Luke Travers
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Luke Jacob Travers (born 3 September 2001) is an Australian professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
player for the
Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...
of the
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(NBA), on a
two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless o ...
with the
Cleveland Charge The Cleveland Charge are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cleveland, and are affiliated with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since 2024, the team plays its home games at Public Auditorium in downtown Cleveland, thoug ...
of the
NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...
. After playing for the
Rockingham Flames Rockingham Flames is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of the Rockingham Basketball and Recreation Association (RBRA), the major administrat ...
in the
State Basketball League NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball L ...
(SBL), Travers opted to forgo college basketball in the United States to begin his professional career in Australia. He made his debut for the
Perth Wildcats The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Perth Arena, ...
in the National Basketball League (NBL) in 2019 and went on to be selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 56th overall pick in the
2022 NBA draft The 2022 NBA draft (branded as the 2022 NBA Draft presented by State Farm for sponsorship reasons), the 76th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft, was held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New ...
. He joined
Melbourne United Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena. The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 ...
in 2023 and then joined the Cavaliers in 2024.


Early life and career

Travers was born in the
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
southern suburb of Rockingham. He attended Port Kennedy Primary School and
Willetton Senior High School Willetton Senior High School (WSHS) is a public secondary school in Willetton, Western Australia, south of the Perth central business district and east of the port of Fremantle. The school opened in February 1977 with 77 students. It is one ...
. He played basketball for the
Rockingham Flames Rockingham Flames is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of the Rockingham Basketball and Recreation Association (RBRA), the major administrat ...
as a junior and was childhood friends with
AFL AFL may refer to: Education * Angel Foundation for Learning, a Canadian Roman Catholic charity * Ankara Science High School, a high school in Ankara, Turkey, natively referred to as ''Ankara Fen Liesi'' * Assessment for learning Military * ...
player Luke Jackson. Travers made his senior debut for the Rockingham Flames in the
State Basketball League NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball L ...
(SBL) in
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
. He saw action in five games and totaled five points. In
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, he played five games during the regular season and then all five games during the finals, helping the Flames sweep the Geraldton Buccaneers 2–0 in the quarter-finals and averaging 14.7 points during the 2–1 semi-final series loss to the
Perry Lakes Hawks Perry Lakes Hawks is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Perry Lakes Basketball Association (PLBA), the major administrative basketball org ...
. That year, he was named Male WABL Player of the Year. In
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
, he played 18 games for the Flames and averaged 11.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He was an integral player for the Flames in 2019, starting a number of games but often used as the sixth man off the bench. He was subsequently named the SBL Most Improved Player. In 2018, Travers helped break a 17-year drought for Western Australia, winning gold at the Under 18 National Championships.


Professional career


Perth Wildcats (2019–2023)


2019–20 season

On 1 August 2019, Travers signed with the
Perth Wildcats The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Perth Arena, ...
as a development player for the
2019–20 NBL season The 2019–20 NBL season was the 42nd season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. The Perth Wildcats became champions. They drew an average home attendance of 12,974, the highest in the 2019–20 NBL season. Team ...
. His elite athleticism and ability to play multiple positions made him an attractive option for the Wildcats. Regarded as one of Australia's most sought-after basketball prospects, he had interest from a number of colleges in the United States, but indicated his desire to turn professional due to a lack of motivation at school. In his debut for the Wildcats on 1 December 2019, he had three points, four assists and two rebounds in roughly 11 minutes in a 99–88 loss to the
Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in the state's capital of Adela ...
. On 20 December 2019, he opted to forgo college basketball and begin his professional career, signing a three-year contract extension with the Wildcats. He played four games during the season and was a member of the Wildcats' championship-winning squad in March 2020. Travers joined the
Cockburn Cougars Cockburn Cougars is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Cockburn Basketball Association (CBA), the major administrative basketball organisa ...
in 2020, where he averaged 17.8 points, 14.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.2 blocks in five games during the West Coast Classic.


2020–21 season

Continuing on as a development player in the
2020–21 NBL season The 2020–21 NBL season was the 43rd season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of nine teams contested in the 2020–21 season. The regular season was played between January and June 2021, followed by a ...
, Travers was thrust into a much larger role early on, starting in both of the Wildcats' pre-season games against the
Illawarra Hawks The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) are an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home game ...
. While mostly a traditional wing player, he added strength to his frame over the off-season and was assigned the starting power forward role. He was replaced in the starting line-up by
Jarred Bairstow Jarred Bairstow (born 5 November 1992) is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played three seasons of college basketball in the United States for the ...
midway through the season, with Travers later stating he got complacent in the role and was forced to work his way back into starting contention. On 28 March 2021, he went 6-of-6 from the field for 16 points off the bench in an 89–65 win over the
Sydney Kings The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and play their home games at Qudos Ba ...
. A season-ending injury to
Bryce Cotton Bryce Jiron Cotton (born August 11, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Mets de Guaynabo (basketball), Mets de Guaynabo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He is also contracted with the Adelaide 36ers of the Australi ...
saw Travers return to the starting line-up as a guard at the back-end of the regular season and in the semi-finals. On 27 May, he had 16 points and eight rebounds in an 81–67 win over the Kings. In the 2–1 semi-final series win over Illawarra, Travers averaged 10.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and three assists per game. He went on to miss the first two games of the grand final series against
Melbourne United Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena. The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 ...
with a calf injury, returning in game three to record nine points and six rebounds off the bench in an 81–76 series-ending loss. On 1 July 2021, Travers signed with the
Mandurah Magic Mandurah Magic is an NBL1 West club based in Mandurah, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Mandurah Basketball Association (MBA), the major administrative basketball organis ...
for the rest of the
2021 NBL1 West season The 2021 NBL1 West season was the inaugural season of the NBL1 West following the rebrand of the State Basketball League (SBL) under the NBL1 banner. It marked the 32nd season in league history after the 2020 State Basketball League season was ca ...
. However, he was never cleared by the Wildcats medical staff to play for Mandurah.


2021–22 season

Travers entered the
2021–22 NBL season The 2021–22 NBL season was the 44th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams contested the 2021–22 season, which commenced on 3 December 2021. Australian broadcast rights to the season ...
as a fully contracted player and earned the rank of number 83 in
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
's top 100
NBA draft The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...
rankings. On 5 December 2021, he had a career-high 14 rebounds in the Wildcats' 90–67 win over the
Cairns Taipans The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Convention Centre, known colloquially as "The S ...
. On 5 February 2022, he scored a career-high 24 points in a 101–79 win over the
South East Melbourne Phoenix The South East Melbourne Phoenix are an Australian professional basketball team based in the south–eastern Melbourne suburb of Wantirna South, Victoria. The Phoenix entered the National Basketball League (NBL) in the 2019–20 season. The t ...
. He averaged 7.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.7 blocks per game during the 2021–22 season, playing both inside and outside roles while also periodically running the offense.


2022 NBA draft and Summer League

On 24 April 2022, Travers declared for the
2022 NBA draft The 2022 NBA draft (branded as the 2022 NBA Draft presented by State Farm for sponsorship reasons), the 76th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft, was held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New ...
. He was selected by the
Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...
with the 56th overall pick. He joined the Cavaliers for the
2022 NBA Summer League The 2022 NBA Summer League, also branded as the NBA 2K23 Summer League 2022, was an off-season competition held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) primarily at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada on the cam ...
, where he averaged 6.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks in five games.


2022–23 season

Travers re-joined the Wildcats for the
2022–23 NBL season The 2022–23 NBL season was the 45th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams contested in the 2022–23 season. Australian broadcast rights to the season are held by ESPN in the second sea ...
. He helped the Wildcats return to the finals by recording 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the regular-season finale against the
Sydney Kings The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and play their home games at Qudos Ba ...
. In 29 games, he averaged 9.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Travers parted ways with the Wildcats on 30 March 2023.


Melbourne United (2023–2024)

On 17 April 2023, Travers signed a three-year deal with
Melbourne United Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena. The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 ...
. Three months later, he helped the Cleveland Cavaliers win the
2023 NBA Summer League The 2023 NBA Summer League (branded as ''NBA 2K, NBA 2K24'' Summer League 2023 for sponsorship reasons) was an off-season competition held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) primarily at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las ...
championship. He played in each of Cleveland's five games, averaging 7.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.2 blocks per game. While initially signed by United to fill a power forward role, Travers was trialled as a point guard during pre-season. In his debut for United on 28 September 2023, he scored a game-high 20 points in an 82–67 win over the
South East Melbourne Phoenix The South East Melbourne Phoenix are an Australian professional basketball team based in the south–eastern Melbourne suburb of Wantirna South, Victoria. The Phoenix entered the National Basketball League (NBL) in the 2019–20 season. The t ...
. In game one of United's semi-finals series against the
Illawarra Hawks The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) are an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home game ...
, Travers had 24 points and eight rebounds in a 115–106 overtime win. In 36 games (34 starts) during the
2023–24 NBL season The 2023–24 NBL season was the 46th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams contested in the 2023–24 season. Australian broadcast rights to the season are held by ESPN in the third seas ...
, he averaged 12.4 points on .517 shooting from the field, 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.33 blocks and 1.17 steals in 27.0 minutes. On 7 August 2024, United granted Travers a release from his contract to pursue NBA opportunities.


Cleveland Cavaliers (2024–present)

In July 2024, Travers re-joined the
Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...
for the
2024 NBA Summer League The 2024 NBA Summer League (branded as ''NBA 2K25'' Summer League 2024 for sponsorship reasons) was an off-season competition held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) primarily at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas ...
and on 28 August, he signed a
two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless o ...
with the team, splitting the 2024–25 season with the Cavaliers'
NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...
affiliate, the
Cleveland Charge The Cleveland Charge are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cleveland, and are affiliated with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since 2024, the team plays its home games at Public Auditorium in downtown Cleveland, thoug ...
. He appeared in all four preseason games for the Cavaliers. He made his NBA debut on 1 November 2024 against the
Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...
, playing the last four minutes of the game and finished with four points, two rebounds, two assists and one block in a 120–109 win. On 13 December, he recorded his first career triple-double with 25 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds with two blocks in 38 minutes in the Charge's 141–131 win over the
Wisconsin Herd The Wisconsin Herd are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and are affiliated with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Herd play their home games at Oshkosh Arena. History On June 29, 2016, it was anno ...
. Following this game, he was sidelined with an ankle injury until late January. On 13 February 2025, he posted his second triple-double of the season with 25 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists and two blocks in a 130–116 win over
Raptors 905 The Raptors 905 are a Canadian professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Mississauga, and are affiliated with the Toronto Raptors. Raptors 905 began play in the 2015–16 season and play their home games at Paramount Fine Foods ...
. On 12 March, he recorded his third triple-double of the season with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 120–113 win over the
Rip City Remix The Rip City Remix are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in North Portland, Oregon, and are affiliated with the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association. The team plays home games at the Chile ...
. On 29 March, he recorded his fourth triple-double of the season with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a 128–93 win over the
Long Island Nets The Long Island Nets are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Uniondale, New York, and are affiliated with the Brooklyn Nets. The team plays its home games at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Nassau County ...
.


National team career

In 2018, Travers represented Australia at the Under-17 FIBA World Cup in Argentina and won gold at the Under-16 FIBA Asia Championship in China. He had 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists, four steals and two blocks for Australia in their title-clinching victory over China and was named in the all-tournament second team. In August 2022, Travers made his
Australian Boomers The Australia men's national basketball team, nicknamed the Boomers after the slang term for a male kangaroo, represents Australia in international basketball competition. Since the late 1980s, Australia has placed among the world elite teams, ...
debut during the
World Cup qualifiers The FIFA World Cup qualification is a set of competitive matches that a national association football team plays in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the men's FIFA World Cup. Qualifying tournaments ar ...
.


Personal life

Travers is the son of Karl and Sam Travers. He has a brother and a sister.


References


External links


NBA profileNBL profileFIBA profile"Wildcats to grow legacy of Number 4"
at wildcats.com.au
"Draft rankings snub 'fuel to the fire' for Travers"
at nbl.com.au {{DEFAULTSORT:Travers, Luke 2001 births Living people 21st-century Australian sportsmen Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States Australian men's basketball players Basketball players from Perth, Western Australia Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Cleveland Cavaliers players Cleveland Charge players Melbourne United players NBA players from Australia Perth Wildcats players Shooting guards Small forwards Sportsmen from Western Australia