MarketBen Ayre
Company Profile

Ben Ayre

Benjamin Ayre is an Australian professional basketball player for the Tasmania JackJumpers of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball in the United States for Skagit Valley College and Newman University before joining the Adelaide 36ers of the NBL as a development player in 2019. He played briefly in Lithuania for BC Mažeikiai in 2020 and in 2022 had a breakout stint with the Cairns Taipans.

Early life
Ayre was born in Melbourne, Victoria, in the suburb of Clayton. He attended De La Salle College in Melbourne. ==College career==
College career
Ayre moved to the United States in 2015 to attend Skagit Valley College. and averaged 15.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3 assists per game. ==Professional career==
Professional career
On 21 May 2019, Ayre signed with the Nunawading Spectres of the NBL1 for the rest of the 2019 season. He helped the Spectres reach the grand final, where they won the championship with a 99–90 win over the Bendigo Braves. In 15 games, he averaged 4.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. In August 2019, Ayre signed with the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League (NBL) as a development player. Due to family reasons, he left the team and returned to Australia on 22 November 2020. In eight games during the 2020–21 LKL season, he averaged 9.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. For the 2021–22 NBL season, Ayre joined the Cairns Taipans as a training player. He was set to serve as an injury replacement early in the season, but a knee injury suffered at practice sidelined him for two months. He was elevated to the roster for the first time on 1 April 2022. Ayre scored a team-high 20 points to go with 10 assists, four rebounds, three steals and four 3-pointers in a 92–80 loss to Melbourne United. He became just the third player in 2021–22 to record 20 points and 10 assists in a game alongside Bryce Cotton and Jaylen Adams. In eight games for the Taipans, he averaged 6.63 points, 1.75 rebounds and 3.75 assists per game. On 23 April 2022, Ayre signed with the Cairns Marlins of the NBL1 North for the 2022 season. In 21 games, he averaged 23.9 points, 3.76 rebounds and 4.05 assists per game. On 21 July 2022, Ayre signed a two-year deal (second year club option) with the Taipans. He parted ways with the Taipans following the 2022–23 NBL season after the club elected not to take the option on his contract. In 32 games, he averaged 5.8 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. On 14 April 2023, Ayre signed with the Sandringham Sabres for the rest of the 2023 NBL1 South season. He helped the Sabres reach the NBL1 South grand final, where they lost 90–86 to the Knox Raiders despite Ayre's 21 points. He was subsequently named to the NBL1 South All-Star Five. In 19 games, he averaged 24.11 points, 5.26 rebounds, 5.16 assists and 1.11 steals per game. On 2 May 2023, Ayre signed a two-year deal with the South East Melbourne Phoenix. On 27 January 2024, he recorded 23 points and eight assists in a 103–91 loss to the Perth Wildcats. In 27 games during the 2023–24 NBL season, he averaged 10.7 points and 2.6 assists, while shooting 39.6% from 3-point range. In 20 games, he averaged 18.9 points and 6.2 assists, while shooting 31.7% from 3-point range. where he earned NBL1 South All First Team honours. He helped the Sabres reach the NBL1 South Grand Final, where they defeated the Melbourne Tigers 99–80 to win the championship behind Ayre's 17 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals. On 16 April 2025, Ayre signed a two-year deal with the Tasmania JackJumpers. On 2 February 2026, he was ruled out for the rest of the 2025–26 NBL season with a groin injury. He averaged 6.3 points, 2.1 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game. On 16 April 2026, the JackJumpers activated the option on Ayre's contract for the 2026–27 NBL season. ==National team career==
National team career
In October 2025, Ayre was invited to the Australian Boomers camp ahead of the first window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers. He was named in the final squad and made his national team the following month. ==References==
tickerdossier.comtickerdossier.substack.com