The news comes as a shock to NBL fans across Australia, as Humphries was expected to spend the 2026–27 season with the Adelaide 36ers as co-captain.
The post was a carousel containing a formal statement and photos of his career highlights on the court in National, NCAA, NBA and NBL jerseys.
Humphries was a notable player on and off the court. In 2022 he made history as the first NBL player to come out as gay, and openly start conversations about acceptance and representation in Australian sports at the professional level.
Humphries last took the court earlier this year in April for a 36ers playoff game against the Sydney Kings.
The Adelaide 36ers released a statement on Tuesday wishing Humphries well.
"Humphries will not be lost to the Adelaide 36ers organisation, having accepted a non-playing role working with the community, marketing and commercial teams."
Career highlights
Isaac Humphries begun playing basketball at 12 years old, quickly excelling and being nursed by Scots College in Sydney, he scored a basketball scholarship in Ontario, Canada.
He played semi-professional basketball, and made his first national appearance in the 2013 FIBA Oceania Under-16 Championship as an Under-16s player.
Humphries played at the collegiate level for the Kentucky Wildcats for two years before starting his professional career with the Sydney Kings ahead of the 2017–18 NBL season.
After his first season, he was named 2018 NBL Rookie of the Year.
For the next two years he played in the NBA G League, with a small stint of 5 games in the NBA for the Atlanta Hawks at the end of the 2018–19 NBA season.
In August and September of 2019, he debuted as a Boomer at the 2019 FIBA world cup.
From 2020–22, Humphries played for the 36ers before having his 2021–22 season cut short due to a knee injury.
He joined Melbourne United for the 2022–23 season before returning to the Adelaide 36ers where he was named 36ers Club MVP at the conclusion of the season.
Humphries remained with the 36ers for the rest of his career, signing a three-year contract in March 2024, which has now been cut short given his retirement.
Humphries and the LGBTQ+ community
In November 2022 Humphries came out to his Melbourne United team members in an emotional locker room speech that was later released to the public.
Importantly, Humphries talks about how his mental health was at such a low point that he attempted to take his own life, believing that his true self would never be permitted or accepted as a professional athlete.
Since then, Humphries was the driving force behind multiple NBL initiatives which celebrated LGBTQI+ inclusion, including the introduction of the NBL Pride Round which is now an annual fixture in the regular season.
The NBL has also partnered with Pride in Sport to support structured education about being an ally to the LGBTQI+ community.
In January 2026, former Illawarra Hawks star AJ Ogilvy opened up about how he kept his marriage to his partner a secret when he was in the league due to a past lack of visibility.
