Signet: Do you remember the moment growing up that you knew basketball could become a career for you?

Delly: I always dreamed that basketball would be my career, but I never knew it was a realistic option until I got a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra at the age of 16. That's where a lot of guys have launched their careers, and that was probably the moment where I knew I had a realistic chance of making a career out of basketball.

Signet: You went undrafted from university, not getting a spot in the NBA and were left having to prove yourself all over again. How did that feel at the time?

Delly: Going undrafted was tough. I had about 15 pre-draft workouts flying around the various teams, and there were only six people in a workout, so it was extremely competitive. Everyone was fighting to try and get picked. I was sitting there, on draft night at my college coach's house and seeing the names keep coming, it was bitterly disappointing because I'd received good feedback from the teams. I spoke to my agent and would have to go to the NBA's Summer League to prove myself all over again. Then I got to a training camp, and I had to prove myself all over again there as well.

Signet: Take us through what it was like when you finally made the NBA?

Delly: I got told that I'd made the team straight after training camp. I think for the first five games, I was in a suit sitting at the end of the bench. So, I didn't even get to pull on the uniform until there were a couple of injuries or guys missing games. Then slowly, I worked my way into the rotation by the end of the season. I had to keep proving myself in the Summer League to make the team again the following year. So, you never really stop having to prove yourself.

Signet: Did you ever talk about another career or consider that your basketball career had come to an end?

Delly: There's a lot of leagues around the world. Australia definitely has a good league in the NBL, and I had a pretty good offer from Russia in the pre-draft process. I had to commit to that before going through the draft. So, I definitely would've had options on the table, but it just makes it that much harder to make the NBA if you go undrafted.

Signet: The Boomers obviously have unfinished business going into the Olympic Games after losing the bronze medal match at Rio in the dying seconds. Going into Tokyo, what's the general feeling around camp and between the players?

Delly: Coming into this Boomers camp, there's a lot of excitement to get the whole group back together. Coming up short at the Olympics in Rio and the World Cup in China still hurts everyone to this day. For all of us, there's nothing better than pulling on the green and gold. A lot of us have grown up playing together or been in the Boomers team together for over ten years now. So, just getting back on the court together, there's a lot of excitement, and we know what we have to do, and are capable of doing, to get the job done. I'm just looking forward to getting started.

Signet: The camaraderie looks different when you compare Boomers teams to other teams in the NBA and around the world. Does it feel different for you?

Delly: Yeah, I think the togetherness of this group is something that's very special, and definitely something that I don't take for granted because it's rare that everyone can get along so well both on and off the court. I think that plays a big role in the kind of basketball we've played over the last few years. I think it's one of our huge advantages as a country having the Institute of Sport. We've grown up playing juniors, under 19's and living together, before we go all over the world to play either in college or Europe, NBL or NBA. Still, every off-season when we come back to pull on the Green and Gold, there's nothing better.

Signet: How does it feel to hear LeBron say "Delly's my guy" in defence of you when some were saying you had dirty tactics?

Delly: It always feels good when your teammates have your back, and especially when that teammate is LeBron James, and he's standing up for you.

Signet: That aside, do you wish you'd made a better secret handshake with LeBron? (Delly went viral for his very "Aussie" handshake with Lebron in comparison to his teammates' flashy versions).

Delly: (Smiling) Ah no, that was our handshake, just you know, Aussie. Solid handshake. All business (laughs).

Signet: How does your championship ring and your success in the NBA compare to pulling on the Green and Gold.

Delly: It was an amazing feeling winning a ring with Cleveland and breaking a 52-year drought. So that one is always going to mean a lot and Cleveland's always going to be a special place. But pulling on the Australian jersey is the ultimate for me. It's something I've dreamed of since I was a little kid growing up in Maryborough and our goal is to win a gold medal, I believe we can do it.

Signet: You're known for your commitment and toughness on the defensive end. Is that from just ridiculous amounts of hard work, or is it because you grew up drinking lots of Milo?

Delly: I guess defensive work just comes from being competitive and wanting to win. Defence isn't the most glamorous thing to do on a basketball court. It definitely helps you win and winning is fun, so I'm willing to do anything to help the team.

Signet: Do you feel you've been a bit misunderstood in your ability to get under people's skin during games or do you think some of your reputation is warranted?

Delly: I think that's just how Australians play. It's tough and physical; it doesn't matter what sport it is. I think over in the NBA guys are used to just catching the ball exactly where they want to catch it. So, if you try to deny them the ball or blow up a play by denying somebody, they can get frustrated.

Signet: What have been some of the 'pinch yourself' moments of your career?

Delly: Stepping on the court for the first time at the London Olympics was pretty special. It was always a dream of mine to represent Australia at an Olympic Games and to make it was an unbelievable feeling. I remember watching the Sydney Olympics when I was nine or ten years old and writing down on a school project that I wanted to represent Australia at the Olympic Games. I wanted it to be basketball. I didn't know how realistic that was going to be back then so I would have tried to find another sport if it didn't work out in basketball.

Signet: How does it feel to have Signet supporting the Boomers ahead of a massive 2020?

Delly: I think it's awesome that we've got Signet on board. It's not just the 12 guys on the team, it's the coaching staff, the fans and especially the sponsors. You guys are helping us achieve our dream of winning a gold medal!

Signet: Does it feel like a fairy-tale seeing Aussies from small towns make the NBA?

Delly: I think we definitely punch above our weight in terms of how many guys we have in the NBA compared to our population, but I think that's going to continue to happen.

Signet: What would you say is your proudest moment so far?

Delly: Every moment is a proud moment. Anytime you can pull on the Green and Gold, but I'm hoping and planning to have my proudest moment yet to come.

Signet: Us too Delly!

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!