Ingles nets $US14 million more from Jazz

Tuesday, 22 October 2019:

JOE INGLES of Australia drives his way to the basket during the International Basketball friendly match between the Australian Boomers and Canada at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
JOE INGLES of Australia drives his way to the basket during the International Basketball friendly match between the Australian Boomers and Canada at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.


Joe Ingles might have the nickname "Slo-Mo Joe" but the pasty forward from Australia knows how to make fast money.

The Utah Jazz, keen to lock up Ingles until the end of the 2022 NBA season, signed him to a one-year extension worth $US14 million on Monday.

It is on top of the four-year, $US52-million contract he inked with the Jazz in 2017.

"Joe's shooting acumen, playmaking ability and unselfishness have been integral to our team's identity,"Jazz general manager Justin Zanik said.

Ingles' contract extension ironically came almost five years to the day of the darkest period of his NBA career.

He had played five pre-season games with the Los Angeles Clippers and was battling for the final spot on the team's regular season roster when coach Doc Rivers made the decision to cut Ingles.

It was October 25, 2014, and Ingles' champion netballer wife Renae was flying over from Australia when the decision was made.

The Jazz threw Ingles a lifeline and he has become one of Salt Lake City's favourite sons.

"For the Jazz to have the faith in me to give an extension to an old man like me, it's great," Ingles, 32, told the Utah Jazz website.

"For me, there's nowhere else I'd want to be or play, so it was an easy decision."

Rivers has said letting Ingles go was one of his biggest regrets.

The 203cm tall Ingles not only has become one of the NBA's deadliest three-point shooters but his playmaking, physical play, trash-talking of opponents and wicked sense of humour in the locker room that builds team chemistry has helped the Jazz become an elite team in the loaded Western Conference.

Ingles is also the NBA's reigning iron man.

He has played in 304-straight games dating back to the 2015-16 season, which is the current longest streak in the NBA.

Ingles has NBA career averages of 8.0 points per game (44.7 per cent from the field and 40.8 per cent from three), 3.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds but it is the things he does on and off the court for the Jazz that make him so effective.

Ingles ranks third all-time in Jazz three-point field goals made with 669 and set a franchise single-season record in 2017-18 with 204.

He is one of only seven active NBA players to have hit over 650 threes while shooting over 40 per cent from beyond the arc.

The other six sharpshooters in the elite group are Stephen Curry, Kyle Korver, Klay Thompson, JJ Redick, Danny Green and CJ McCollum.

Ingles praised the Jazz for the warmth shown to Renae and their two children Jacob and Milla.

Ben Simmons remains the most cashed up Aussie in the NBA after signing a five-year, $US240-million contract extension with the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this year.

Patty Mills is on a four-year, $US50-million contract with the San Antonio Spurs, Matthew Dellavedova has a four-year, $US38.4-million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dante Exum agreed to a three-year, $US33-million contract extension with the Jazz last year.

Aron Baynes signed a two-year, $US10.64-million contract with the Boston Celtics but was shipped to the Phoenix Suns in the off-season.






AAP