Utah Jazz Fan Favorite Nearing End of His NBA Career

Don't look now, but this Utah Jazz fan favorite might be entering his final days in the NBA.

Nov 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Joe Ingles (7) prepares to play the Utah Jazz before the game at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

It looks like the end of the road is near for former Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles, at least when it comes to his time in the NBA.

According to Olgun Uluc of ESPN Australia, Ingles is planning to join Melbourne United for the 2026-27 NBL season following the conclusion of this year's NBA postseason.

Joe Ingles - a five-time Olympian and 12-year NBA veteran - plans to join Melbourne United ahead of the 2026-27 NBL season, sources told ESPN. Ingles, 38, is in a playoff campaign with Minnesota; once his NBA season is complete, he’ll move toward finalising a deal with United.

— Olgun Uluc (@OlgunUluc) April 25, 2026

Ingles, currently a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, is still chasing his chance at a first-ever championship ring for what's now his 12th year in the NBA. So before he jumps ship anywhere, he'll be closing out his current playoff run, however that looks.

But whenever the Timberwolves' run comes to a close––whether that be dropping their first round to the Denver Nuggets, or in the form of winning an NBA title––there's a good chance that Ingles will be appearing on an NBA floor for the final time.

Joe Ingles Departing From NBA After Playoffs?

Ingles has bounced around to a few franchises since departing from Utah after the end of the 2022 season. However, when mentioning "Jingles” in any context, it's hard not to imagine him in your mind with the Jazz jersey he was donning for nearly a decade.

Ingles started his career in the league as an undrafted free agent out of Australia, joining aboard the Jazz's roster as an older rookie at an impressive 27 years of age.

However, even while he might've not been the youngest rookie entering the fold, it wouldn't take long before he started to make a real name for himself as both a key rotational piece in Utah, and also one of the league's top shooters at the time.

Ingles played over a combined 600 games while with the Jazz from 2014 to 2022, averaging a collective 8.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists when also stringing together an average of 40.6% shooting from three throughout his time in Salt Lake City.

Jan 12, 2022; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Joe Ingles (2) works out prior to their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Vivint Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Swinger-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Swinger-Imagn Images

It would also be back during the Jazz's 2020-21 season when Ingles got some love in Sixth Man of the Year voting following their then-first-place finish in the Western Conference.

Of the 100 first-place votes to be cast for the award that season, 34 of those went to Ingles, while the other 65 of those would end up being claimed by his then-teammate, Jordan Clarkson— a testament to just how strong the Jazz looked up and down their rotation in that same season.

If Ingles does end up leaving the NBA to head back to his home country in Australia, it's not exactly an official retirement. He'll still be lacing up overseas, but when international guys make a similar move, it often tends to hint towards that player reaching the tail-end of his playing career altogether.

Jazz fans will be able to get one last look at Ingles throughout the postseason with Minnesota alongside several other alums like Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley, even if Ingles isn't too expected to get much playing time in these playoff-level settings.

But at the very least, his sendoff on the horizon might give fans in Utah a slight rooting interest while the Jazz are stuck on the outside looking in for the playoff picture for another season.

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