NBA veteran reveals why he took a massive pay cut to return to Melbourne United
June 22, 2026 — 3:30pmYou have reached your maximum number of saved items.Remove items from your saved list to add more.Joe Ingles was paid more than $5.4 million through the 2025-26 NBA season, the last of his stellar 12-year career in the world’s premier basketball league.That was more than double the salary cap for each team in Australia’s NBL, and took his career earnings, according to officially published figures by the NBA, to more than $140 million through his time with the Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves.His return to the NBL next season with Melbourne United is another significant moment for him and the local league, reinforcing that the NBL is among the world’s strongest; otherwise Ingles would have allowed his management to seek a new NBA deal.Rival NBL clubs, preferring to remain anonymous to speak freely, estimate Ingles, 38, will earn about $300,000 next season, a fair wage for local players, but a whopping 94 per cent less than his final salary with the Wolves.AdvertisementWhile that could be a shock to the system for some, Ingles is all about helping United win a third title, and stressed on Monday that remuneration was not an issue.“Have you not seen what I have made? I am not worried about the money side,” Ingles said.“I didn’t come to the NBL for the money. I think some people had shown me a couple of things – what I’d apparently said of what I wanted to earn.“I went into every meeting and never asked anything money wise, or demanded to start, never asked anything about playing time. It was all about getting here and whatever that team was going to be, and I’ll prove that they need to play me.Advertisement“If I was coming purely for the money, I probably would have just stayed in the NBA and sat on the bench and watched ‘Ant’ [Wolves star Anthony Edwards] play for a couple of more years, which was a pretty decent job to do.”When asked by this masthead specifically about his salary, Ingles said he had “no idea”, and had left the contract details to his wife, former netball star Renae Ingles.The salary cap for each NBL club in the 2026-27 season is $2,167,359.A United spokesman said the club did not comment on player salaries.AdvertisementSince arriving back with Renae and their three children last week, Ingles – the 2007 NBL rookie of the year – has had two strong workouts at United’s Hoops City training base in Cheltenham, and is clearly focused on showing the basketball world that he remains an on-court threat.“I feel good. I’ve had the last two years off, I’m aware of my age … I know what I can do. The biggest thing for me is just getting my legs back under me,” Ingles, a 203-centimetre small forward, said.“I have been lucky enough to play in the best league in the world for the past 12 years. If I sat there worrying about what people are saying all the time … I probably would have been done a little while ago.“I was written off when I did my ACL four, five years ago now … obviously, the motivation, as an athlete, as a player, is there. That was the biggest part of when these kind of discussions [came up] – I want to play, I want to compete, and I want to win.Advertisement“The last time I played in this league I left with a championship in my last game [with the defunct South Dragons in 2009]. That’s the goal for the next two years – to win.”Ingles managed only 267 minutes through the regular season over the past two NBA seasons, serving as a senior hand in the Wolves’ combative locker room, but he leaves the league ranked in the top five among all Australians for points, assists, rebounds, steals and three-pointers.LoadingHe will give United flexibility, whether that be as an offensive facilitator, as he has been with the Boomers through five Olympics, or as an outside shooting threat with Chris Goulding, one of the NBL’s greatest shooters, and the veteran face of the franchise.A strong season will also ensure Boomers coach Adam Caporn has him under consideration for a World Cup berth in Qatar next year.AdvertisementThe pressing need is for United to lock in a new coach, after Dean Vickerman’s decision to head to Japan and join Nagasaki Velca. Italian Francesco Tabellini, a former coach of Paris, is firmly on United’s radar.United had former NBA coach Dave Joerger at the top of their list and sent a delegation to meet with him, league sources confirmed. But Joerger appears likely to sign with Paris Basketball. They have also interviewed Jacob Chance, the former United assistant coach now with the San Antonio Spurs, and Coby Karl, the son of legendary NBA coach George Karl.News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.You have reached your maximum number of saved items.Remove items from your saved list to add more.More:NBLNBARich ListersMelbourne UnitedJon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via X or email.
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