Not your average Joe

"I like to show one of my trainers all the hilarious messages that people write about me after each game. Like how terrible you are, you're slow, white, your hair sucks, and you look like a teacher. I'm like, those things are all pretty true, but if we play one-on-one, I'm still going to beat you."

Ingles' receding hairline and dad bod may have earned this regular Aussie bloke cult status with the nickname of "Average Joe", but when Ingles steps on the court, he is anything but average. American and Australian sports highlight reels replay Ingles dominating some of the best athletes in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Still, it's Joe's laid-back Aussie spirit and willingness to do anything for his team that sets him apart as a member of the Utah Jazz and the Australian Boomers.

Utah Jazz coach, Quin Snyder knows Joe's strengths more than anyone. "There just hasn't been anything that he's not willing to do for the team. That's where he's found his game, making the team better when he's on the floor. The things that he's been able to do to make the team better have continued to multiply."

Although, along with triumphs, Ingles' NBA career has also been filled with tribulations. Ingles recalls still to this day, one of his toughest moments was the match where the Australian Boomers lost their chance at bronze medal glory in the final ten seconds of the game.

"Losing the bronze medal at the Rio Olympics will be something that we will think about for a long time, maybe forever. To be putting our Green and Gold uniform back on brings back memories, and obviously not the greatest ones. That being said, it leaves that burning desire to overcome what Australia has never done in men's basketball."

This crippling loss has been the catalyst for these Aussie underdogs to try and rewrite basketball history by bringing home gold for Australia. They aren't going to back down until they achieve their goal.

"When you go out on the court, it's the mindset that you're not going to back down to anyone. We've never worried about who we are playing, we've just gone out onto the court and left it all out there. If we win, great! If we lose, we'll get better and come back and try again next time. I think that's just a part of being Australian."

Read on to find out more about "Average Joe" Ingles.

Signet: Can you tell us about your upbringing in Australia?

Joe: My upbringing in Australia was pretty regular. I lived at home with my mum, dad and sister, and mum and dad worked. We lived in Happy Valley, which was about 45 minutes from the city in Adelaide, and it was a pretty cool place to grow up.

Signet: South Australia has a real pride to it, are you proud to be from South Oz?

Joe: I'm very proud to be from South Australia. From the basketball side of things, I loved watching the Adelaide 36ers. Brett Maher was my favourite player, but I'm friends with him now, so I don't have to say that anymore. For me, it's where life started, where my friends are. It's where our first home was so it's always going to hold a special place. Now that I'm playing for the Utah Jazz, they call my name out, and they say I'm from Adelaide it's pretty cool!

Signet: Did you grow up dreaming of playing in the NBA, or was it more about the 36ers?

Joe: No, it definitely wasn't about the NBA for me. I wanted to play for the 36ers, a part of that extension I guess was Brett Maher playing at the Olympic Games. I think to watch, and following his career, as it went from the NBL to the Olympic Games and playing for Australia, I knew that's what I wanted to do. I think most basketball players growing up are like, "I want to play in the NBA". For me, it was flipped a little bit because I was so obsessed with Brett Maher, that I wanted to play for Australia and the 36ers. Growing up for me, the Australians are the ones that stand out in my memory. Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills and Delly. Guys that have high draft picks or were winning championships. It keeps evolving, even more recently with Ben Simmons getting selected number one in the NBA draft and Dante Exum getting selected number five a few years ago. I guess being Australian, having a population of 24 million people, and only having four or five guys playing in the league at the time, it was pretty cool to kind of know those guys and see them doing what they were doing.

Signet: You were initially waived from playing with the Los Angeles Clippers. That must have felt like a setback at the time?

Joe: I played the last game with the Clippers and felt like it was 50/50 whether I made it or not, and Renae (Ingles' wife) was on a flight over to L.A. So, when she took off from Australia, I had a good chance to make the team. When she landed in L.A., I had already been cut so I had to explain to her that I didn't have a job at that point. It was one of the harder times of our lives, especially basketball-wise. Then Renae and I were sitting at lunch, and I remember getting a call from my agent about the Utah Jazz. In my head, and I think in her head too we were both like, I'm going to make this team. It doesn't matter who's there or if I'm trying out against LeBron James, I'm making it! There was one spot for two or three guys in Utah when I first got there. I wasn't going to be the one getting cut again. Lucky enough I didn't, and now five years later, they're still stuck with me!

Signet: You and your wife Renae have done amazing things for raising awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) based on your own experiences with your son Jacob's diagnosis. We've loved seeing the basketball community rally behind driving awareness with things like sensory rooms. How has it felt going public with your family's journey and seeing the community's response?

Joe: It's one of those things, we were sitting at home like any family. We got Jacob's diagnosis and ended up going away for a break as a family, and we thought, what do we want to do with this situation? First and foremost, we wanted to make sure Jacob got the best support he could. Then we just kept coming back to thinking how many other people can we help by raising awareness of ASD? We partnered with Chloe Maxell and Matt Rogers in Australia on the board of their charity 4ASD Kids. They were key people in helping us go public to help as many people as we can. We decided to write a piece about our experience as a family to help others who might be going through the same challenges. As parents, we think about if Jacob will have the same experiences and opportunities as other kids because of his diagnosis. We wanted to find the best places near our home in Utah to get Jacob the best support. He has gone to the same place for a couple of years now and loves the time he spends with the therapists there. I literally just texted one of his therapists on the plane and told him he'll probably never really grasp how much he's done for our son. I could sit here, and we could talk about this the whole time. It's something I'm really passionate about. We joined 4ASD Kids to help raise funds as the support that these kids need comes at such a high cost to families. I'll do whatever I can to raise awareness to help these families as much as possible. We're excited about the sensory rooms we've been able to do at stadiums here in Utah and in Australia. Why not have a sensory room in every stadium in Australia! We just signed a contract for another year at Marvel Stadium to keep that going which is exciting, but there's also a long way to go. My end goal for this would be somehow to open a school for kids with ASD in each state in Australia to make it accessible for everyday Australians to give their kids the support they need. Two years ago, our son was non-verbal, and after the support, he's had, the other day he told me his nappy needed to go in the garbage, and I was like "Where did you learn the word 'garbage'"!? It just blows my mind. This is all stuff I'm extremely passionate about. We're going to keep raising awareness and try and help as many people as possible along the way.

Signet: Tell us about the camaraderie between Aussie players when you meet each other on the road in the NBA season?

Joe: We always try and catch up before and after the game depending on schedules. I don't think many Aussie's get caught up in the NBA world – it's always awesome to go to Patty Mills' or Delly's house and talk about the Boomers or be able to talk about something like the Australian fires and have a real conversation. It's nice to catch up with people who speak the same as you and understand the Aussie slang! Even on the court, having fun and talking trash together – I love being able to go out and guard other Aussies.

Signet: How does it feel to have a brand like Signet supporting the Boomers ahead of the Olympic Games?

Joe: It's funny because when I first started, we were begging for sponsors. The female Aussie basketball team were killing it with all the medals they were winning. Recently, a lot of brands want to be involved with us – but they need to be the right brands. I think we're very lucky to have Signet be a part of the Boomers. To see Signet share in the passion that we have, I think it's rare. As a team, you want to have partners that are as passionate and committed as we are, so I think it's a perfect partnership!

Signet is proud to support Joe, the Aussie Boomers and over 60,000 Aussie ventures.