Isaac Humphries 'incredibly sad' decision to call it quits

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Adelaide 36ers big man Isaac Humphries has revealed the "incredibly sad, very hard decision" he had to make to call time on his basketball career without playing a game in NBL27.

Humphries, 28, chronic knee injury simply "won't hold up to play basketball anymore."

"I've obviously been dealing with a pretty ongoing knee injury over the last couple of years, I guess," Humphries said.

"And at the start of the season, pre-season, it just got to a point where it was not manageable, sort of thing, and we shut it down for a bit.

"I've just sought a lot of opinions and other doctors, and everything's led to, unfortunately, the realisation that I have to retire now from basketball because my injury just won't hold up to play basketball anymore.

"So, incredibly sad, very hard decision, but one that was almost made sort of for me.

"It's a weird, complicated plethora of emotions because it's not as straightforward as finishing my career and having a great time and then hanging up the laces.

"I'm young, just played the best season of my career, and unfortunately, I have to retire."

The Sydney-born 2.11m centre, who has the 2018 NBL Rookie of the Year before playing for the Atlanta Hawks in 2019, announced the decision on his Instagram page following eight seasons in the NBL, including six and more than 100 games with the 36ers.

"I'm so sad to say goodbye like this," he wrote in his retirement post.

"Sometimes life deals you cards that tell your story for you, and due to my continued knee injury I've made the incredibly difficult decision to retire.

"I'll miss my teammates. The laughs. The trenches. I'll miss the fans, the noise, and the feeling of having an entire community behind you.

"I gave so much of my life to this sport, and it gave me a life I could have never imagined right back.

"There is so much more to say, but for now, just thank you.

"I hope the identity I created lives on in every person who wears my jersey, and in every place I was lucky enough to call home.

"It's not exactly a goodbye but maybe an until I see you soon.

"So for now, and from your number 8, thank you."

Humphries established himself as one of the best big men in the league over the past two seasons in Adelaide, helping the club bounce back to become a playoff force once again.

NBL legend and Humphries' former teammate at the 36ers, Jason Cadee, said the big man was a "joy to play alongside".

"I was around Isaac for his rookie season and for one of his last. His growth as a person between those stints was something that stood out but didn’t surprise me," Cadee told basketball.com.au.

"I always loved him as a person and teammate. We got along from the start so well on and off the court that when I was going back to Adelaide one of the main things I was excited about was being alongside him again.

"He was a joy to play alongside but mostly to become friends with.

"He deserves great praise for what he’s been able to achieve and persevere through in his career."

He is the second player in just two weeks to announce their retirement due to injury after Tasmania JackJumpers veteran Anthony Drmic hung up his boots after a serious back injury, which he had dealt with across his 11-year career.

Humphries will also be remembered as a trail blazer in professional sport after he publicly came out as gay while playing for Melbourne United in 2022.

"I've loved my time in Adelaide so much, and I'm just very grateful for all the people and the things I've been able to do here, and all the communities I've been able to affect in this city," Humphries said.

"But I'll also walk away with incredible memories and having achieved a fair bit in the sport.

"Ten years of good pro basketball, as well as college, and I have two NBA jerseys. I changed history, and I was a captain last year.

"I've ticked a lot of things off, and I've been MVP of this club at one point.

"I can certainly walk away hopefully leaving a really good legacy behind and a good sort of memory for people to have of me.

"I did give a lot to this sport. It's given me a whole realm of things that I could never even comprehend sometimes.

"And that's all because I put a sphere in a circle with a net on it. It's given me some incredible things in my life.

"A lot of people may not realise how much we affect them as athletes and role models, but I don't think fans realise how much they affect us sometimes.

"They really keep us up. They hold us up.

"They just make us feel sometimes human in an environment where you can kind of not feel human.

"So I appreciate those moments, and I hope it lives on for them as it will live on for me as well in my memories."