{"id":261316,"date":"2026-09-06T22:25:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T22:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/06\/former-nbl-star-and-boomer-makes-major-career-move-in-lucrative-overseas-deal\/"},"modified":"2026-09-06T22:25:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T22:25:00","slug":"former-nbl-star-and-boomer-makes-major-career-move-in-lucrative-overseas-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/06\/former-nbl-star-and-boomer-makes-major-career-move-in-lucrative-overseas-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"Former NBL star and Boomer makes major career move in lucrative overseas deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

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He is one of the most recognisable basketball players in Australia, having played 340 games in the NBL and represented the Australian Boomers at the FIBA World Cup, but former South East Melbourne Phoenix star Mitch Creek is officially taking his talents to a new destination.<\/p>\n

Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Fox Sports Australia<\/i> can reveal that Creek, 34, has signed with Al-Ula in the Saudi Basketball League (SBL), with his new club based in Medina.<\/p>\n

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It is understood the deal will make Creek the highest-paid Australian basketball player outside of the NBA, with the Horsham-born forward set to begin the next chapter of his career in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n

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Mitch Creek of the Phoenix in action during the round 13 NBL match between Brisbane Bullets and South East Melbourne Phoenix at Nissan Arena, on December 30, 2023, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde\/Getty Images)<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Al-Ula is no stranger to Australian basketball talent, having had former NBA player and South Sudanese-Australian big man Thon Maker on its roster last season. Maker averaged 14.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists in the SBL.<\/p>\n

The move does not completely shut the door on Creek potentially returning to the NBL in the future, but it does appear to close it that little bit further.<\/p>\n

Across 13 seasons in the NBL, eight with the Adelaide 36ers followed by five with the South East Melbourne Phoenix, Creek suited up in 340 games. His best statistical season came in 2023-24, when he averaged 23.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.<\/p>\n

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Mitch Creek of the Phoenix reacts during the round 12 NBL match between the Illawarra Hawks and the South East Melbourne Phoenix at WIN Entertainment Centre, on April 01, 2021, in Wollongong, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne\/Getty Images)<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His NBL career-high came on December 18, 2022, against the Sydney Kings, when he poured in 46 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a thrilling 113-112 victory, shooting 15-of-27 (55.6%) from the field.<\/p>\n

Creek is no stranger to the NBA either, having first spent time with the Dallas Mavericks during the 2018 NBA Summer League before being offered an opportunity with the Brooklyn Nets.<\/p>\n

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Mitchell Creek #55 of the Brooklyn Nets high-fives the bench after taking free throws in place of injured Rondae Hollis-Jefferson #24 during the fourth quarter of the game against the New York Knicks. (Photo by Sarah Stier\/Getty Images)<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He would go on to play for Brooklyn\u2019s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, before signing a 10-day contract with the Nets in January 2019. Creek made his NBA debut that same day against the New York Knicks.<\/p>\n

NBL Daily: Passport drama leaves NBL championship MVP stranded in US; United star\u2019s season over<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

After his time with Brooklyn came to an end, Creek landed another NBA opportunity with the Minnesota Timberwolves, initially signing a 10-day contract before remaining with the franchise for the rest of the season. He later suited up for Minnesota during the 2019 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

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Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks in action against Mitch Creek #55 of the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on February 4, 2019. (Photo by Jim McIsaac\/Getty Images)<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since his departure from the NBL, Creek\u2019s talents have taken him around the world, with stints in Puerto Rico, China, Canada, T\u00fcrkiye and Romania.<\/p>\n

Most recently, Creek starred in Canada\u2019s CEBL, walking away with the league\u2019s Most Valuable Player award while also earning All-CEBL First Team honours, before signing with U-BT Cluj-Napoca in Romania\u2019s Liga Na\u021bional\u0103 (LNBM).<\/p>\n

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Vancouver Bandits’ Mitch Creek stands for the Canadian national anthem ahead of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) matchup between the Edmonton Stingers and Vancouver Bandits at the Edmonton Expo Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on August 1, 2025. (Photo by Artur Widak\/NurPhoto via Getty Images)<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His time with Cluj-Napoca produced one of the most successful seasons of his career, helping guide the club to its sixth consecutive championship while also earning All-ABA League Team and All-EuroCup Second Team honours.<\/p>\n

That campaign also saw Creek produce a memorable 40-point performance against Neptunas Klaipeda, who featured none other than new Brisbane Bullets import Arnas Veli\u010dka at the time.<\/p>\n

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Mitchell Creek is in action during the U-BT Cluj-Napoca vs. Igokea M:Tel game in the ABA League, held at BT Arena in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, on November 1, 2025 (Photo by Flaviu Buboi\/NurPhoto via Getty Images).<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, Creek heads to Saudi Arabia in what is understood to be a lucrative deal that will make him the highest-paid Australian basketball player outside of the NBA.<\/p>\n

The 34-year-old will join an Al-Ula side coming off a dominant 2025-26 campaign, finishing the season with a 17-1 record before winning the SBL championship, with Creek now looking to continue his strong form and help the club defend its crown.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

He is one of the most recognisable basketball players in Australia, having played 340 games in the NBL and represented the Australian Boomers at the FIBA World Cup, but former South East Melbourne Phoenix star Mitch Creek is officially taking his talents to a new destination. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":261317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[156],"class_list":{"0":"post-261316","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261316\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/261317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}