Biwali Bayles

Biwali Bayles was born on 15 February 2002 in Brisbane.^[1] He moved to the Sydney suburb of Redfern with his family when he was one or two years old, and grew up in The Block, which is home to him. He was a big fan of Brisbane Broncos player Jharal Yow Yeh, and at one point wanted to make a career out of rugby league football, until his mother suggested giving basketball a try.^[2]

Bayles committed to playing college basketball at Hawaii in January 2020.^[3]

He led the team in assists per game (2.6) in his lone season with the program, while also averaging 6.2 points per game. He also hit a three-point shot against Cal State Northridge that would prove to be the game-winning shot for Hawaii.^[4]

Bayles left the program in March 2021 to turn professional and play in Australia.^[5][2]

Bayles signed with the Sydney Kings on 27 April 2021.^[6] He helped the Kings win the 2022 NBL championship.^[7]

On 14 January 2023, it was announced that Bayles would be taking paid leave of absence from Kings for the rest of the 2022–23 season.^[8] The Kings went on to win the 2023 NBL championship.^[9]

On 25 May 2023, Bayles signed with the Illawarra Hawks as a development player for the 2023–24 NBL season.^[10]

In August 2024, Bayles signed with BBC Nyon of the Swiss Basketball League.^[11] He earned All-Domestic Team honours.^[12]

On 15 September 2025, Bayles signed a two-year deal with the Illawarra Hawks, returning to the team for a second stint.^[12]

In 2020, Bayles had a two-game stint with the BA Centre of Excellence in the Waratah League. In 2021, he had a two-game stint with the Inner West Bulls, also in the Waratah League.^[13]

Bayles played for the Mackay Meteors of the NBL1 North during the 2022 NBL1 season. He continued in the NBL1 North in the 2023 season with the North Gold Coast Seahawks before joining the Sydney Comets of the NBL1 East for the 2024 season.^[13] He re-joined the Comets for the 2025 NBL1 East season.^[14]

In June 2025, Bayles played for the Indigenous Basketball Australia All-Stars team in an exhibition match against Maori Basketball New Zealand.^[15] In July 2025, he played for the New York Knicks in the NBA Summer League.^[16][17][18]

He is set to join the Bendigo Braves of the NBL1 South for the 2026 season.^[19]

Bayles won a gold medal at the FIBA U17 Oceania Championships in 2019 playing for the Australia national under-17 team.^[20][21] He has also been a member of the Australia national under-19 team, playing for them at the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup.^[22]