Joe Ingles has signed a two-year contract to join Melbourne United, ending his 12-year NBA career and returning to the city where his professional journey began. The 38-year-old forward called time on his run in the league after the Minnesota Timberwolves were eliminated from the play-offs at the weekend.

Ingles said Melbourne United was the right fit for the next stage of his career. The 203-centimetre small forward was also pursued by the Adelaide 36ers and South East Melbourne Phoenix, but said the pull of Melbourne, and the club’s culture, made the decision clear.

“From a basketball perspective, this opportunity really excited me. I still love competing, I still love the game, and I believe I can genuinely help this group win,” Ingles said. “At this stage of my career, it’s not about individual achievements. It’s about impact, leadership, helping a group come together and chasing something meaningful.”

He added that Melbourne United’s standards mattered to him. “I’ve watched the culture Melbourne United has built over a long period of time and that was a huge part of the attraction for me. There’s a standard and professionalism there that really aligns with who I am,” he said. “I’m excited to get to work, earn the respect of the group, connect with the fans and, hopefully, help bring another championship to Melbourne.”

Ingles is a five-time Olympian who managed only 267 minutes across the regular season over the past two NBA seasons. Even so, he leaves the league ranked among the top five Australians for points, assists, rebounds, steals and three-pointers, underscoring a career built on versatility and shot-making. He averaged 40.9 per cent from beyond the arc in the NBA, with his best season coming in 2018-19, when he put up 12.1 points, four rebounds and 5.7 assists per game for the Utah Jazz.

His return also closes a long loop. Ingles began his career in the NBL with the South Dragons and won the title in 2009, then went on to collect a Euroleague championship, league and cup titles in Spain and Israel, and eight separate NBA play-off campaigns. He said, “Coming home to Melbourne feels incredibly special. To return to where my professional career began almost 20 years ago is something I don’t take for granted. So much has happened since then, but Melbourne has always felt like home.”

The move carries more than basketball weight. Ingles said he and his family were eager to reconnect with the community in Melbourne and be closer to family and friends again after years overseas, a factor that had long been part of the conversation around his next step. For Melbourne United, the signing brings back one of Australian basketball’s most accomplished exports, and it gives Ingles a chance to finish his career where it started, with three children now part of the return home.