From Texas to back Down Under.
Rockets' Australian forward leaves NBA to return to NBL originally appeared on The Sporting News
A one-year sojurn to the United States is over for Jack McVeigh.
He's heading back to his native Australia to return to the NBL.
The Cairns Taipans announced that McVeigh has signed a two-year contract, with the second year being a mutual option.
McVeigh was an NBL veteran before making the leap to the U.S. and the Houston Rockets for this past season.
The NBA's Rockets had McVeigh spent most of his time in the second-tier G League, where he played in 34 games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
McVeigh also made nine appearances with the big league Rockets.
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In the G League, McVeigh averaged 16.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 37% from 3 and 87.5% from the foul line.
The 6-foot-8 forward put up just 1.6 points per game in his nine NBA outings.
McVeigh stuck around to play in Summer League for the Atlanta Hawks. He put up 14 points per game and shot 45.5% from 3-point range.
ESPN's Olgun Uluc had reported earlier in the week that McVeigh was seeking a contract to remain in the NBA, but evidently nothing materialized.
McVeigh will make $2 million over two seasons, per Uluc, which makes him the highest-paid player in Cairns history. He's one of the four-highest earners in the league for the season ahead.
Before coming to the NBA, McVeigh had played three seasons for Adelaide and then three for Tasmania.
In the 2023-24 campaign for Tasmania, McVeigh averaged 16.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
Now, he's onto his third NBL club.
At 29 years old, McVeigh may have one more chance to try the NBA out for size in a year or two, but in the meantime, he's back home.
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Category: Basketball
