Luke Paul
_(cropped).jpg) Paul representing Australia in 2026 | |
| No. 7 – Cairns Taipans | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard / shooting guard |
| Conference | NBL |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 20 February 2009 Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| Playing career | 2024–present |
| Career history | |
| 2024–2025 | Willetton Tigers |
| 2026 | BA Centre of Excellence |
| 2026–present | Cairns Taipans |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Luke Roland Paul (born 20 February 2009) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Cairns Taipans of the National Basketball League (NBL). He has won four medals representing Australia, including earning the 2025 FIBA U16 Asia Cup MVP and 2026 FIBA U17 World Cup All-Star Five honours.
Early life
[edit]Paul was born in Perth, Western Australia.[1] He attended Caralee Community School and Willetton Senior High School.[2]
Professional career
[edit]Paul is a product of the Willetton Tigers of the NBL1 West, where he first signed at 14 years old and played for in 2024 and 2025.[3][4] He also spent time with the Perth Wildcats Academy program.[5] Paul accepted a scholarship with the BA Centre of Excellence (BA CoE) in Canberra on 1 August 2025.[6][7]
In January 2026, Paul became the youngest player to ever sign a National Basketball League (NBL) contract through the Next Stars program, doing so at 16 years old.[8][9][10] The previous youngest recipient was Dash Daniels.[11] Other notable Next Stars have been LaMelo Ball, Josh Giddey, Alex Sarr and Ousmane Dieng.[2] After signing as a Next Star, he continued to train and play with the BA CoE in the NBL1 East, while he made his decision over the next six months on which specific team he would sign with in the NBL.[8][12] Additionally, Paul represented Western Australia Metro at the Under-18 National Championship in April 2026, after also having done so in 2025.[8][7]
On 11 June 2026, Paul signed with the Cairns Taipans of the NBL.[13][14] Cairns players Jack McVeigh and Reyne Smith were influential in his decision to chose the Taipans, along with advice from Josh Giddey, whose game Paul has been compared to.[15][11] He also had an encounter with head coach Adam Forde during the 2024–25 NBL season when the Taipans were in Perth, and he invited Paul to observe and participate in a team practice. Paul also stated the culture and the fanbase were reasons, while emphasizing that Forde had previously developed young Next Star players such as Bobi Klintman and Taran Armstrong into earning NBA opportunities.[16] On 11 August 2026, he was sidelined for six to eight weeks after sustaining an ankle injury during a club pre-season training session.[17]
National team career
[edit]Paul first represented the Australia national team in the 2024 FIBA U15 Oceania Cup. He then represented in the 2025 FIBA U16 Asia Cup, where he earned All-Star Five honors and won MVP of the tournament.[18] In the final against China, Paul had 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.[19] He averaged 14.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game.[20] That same year, he also was selected for the 2025 FIBA U17 Oceania Cup and earned All-Star Five honors again in 2025, cementing his status as one of the top youth basketball players.[11] The following year, Paul played in the 2026 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup, where he earned All-Star Five honors for a third consecutive international tournament after leading Australia to a bronze medal. In the bronze medal game against Turkey, Paul recorded 19 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.[21][22] He averaged 15.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game.[20]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Prodigy Luke Paul on the cusp of deciding NBL future". basketball.com.au. 28 April 2026.
- 1 2 "WA's Next Star". Government of Western Australia - Department of Education. 20 February 2026.
- ↑ "15-year-old guard set for a big season in the West". NBL1. 12 February 2025.
- ↑ "Luke Paul on becoming youngest NBL Next Star ever (interview)". NBL. YouTube. January 2026.
- ↑ Thomas, Amber (1 August 2025). "From Willetton to the World Stage – Luke Paul's Rise to the AIS". Perth Wildcats.
- ↑ "Two athletes inducted to Centre of Excellence program in Canberra". Basketball Australia. 1 August 2025.
- 1 2 Aslop, Anthony (18 September 2025). "Paul Position: WA teen to set pace at CoE". basketball.com.au.
- 1 2 3 Uluc, Olgun (17 January 2026). "'Proven pathway': Top Aussie prospect Luke Paul joins NBL Next Stars". ESPN.com.
- ↑ Higgins, Josh (18 January 2026). "Future Australian NBA first-round pick signs multi-year deal as NBL Next Star". FOX Sports.
- ↑ O’Donoghue, Craig (17 January 2026). "West Australian NBA prospect Luke Paul becomes youngest player ever to sign with NBL Next Star program". The West Australian.
- 1 2 3 Badkin, Liam (19 January 2026). "Paul signs as Next Star in huge coup". central.rookieme.com.
- ↑ "Luke Paul Profile". NBL1 (CoE).
- ↑ "Paul chooses Far North and Forde". Cairns Taipans. 11 June 2026.
- ↑ Uluc, Olgun (11 June 2026). "'He's got a big future': Luke Paul signs with Taipans as NBL Next Star". ESPN.com.
- ↑ "How an NBA star helped shape Luke Paul's big decision". NBL. 13 June 2026.
- ↑ Bruce, Jasper (12 June 2026). "Why young Aussie NBA prospect chose Cairns Taipans". Australian Associated Press.
- ↑ "Next Star set for stint on sidelines". nbl.com.au. 11 August 2026. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ "Luke Paul bags home MVP honors, headlines All-Star Five". FIBA. 7 September 2025.
- ↑ "Paul ready for U17 World Cup in Turkey". Cairns Taipans. 26 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Luke Paul Profile". FIBA.
- ↑ "'Now Star' Luke Paul powers Crocs to bronze medal". basketball.com.au. 6 July 2026.
- ↑ "Next Star named among world's best". NBL. 6 July 2026.
External links
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