Isaac Bradley Humphries (born 5 January 1998) is an Australian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for

Melbourne United Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena. The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 a ...

of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

Early life

Born in the Sydney suburb of Caringbah, Humphries grew up in

Cronulla Cronulla is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Boasting numerous surf beaches and swimming spots, the suburb attracts both tourists and Greater Sydney residents. Cronulla is located 26 kilometres south of the Sydne ...

and started playing basketball at the age of 12. He had earlier played

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

. In 2010, he spent six months in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. "I had a pretty big growth spurt when I lived in Canada", he told theleader.com.au in January 2014.

College career

Humphries attended Scots College in Sydney and the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra before taking his game to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in December 2014 to play prep ball at

La Lumiere School La Lumiere School is a college preparatory boarding and day school located on a 190-acre campus in Springfield Township, LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. About La Lumiere School is affiliated with several educational associations: * C ...

in La Porte, Indiana. Humphries enrolled at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

in 2015 and saw action in 23 games as a freshman. Coming off the bench in all but one game, he averaged 1.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 9.1 minutes per contest. In the 2016–17 campaign, Humphries appeared in 38 games for the Wildcats with one start, producing averages of 2.8 points and 2.8 boards per outing in 8.3 minutes a game. He scored a career-high 12 points in his last college game, Kentucky’s 73-75 loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the South Region finals where he was also named in the NCAA All-Regional tournament team. In April 2017, Humphries declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Sydney Kings (2017–2018)

Opting to turn professional, Humphries worked out with several NBA franchises over the summer, including the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

, after going undrafted in the

2017 NBA draft The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

. Humphries returned to Australia and signed with his hometown team the Sydney Kings on 27 July 2017 for the

2017–18 NBL season The 2017–18 NBL season was the 40th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2017 and February 2018, followed by a post ...

. With the Kings, Humphries averaged 6.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks while shooting 58 percent in 16 minutes per game, making six starts in 26 appearances. He was subsequently named the NBL Rookie of the Year.

FMP Beograd (2018)

On 27 February 2018, Humphries agreed to a deal with FMP of the

Basketball League of Serbia The Basketball League of Serbia ( sr, Кошаркашка лига Србије, Košarkaška liga Srbije; abbr. КЛС or KLS), is a top-tier men's professional basketball league in Serbia. Founded in 2006, it is run by the Basketball Federatio ...

Erie BayHawks and Atlanta Hawks (2018–2019)

On 8 October 2018, Humphries signed a training camp deal with the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

, but was waived the next day. He subsequently joined the Erie BayHawks for the

2018–19 NBA G League season The 2018–19 NBA G League season was the 18th season of the NBA G League, the official minor league basketball organization owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA). League changes The league expanded by one team, the Capital City Go-G ...

. On 1 April 2019, Humphries signed with Atlanta for the remainder of

2018–19 NBA season The 2018–19 NBA season was the 73rd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 16, 2018, and ended on April 10, 2019. The 2019 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 17, 2019, at the Spectrum Cen ...

. Humphries joined the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

for the

2019 NBA Summer League The 2019 NBA Summer League was held at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada on the campus of University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It began on July 5 and ended on July 15. All 30 teams and two national teams, China and Croat ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Lakeland Magic (2019–2020)

On 24 September 2019, Humphries signed with the Orlando Magic. He was waived and assigned to the

Lakeland Magic The Lakeland Magic are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Lakeland, Florida, and are affiliated with the Orlando Magic. The Magic began play in the 2017–18 season and play their home games at the RP Fundi ...

. Humphries averaged 8.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game during the 2019–20 season.

Adelaide 36ers (2020–2022)

On 16 July 2020, Humphries signed a two-year deal to return to the NBL with the

Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...

. He averaged 13.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and a league-leading 2.8 blocks per game during the 2020–21 season. His mutual option for a second season with the 36ers was not exercised. On 9 July 2021, Humphries re-signed with the 36ers for the

2021–22 NBL season The 2021–22 NBL season was the 44th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams are contesting in the 2021–22 season, which commenced on 3 December 2021. Australian broadcast rights to the ...

. He played just six matches, averaging 7.7 points in 17.7 minutes per game, before a knee injury ruled him out for the season in February 2022.

Melbourne United (2022–present)

On 22 July 2022, Humphries signed with

for the

2022–23 NBL season The 2022–23 NBL season was the 45th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams contested in the 2022–23 season. Australian broadcast rights to the season are held by ESPN in the second sea ...

National team career

Humphries made his debut for the Australian junior national team at the 2013

FIBA Oceania Under-16 Championship The FIBA Oceania Under-15 Championship is an under-15 basketball championship in the International Basketball Federation's Oceania zone. Since 2018, the competition previously known as FIBA Oceania Under-16 Championship, which was a qualifier f ...

. In 2014, he helped Australia win the silver medal at the

FIBA Under-17 World Championship The FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup (formerly FIBA Under-17 World Championship) is the under-17 men's world basketball championship organised by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). The event was held for the first time in July 201 ...

, averaging 18.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game during the tournament. He was named to the All-Tournament Team. Humphries made his senior debut for the Australian national team in a

2019 FIBA World Cup The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams. The tournament was hosted in China and was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019, becoming the first since 1967 FIBA World Ch ...

qualifying match against

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

, where he recorded 17 points and 7 rebounds in a dominant performance.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, 5 , , 1 , , 11.2 , , .286 , , .273 , , – , , 2.2 , , .0 , , .2 , , .0 , , 3.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 5 , , 1 , , 11.2 , , .286 , , .273 , , – , , 2.2 , , .0 , , .2 , , .0 , , 3.0

NBA G League

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

Erie Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

, 46 , , 34 , , 21.8 , , .538 , , .337 , , .662 , , 7.0 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 1.0 , , 11.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 46 , , 34 , , 21.8 , , .538 , , .337 , , .662 , , 7.0 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 1.0 , , 11.3

NBL

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;", Sydney , 26 , , 6 , , 16.5 , , .583 , , .000 , , .653 , , 3.7 , , .8 , , .7 , , 1.0 , , 6.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 26 , , 6 , , 16.5 , , .583 , , .000 , , .653 , , 3.7 , , .8 , , .7 , , 1.0 , , 6.9

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, 23 , , 1 , , 9.1 , , .390 , , – , , .733 , , 2.4 , , .1 , , .1 , , .7 , , 1.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 38 , , 1 , , 8.3 , , .511 , , – , , .600 , , 2.8 , , .2 , , .2 , , .5 , , 2.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 61 , , 2 , , 8.6 , , .473 , , – , , .650 , , 2.7 , , .2 , , .2 , , .6 , , 2.4

Personal life

On 16 November 2022, Humphries

came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

. The announcement saw Humphries become the only active openly gay male professional basketball player in a top tier league anywhere in the world. He also became the first ever Australian male basketball player and first player in the NBL to be openly gay. He said that he had struggled with his sexuality and contemplated suicide, but ultimately decided that he would be happier to be open about it with his teammates.

References

External links

Kentucky Wildcats bio

at fiba.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Humphries, Isaac 1998 births 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people Living people Adelaide 36ers players Atlanta Hawks players Australian expatriate basketball people in Serbia Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States Australian men's basketball players Basketball League of Serbia players Basketball players from Sydney Centers (basketball) Erie BayHawks (2017–2019) players Gay sportsmen Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players KK FMP players La Lumiere School alumni Lakeland Magic players Melbourne United players National Basketball Association players from Australia People from the Sutherland Shire Power forwards (basketball) Sydney Kings players Undrafted National Basketball Association players LGBT basketball players

Early life

College career

Professional career

Sydney Kings (2017–2018)

FMP Beograd (2018)

Erie BayHawks and Atlanta Hawks (2018–2019)

Lakeland Magic (2019–2020)

Adelaide 36ers (2020–2022)

Melbourne United (2022–present)

National team career

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

NBA G League

Regular season

NBL

College

Personal life

See also

References

External links