Former NBA players signed on for NBL24

The NBL is quickly establishing itself as the second-best basketball league in the world, and with that reputation has come an influx of players either coming from the NBA or looking to make their way back to the planet's premier basketball competition.

Whether it was Jarrell Brantley returning to the Utah Jazz, Matthew Dellavedova heading to the Sacramento Kings, the drafting of Next Stars like Ousmane Dieng and Rayan Rupert, or rostered players like Luke Travers, the NBLxNBA talent pathway has turned into a genuine two-way street.

There will be more games of NBA experience present in NBL24 than any season before, with all ten teams possessing at least one player who has graced the NBA.

NBL Media has run through them all so you know who to keep your eye on for the upcoming season.

*Teams listed in order of total NBA games played by their rostered players.

Total: 902 games
Matthew Dellavedova – 531 games (Cleveland, Milwaukee, Sacramento)
Ian Clark – 371 games (Utah, Denver, Golden State, New Orleans)

Melbourne will enter the NBL24 season as one of the hot favourites for the title, and a key part of that will be the presence of NBA champion pair Matthew Dellavedova and Ian Clark.

Dellavedova has forged his career off a grit-and-grind mentality, and has become one of the most capped Australian players in the history of the NBA since, initially signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2013.

While he's played over 500 games in the NBA, his most iconic moment came in the 2016 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, for the stand-up defensive job he completed against star guard and then-MVP Steph Curry.

Following over 250 games for Cleveland, Dellavedova moved to Milwaukee for two-and-a-half seasons, but returned to Cleveland mid-way through the 2018-19 season.

Following one season with Melbourne United in NBL22 in which he earned All-NBL Second Team honours, he returned to the NBA with the Sacramento Kings and added another 32 appearances. He then headed back to the NBL for a second time.

Like Dellavedova, Clark has some serious championship pedigree. In fact, he was a member of the Golden State side that fell to his now teammate’s Cavaliers in the 2016 Finals, before they earned their revenge the following season.

Clark arrived at Golden State following 46 appearances over two season with Utah and seven games with Denver in the 2014-15 campaign.

He departed the club following the 2017 title triumph and spent two seasons with New Orleans, prior to arriving in the NBL with Sydney in NBL22.

Matthew Dellavedova and Ian Clark face off in 2016.

Total: 576 games
Aron Baynes – 576 games (San Antonio, Detroit, Boston, Phoenix, Toronto)

No player in NBL24 boasts as much NBA experience as 2014 NBA champion and Olympic bronze medal winner Aron Baynes.

Despite a near-decade long stint in the Association, Baynes was forced the make his way there the hard way. He went undrafted out of college, before playing the European circuit for four seasons.

Titles in basketball hotbeds Slovenia and Lithuania convinced the Spurs to sign him at the back end of the 2012-13 season, and after a handful of stints with G-League affiliate Austin, he forced his way into Gregg Popovich's rotation.

He started five total games from 57 appearances in the Spurs’ title-winning season as he largely backed up five-time champion and two-time MVP Tim Duncan.

Baynes left the Spurs following 161 appearances to sign with the Pistons as a free agent. He spent two years in Detroit, before heading to Boston where he established himself as an NBA starter – he started 67 of 81 games in the 2017-18 season.

Solitary seasons with Phoenix and Toronto saw Baynes enter the Boomers’ Tokyo Olympic campaign as Australia’s starting centre, but a severe back injury kept him off the court for over 12 months before he returned to Australia as a marquee signing for the Bullets.

Aron Baynes playing for Toronto in 2021.

Total: 365 games
Jaylen Adams – 44 games (Atlanta, Milwaukee, Portland)
Jonah Bolden – 61 games (Philadelphia, Phoenix)
Denzel Valentine – 260 games (Chicago, Cleveland, Utah)

While Aron Baynes may boast the most individual NBA experience, and Melbourne boast the most as a team, it’s easy to suggest the Sydney Kings have the most impressive contingent of former NBA players of any team in the NBL.

Former NBL MVP Jaylen Adams pieced together 44 NBA games with Atlanta, Milwaukee and Portland, before embarking on a globe-trotting career that has since taken him to the Harbour City, Serbia and China.

Interestingly, his only career appearances for Portland came during the 2020 playoffs, as part of the Covid bubble.

Bolden was one of the top flag-flyers for Australians in the NBA for a time, when he was a key member of a title-chasing Philadelphia side.

He played strong backup minutes behind future MVP Joel Embiid in 2019, before adding three games with Phoenix to his resume, prior to his initial retirement from the game aged just 25.

Denzel Valentine is the highest NBA Draft pick to be playing in NBL24, following his selection with the 14th pick in 2016.

Valentine spent four seasons with the team that drafted him – Chicago – with his top season coming in his sophomore campaign.

He started 37 of a career-total 45 games in that season alone and set career-highs in points, rebounds, assists and three-point percentage.

Following his departure from the Bulls Valentine signed with Cleveland in 2021-22, and was later traded to the Utah Jazz.

(L-R) Jonah Bolden at Philadelphia, Jaylen Adams with the Hawks and Denzel Valentine with Chicago.

Total: 220 games
Justin Robinson – 43 games (Washington, Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, Sacramento, Detroit)
Gary Clark – 177 games (Houston, Orlando, Denver, Philadelphia, New Orleans)

Illawarra reportedly pipped a number of NBL rivals to the post in signing forward Gary Clark, and the first year import has arrived in the NBL boasting a pedigree that few new players to the competition can match.

After going undrafted in 2018, Clark signed a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets, and such was his impression on the organisation that they converted his contract to a full deal before the mid-way point of the season, and he went on to play 53 games (two starts) including two in the playoffs in his debut season.

Clark was waived by the Rockets during his sophomore season and picked up by Orlando on a ten-day contract that was later converted to a full contract for the rest of the season.

He left the Magic and played two games with each of Denver and Philadelphia, before playing 38 games with New Orleans, prior to a stint with Mexican side Capitanes de Ciudad de Mexico.

Like Clark, Justin Robinson went undrafted, before signing a contract in the weeks following the draft itself – in his case, a three-year deal with Washington.

Robinson bounced around the NBA over the course of three seasons. Nine games in his debut season with Washington was followed by nine games in his sophomore season with Oklahoma City.

He then played for Milwaukee, Sacramento and Detroit in the 2021-22 season, prior to signing with Illawarra.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gary Clark with a CLUTCH block to seal the win for the <a href="https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PelicansNBA</a> ! <a href="https://t.co/oo21Ar5x7g">pic.twitter.com/oo21Ar5x7g</a></p>&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1479295737062211586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Total: 137 games
Alan Williams – 67 games (Phoenix, Brooklyn)
Tyler Cook - 65 games (Cleveland, Denver, Brooklyn, Detroit, Chicago)
Mitch Creek – 5 games (Brooklyn, Minnesota)

Two of South East Melbourne’s NBA representatives actually crossed paths while members of the Brooklyn and Long Island Nets in 2019.

Alan Williams had already played for three seasons and over 50 games with his hometown Phoenix Suns prior to arriving in Brooklyn in 2018, while Creek’s first NBA experience came with the Nets.

Williams’ first 10-day contract with Phoenix was signed in 2016, and the day after his NBA debut with the Suns, he signed a multi-year deal with the franchise.

Following his waiving by the Suns, he signed a two-way contract with Brooklyn and played five times for the Nets.

Creek signed a G-League contract with the Long Island Nets in 2018, following a successful Summer League with Dallas, but was forced to wait until January for his chance on the NBA floor, when he signed a 10-day contract with Brooklyn.

He signed a second 10-day contract with the Nets in early February, before inking a third 10-day contract of the season with Minnesota at the end of March. His contract became guaranteed for the rest of the season in April, and he made one appearance for the Timberwolves in his tenure.

With Williams recently sidelined, nominated replacement player Tyler Cook brings more valuable experience to the Phoenix squad.

Cook boasts experience across five different NBA teams - Cleveland, Denver, Brooklyn, Detroit and Chicago, with a total of 65 appearances since 2019. 

Mitch Creek with Brooklyn and Alan Williams with Phoenix.

Total: 29 games
Isaac Humphries – 5 games (Atlanta)
Jamaal Franklin – 24 games (Memphis, Denver)
Jacob Wiley - 5 games (Brooklyn)

The departure of back-to-back NBL Defensive Player of the Year Antonius Cleveland has robbed Adelaide of over half of its NBA experience, however both Isaac Humphries and new import Jamaal Franklin have spent some time playing in the Association.

Former NBL Rookie of the Year Humphries signed a training camp with Atlanta and eventual G-League deal with the Erie BayHawks in the 2018-19 season, and through his 46 appearances in the G-League, he earned a call-up to the Hawks at the back end of the 2019 season.

Of those five games he registered a solitary start against Brook Lopez, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, where he registered six points and four boards.

Incoming guard Jamaal Franklin was selected with the 41st pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by Memphis and went on to play 21 times for the Grizzlies in his debut season, as he split time between time Memphis and their G-League affiliate Fort Wayne.

He was waived by Memphis following the 2014 NBA Summer League, before playing three games in a three-month stint with Denver in 2015.

Returning 36er Jacob Wiley earned a two-way contract with the Nets after impressing the organisation during the 2017 NBA Summer League, and earned his first call-up to Brooklyn for a game against Denver in October 2017.

He was waived in January 2018, after making five appearances for Brooklyn and 16 for Long Island in the NBA G-League.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here are Isaac Humphries’ first points in the NBA. <a href="https://t.co/CdolaRyLyQ">pic.twitter.com/CdolaRyLyQ</a></p>&mdash; Olgun Uluc (@OlgunUluc) <a href="https://twitter.com/OlgunUluc/status/1113246622517854209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Total: 23 games
Bryce Cotton – 23 games (Utah, Phoenix, Memphis)

With just how incredible Bryce Cotton has been in his tenure with the Perth Wildcats, it seems almost criminal he played just 23 times in the NBA prior to arriving in the NBL.

The six-time NBL scoring champion spent time with San Antonio and starred in the NBA G-League – then known as the D-League  - with the Spurs and was named to the All-Second Team and All-Rookie First Team.

Following an initial ten-day contract with Utah in 2014-15, Cotton’s performances saw him earn a second ten-day contract and then a multi-year deal. He scored in double-figures in each of the Jazz’s final four games that season, including a career-high 21 points against Dallas.

Cotton was waived by the Jazz prior to the 2015-16 season and went on to continue playing for the Spurs in the G-League, before playing three games for Phoenix.

A stint in China and five further games with Memphis preceded Cotton’s tenure with the Wildcats, where he has established himself as one of the greatest players in the history of the NBL.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Who remembers this vicious dunk??? ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnThisDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OnThisDay</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/iFit?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@iFit</a> <a href="https://t.co/vDGDT18CkH">pic.twitter.com/vDGDT18CkH</a></p>&mdash; Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) <a href="https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/1514319931176751108?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Total: 11 games
Milton Doyle – 10 games (Brooklyn)
Will Magnay – 1 game (New Orleans)

Milton Doyle had pulled together a strong career in Europe prior to being signed by Tasmania ahead of NBL23, but before that he made the grade in the Association with the Brooklyn Nets.

After going undrafted in 2017, Doyle was signed and waived by Brooklyn, and then spent time with G-League affiliate Long Island.

He was upgraded to a two-way contract in December and made his NBA debut on Boxing Day of 2017, and went on to play 10 games for the side.

Will Magnay made his way to New Orleans off the back of his NBL Most Improved Player-winning season of 2020, however injury and Covid issues restricted the potential output of the Australian centre.

He made just one appearance for the NBA side following 10 games for G-League affiliate Erie.

Will Magnay with New Orleans and Milton Doyle with Brooklyn.

Total: 9 games
Mangok Mathiang – 4 games (Charlotte)
Zylan Cheatham – 5 games (New Orleans, Utah)

Mangok Mathiang made history as the fifth South Sudanese-born player in NBA history – after Manute Bol, Deng Gai, Luol Deng and Boomer Thon Maker – when he appeared for the Charlotte Hornets in the 2017-18 season.

Mathiang’s sole season in the NBA was largely spent with Charlotte’s G-League affiliate Greensboro, and following his sole season with the organisation spent time in Europe prior to returning to Australia.

Strong NBA Summer League performances with New Orleans in 2019 saw Zylan Cheatham rewarded with a two-way contract and played four games for the franchise in the 2019-20 season prior to being traded to and waived by Oklahoma City.

Strong seasons with the Iowa Wolves and Birmingham Squadron in the G-League across the next two seasons saw him earn a 10-day contract with Utah in 2022 where he made one more appearance.

Zylan Cheatham playing for New Orleans.

Total Games: 1
Tahjere McCall - 1 game (Brooklyn)

Taipans leader Tahjere McCall is the only player on this young and emerging side that boasts any previous NBA experience. After all, four of the side's rostered players - including import Joshua Roberts - are commencing their professional careers this season.

McCall took the long road to reach the NBA court, and had spent two seasons with the Nets' G-League affiliate Long Island, before earning his first and only 10-day contract with Brooklyn.

His only appearance came against the Washington Wizards where he registered four points in eight minutes off the bench, in a 125-116 defeat.

He signed an Exhibit-10 deal with Atlanta in 2019, but only appeared for Hawks' G-League affiliate College Park.

Tahjere McCall in an Atlanta Hawks uniform.