds), and Brandt (8.1 points, 5.3 rebounds), who earned a spot with the national team. Despite this, Sydney finished last (6-22).

Healthy, Childress demonstrated his dominance, but after logging only 31 games across two seasons, the Kings did not re-sign him for the following year.

ADELAIDE 36ERS
2017/18
After spending the preseason with the Denver Nuggets, Childress signed with the Adelaide 36ers on October 21, 2017, following an unsuccessful NBA contract bid.

Adelaide, having shown championship potential the previous season, retained core players Mitch Creek, Nathan Sobey, Daniel Johnson, Matthew Hodgson, Brendan Teys, Majok Deng, Anthony Drmic, and Adam Doyle. The 36ers’ significant change was the departure of star import Jerome Randle, who left after asking for an unattainable $300k contract, heading to Turkey instead. The 36ers replaced him with experienced guard Shannon Shorter and added imports Ramone Moore (via Melbourne) and Ronald Roberts, finalizing their roster.

In the pre-season, the 36ers won the 2017 Merlion Cup in Singapore, defeating the Shanghai Sharks in the final. However, import issues began early, with Roberts released just before the season opener, citing a ‘knee injury,’ which Roberts later denied. Veteran forward Alan Wiggins replaced Roberts but broke his arm in his debut. The 36ers then signed Josh Childress to bolster their lineup.

Despite early roster turmoil, Adelaide had a competitive start, splitting their first 16 games. Randle, back from Turkey after payment issues, expressed interest in rejoining Adelaide, but with their roster full, he signed with Sydney instead. Injuries soon plagued the 36ers, with Creek and Drmic sidelined in December, further impacting the team’s consistency.

A heavy 19-point home loss to Cairns on Christmas Eve marked a turning point for the 36ers, who then surged to win 10 of their last 12 games, including a seven-game winning streak, securing the second seed at season’s end. Childress, delivering consistent performances, averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists.

Adelaide quickly dispatched third-seed Perth in the semifinals, claiming game one in a historic 109–74 win and then sealing the series with an 89–88 win in game two, led by Childress (25 points, 10 rebounds).

In the Grand Final, Adelaide faced Melbourne United, with Casper Ware leading United to a game one victory (107-96) before leaving with an injury. Childress and company bounced back in game two, with Adelaide leveling the series (110-95) behind Deng’s 18 points. The win came at a cost, as Childress sustained a shoulder injury, sidelining him for the remainder of the series.

Game three saw a tense atmosphere, with Adelaide’s Sobey ejected after a halftime clash with United’s Prather, culminating in a narrow loss (101-98). Wright, fined post-game for comments on officiating, saw the 36ers rally again in game four, winning 90-81 with Johnson (29 points, 10 rebounds) starring.

The decisive game five saw Melbourne’s Goulding, Ware, and Prather (19 points, 11 rebounds, 5 steals) lead United to victory (100-82), securing their first title since rebranding from the Tigers. Goulding was named Finals MVP, averaging 16.6 points and 3.6 rebounds, while Prather became the first NBL player to win three consecutive championships with two different teams.

Josh Childress played three seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Sydney Kings and the Adelaide 36ers. He averaged 16.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 57 NBL games.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Dan Boyce (827 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.