BIO: Vic Law was born in South Holland, Illinois (USA) and developed his game in nearby Chicago, attending St. Rita of Cascia High School. As a sophomore, he earned Catholic League All-Conference honors, and by his junior season, he was averaging 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, landing a spot on the All-State third team. A standout two-way forward, Law emerged as one of the top high school prospects in the country. As a senior, he was ranked 66th nationally by ESPN, 70th by Scout.com, 86th by Rivals.com, and 89th by 247Sports.com. With interest from programs across the country, Law received scholarship offers from schools including Bradley, Creighton, Colorado, Harvard, Providence, and Northwestern—ultimately committing to Northwestern on July 4, 2013, before officially signing in November of that year.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Vic Law made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 25 years of age. He scored 17 points in his first game.

After finishing fifth with a 15-13 record and missing the playoffs the previous season, Brisbane reshaped its roster under coach Andrej Lemanis. Lamar Patterson (to New Zealand), Cam Gliddon (to South East Melbourne), Reuben Te Rangi (to South East Melbourne), Will Magnay (to New Orleans), Mika Vukona (to Southern Districts), Taylor Braun (to Israel) and EJ Singler (to NZNBL) departed, while Anthony Drmic and Harry Froling (both via Adelaide), Tanner Krebs (via St Mary’s), Tamuri Wigness, Orlando Johnson (via Russia) and Vic Law (via Orlando) were added.

Law was signed as Brisbane’s second and final import in December after Magnay’s move to the NBA opened a roster spot. He arrived after spending the previous season with the Orlando Magic and its G League affiliate Lakeland, where he earned All-NBA G League Third Team honours. “The opportunity from Brisbane came along and it seemed like an opportunity we couldn’t pass up,” Law said.

Law made his NBL debut at Nissan Arena on January 16, finishing with 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 block as Brisbane lost its season opener 90-84 to Illawarra, with Sobey (19 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal) and Drmic (14 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal) providing support, while Sam Froling (19 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block) led the Hawks.

Law (18.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks across 16 games) immediately became Brisbane’s second scoring option alongside Sobey and shot 46.6 per cent from the field during his first NBL season.

Law’s best game came against Cairns at Nissan Arena on January 30, where he finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks before scoring the match-winning lay-up with 0.2 seconds remaining in overtime. Sobey (30 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) and Cadee (11 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists) helped Brisbane overcome a 15-point deficit, while Scott Machado (23 points, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists) led Cairns as the Bullets won 105-103 and improved to 2-2. “I was just waiting for that moment. I think every kid wants that shot and I was just happy I was able to make it,” Law said.

Law delivered another strong performance during the NBL Cup against Illawarra on February 26, finishing with 29 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks as Brisbane defeated the Hawks 97-91. Sobey (18 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) and Hodgson (12 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists) helped Brisbane hold on after Illawarra rallied late, while Justinian Jessup (26 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block) led the Hawks.

Brisbane then defeated defending champion Perth 95-92 on March 5, with Law (23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) and Sobey (31 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) combining for 54 points. Orlando Johnson (13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block) also contributed, while Bryce Cotton (29 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Perth.

Two days later Law produced his best rebounding game of the season against top-of-the-table Melbourne, finishing with 10 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. Hodgson (24 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 block) and Cadee (19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals) led Brisbane offensively, while Chris Goulding (21 points) was Melbourne’s leading scorer as the Bullets won 96-88 and improved to 7-6.

Brisbane made an import change in mid-March, releasing Orlando Johnson (6.9 points and 4.1 rebounds across 15 games) and bringing Patterson back from New Zealand. Patterson (14.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.5 steals across 17 games) returned (via New Zealand) while still recovering from the knee injury he had suffered with the Breakers and was not yet available when Law played his final game.

Illness swept through Brisbane ahead of its March 20 game against New Zealand, with Law and Sobey returning negative COVID tests before taking the floor. Law (7 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals) struggled offensively and briefly limped from the court to be assessed after missing a dunk before returning to the game. Froling (20 points and 4 rebounds) and Hodgson (16 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks) led Brisbane, while Tai Webster (19 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists) was New Zealand’s best as the Bullets won 88-67 and improved to 9-7.

It proved to be Law’s final appearance of the season. He missed Brisbane’s following games with an ankle injury, with further testing revealing the injury was more serious than first thought. After consultation with specialists, Brisbane confirmed on April 8 that Law had torn a tendon in his ankle and required surgery, ruling him out for the remainder of NBL21. Law ultimately missed Brisbane’s final 20 games. “Vic is a fantastic person who has added his own brand of joy and skill into this team which has significantly shaped our identity,” Lemanis said.

Law’s absence had an immediate impact on Brisbane, with the Bullets losing six of their first seven games without him to fall from 9-7 to 10-13. Patterson finally made his Brisbane return on April 7, while BJ Johnson (10 points and 3.7 rebounds across 11 games) was later signed (via Long Island) as another import option for the playoff push. Mandatory quarantine delayed Johnson’s debut until May, but Brisbane recovered to win eight of its final 13 games.

Brisbane’s lowest point without Law came against South East Melbourne on May 22, where the Bullets were held to a season-low 66 points. Drmic (20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals) and Patterson (11 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals) were Brisbane’s only double-figure scorers, while Yannick Wetzell (18 points and 9 rebounds) led the Phoenix to a 95-66 win.

Sobey (21.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists) carried much of the scoring load following Law’s injury, while Drmic (10.1 points and 3.1 rebounds), Hodgson (10.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks), Cadee (9.5 points and 4 assists), Froling (8 points and 4.9 rebounds) and Harrison (5.2 points and 5.9 rebounds) formed the remainder of Brisbane’s main rotation. Despite finishing third in offensive rebounding and second in defensive rebounds, Brisbane conceded a league-high 90.9 points per game while scoring 89 per game.

Sobey earned All-NBL First Team honours and won Brisbane’s Leroy Loggins MVP and Members MVP awards, while Cadee was named Players Player, Hodgson Defensive Player of the Year and Wigness (2.9 points across 27 games) Young Player of the Year. Lemanis also announced in May that he would leave Brisbane at the end of the season after five years as head coach.

With Law still sidelined, Brisbane closed the season against South East Melbourne at Nissan Arena on June 8, where Patterson (19 points and 3 assists) and Sobey (16 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists) led the Bullets, while Mitchell Creek (17 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists) was the Phoenix’s best as Brisbane won 94-84 and finished sixth with an 18-18 record.

PERTH WILDCATS
2021/22
After finishing second with a 25-11 record and being swept by Melbourne in the Grand Final, Perth underwent major changes with five-time championship coach Trevor Gleeson (to Toronto) leaving for the NBA. John Mooney (to Chiba), Will Magnay (to Tasmania), Clint Steindl (to Tasmania), Jarrad Weeks (to Tasmania), Jarred Bairstow (to Tasmania) and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (to Illawarra) also departed.

Scott Morrison replaced Gleeson as coach, with Perth adding Vic Law (via Brisbane), Michael Frazier II (via Delaware), Matthew Hodgson (via Brisbane) and Jack Purchase (via Adelaide), while Majok Majok returned after missing the previous season with an Achilles injury.

Law joined Perth after his previous season with Brisbane ended with an ankle injury which kept him sidelined for five months, returning to play with the Los Angeles Lakers during the NBA Summer League before signing with the Wildcats. “The main thing you want is accountability. My teammates, my coaches, the fan base, they can count on me day in, day out,” Law said.

Perth opened the season against Adelaide at RAC Arena on December 3, where Law (37 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block) produced the highest-scoring debut in Wildcats history as Perth defeated the 36ers 85-73. Cotton (16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) and Travers (15 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals) provided support, while Daniel Johnson (22 points and 6 rebounds) led Adelaide.

Law (20.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks across 26 games) formed one of the league’s highest-scoring combinations alongside Cotton (22.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.5 steals across 28 games), with the pair becoming the first Wildcats teammates since James Crawford and Scott Fisher in 1993 to both average more than 20 points. Perth led the NBL in scoring at 89.1 points per game, with Law also among the league’s leading rebounders and shot blockers.

During Perth’s 83-70 win over Brisbane on December 17, Law (9 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Bullets forward Deng Deng became involved in a heated exchange, with both players receiving technical fouls after Law leant into Deng before Deng fell to the floor. Cotton (29 points and 2 steals) and Wagstaff (19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) led Perth, while Robert Franks (28 points and 9 rebounds) was Brisbane’s best. Law was later charged with head-butting and accepted an early guilty plea which reduced a one-game suspension to a $1,000 fine.

Plenty happening in The Jungle 😅
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– Watch #NBL22 live on @ESPNAusNZ + @kayosports 📺 pic.twitter.com/aURlMOjRfb— The NBL (@NBL) December 17, 2021

Perth played its first five games at home before Western Australia’s border restrictions forced the Wildcats into 14 consecutive games on the road. Despite spending almost three months away from Perth, the Wildcats remained near the top of the ladder and finished the road stretch with three consecutive wins against Melbourne, Brisbane and New Zealand.

Law’s best game came against New Zealand in Hobart on March 14, where he made 17 of 23 shots and finished with 39 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks, including a fadeaway in the closing seconds which forced overtime. Cotton (32 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals) then made a three-pointer while being fouled with 1.4 seconds remaining to give Perth a 104-102 win, while Wagstaff (11 points and 4 rebounds) provided support and Hugo Besson (23 points) led New Zealand. Law’s 39 points remained the highest individual score by an NBL player during the season as Perth collected its fifth consecutive win.

Perth returned to Western Australia sitting second with a 13-6 record and nine games remaining, but won only three games during the run home. During that stretch, the Wildcats attempted to replace Frazier II (7.8 points and 4.6 rebounds across 19 games) with John Brown III (via UNICS Kazan), who had left Russia amid humanitarian concerns. Brown arrived in Perth and trained with the Wildcats, but complications involving his former club and the FIBA clearance process prevented him from being registered before the deadline, forcing Perth to return Frazier II to the active roster as Brown returned to the United States.

Earlier today, @PerthWildcats head coach Scott Morrison addressed the awkward nature of how things have played out with Michael Frazier II and John Brown III.#NBL22 pic.twitter.com/scxWbnKfDQ— NBL (@NBL) April 6, 2022

Blanchfield (10.4 points and 4.4 rebounds across 23 games), Norton (9.6 points and 3.8 assists across 18 games), Travers (7.8 points and 5.4 rebounds across 27 games), Hodgson (6.9 points and 4.7 rebounds across 18 games), Wagstaff (6.2 points across 28 games) and Majok (5.3 points and 5.2 rebounds across 28 games) provided Perth’s main support, despite Blanchfield, Norton, Hodgson and Frazier II all missing games through injury. Law and Cotton were both selected to the All-NBL First Team, while Law finished second to Cotton in voting for Perth’s Gordon Ellis Medal. Cotton also won the Players’ Player and Members MVP awards, Norton was named Best Defensive Player and Travers was named Most Improved Player.

Law’s season ended against Cairns at RAC Arena on April 16, where Law (17 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 block) helped Perth to a 106-87 win before suffering a right ankle syndesmosis injury during the third quarter. Cotton (22 points, 10 assists, and 2 steals) and Frazier II (19 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal) led Perth, while Keanu Pinder (24 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals) was Cairns’ best. Law was ruled out for up to 12 weeks, ending his season and causing him to miss Perth’s final two games against Illawarra and South East Melbourne.

With Law sidelined, Perth entered its final game against South East Melbourne at RAC Arena needing a win to reach the playoffs. The Wildcats built an eight-point lead before the Phoenix fought back and forced overtime, with Cotton (28 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists) and Frazier II (22 points and 6 rebounds) leading Perth, while Xavier Munford (24 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 steals) led South East Melbourne. The Phoenix won 102-100 in overtime, leaving Perth fifth with a 16-12 record and ending its run of 35 consecutive finals appearances.

Vic Law played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Brisbane Bullets and the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 19.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2 assists in 42 NBL games.