Lachlan Olbrich

Olbrich was born Adelaide, South Australia.^[1] He grew up playing basketball with his older brother Mitchell and his father Greg.^[2] He attended Reynella East College in Adelaide, where he played basketball and volleyball.^[3] He represented South Australia at national basketball championships in 2020 and 2021.^[3]

In 2021, Olbrich played one game for the BA Centre of Excellence in the Waratah League and two games for the Southern Tigers in the NBL1 Central.^[4]

In October 2021, Olbrich signed with the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League (NBL) as a development player for the 2021–22 season.^[5] He appeared in three games for the 36ers during the season.^[4]

Olbrich re-joined the Southern Tigers of the NBL1 Central for the 2022 season. He was named to the All-Star Five^[6] and won the Frank Angove Award as the league's best under 23 player.^[7] In 12 games, he averaged 19.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.^[4]

Olbrich moved to the United States to play college basketball for the UC Riverside Highlanders of the Big West Conference in the 2022–23 season.^[8] He averaged 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He was subsequently named Big West Freshman of the Year and earned All-Big West Honorable Mention honours.^[1][3] He became just the second Big West Freshman of the Year in UC Riverside history.^[9]

Olbrich returned to the NBL1 Central and joined the West Adelaide Bearcats for the 2023 season. He was once again named to the All-Star Five and won his second Frank Angove Award.^[10] He helped the Bearcats reach the NBL1 Central Grand Final, where they defeated the Forestville Eagles 106–95 to win the championship behind Olbrich's 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. He was subsequently named grand final MVP.^[11] In 18 games, he averaged 21.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.^[4]

On 4 April 2023, Olbrich signed a three-year deal with the Illawarra Hawks of the NBL.^[12] He had a breakout showing in the pre-season NBL Blitz but struggled early in the regular season. Upon coach Justin Tatum taking over midway through the season, Olbrich went on to prove himself as a capable back-up for captain Sam Froling.^[13] In 31 games in the 2023–24 NBL season, he averaged 3.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.^[4] Following his first NBL season, he had hopes of declaring for the 2025 NBA draft.^[14]

Olbrich joined the Canterbury Rams of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) for the 2024 season.^[15] On the day he debuted for the Rams on 27 March,^[2] he was informed that his father had died in South Australia. He subsequently returned home for an extended period.^[16] In his first game back with the Rams in late April, he scored a season-high 35 points against the Hawke's Bay Hawks.^[2][17] He helped the Rams finish top of the competition with a 17–3 record that included a 16-game winning streak.^[18] For the season, he was named the New Zealand NBL Most Valuable Player alongside All-Star Five, Most Outstanding Forward and Youth Player of the Year.^[19][20] In the semi-final, Olbrich had 22 points and 16 rebounds and made the game-winning layup with seconds left in a 112–111 double-overtime win over the Taranaki Airs.^[21][22] In the NZNBL Grand Final, he had 29 points, 18 rebounds and six assists to lead the Rams to a 102–87 victory over the Auckland Tuatara to win the championship.^[18][23] Olbrich was named grand final MVP.^[24]

Olbrich entered the 2024–25 NBL season after a standout NBL Blitz pre-season tournament with the Hawks, demonstrating his potential in front of NBA scouts.^[25] On 28 November 2024, he scored a career-high 21 points in just 13 minutes of court time in a 109–71 win over the New Zealand Breakers.^[26][27] He helped the Hawks earn their first ever minor premiership by finishing on top of the ladder^[28] with a 20–9 record.^[29][30] They went on to reach the NBL Grand Final with a 2–1 semi-finals series victory over the South East Melbourne Phoenix.^[31] In the grand final series against Melbourne United, Olbrich had averaged 8 points in just 16 minutes per game heading into game four down 2–1.^[32] In game four, the Hawks lost starting forward Sam Froling in the first quarter to a knee injury. Olbrich stepped up to score 13 points in 25 minutes in an 80–71 series-tying win.^[32][33] In game five, Olbrich scored 12 points in helping the Hawks win the NBL championship with a 114–104 series-clinching victory.^[34] In 37 games for the season, he averaged 8.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.^[35]

Olbrich declared for the 2025 NBA draft,^[35] where he was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 55th overall pick. His draft rights were then immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls.^[36][37][38] On 3 July 2025, he signed a two-way contract with the Bulls and joined the team for the 2025 NBA Summer League.^[39][40] In his NBA debut on 30 November 2025, he recorded two points and three rebounds in a 103–101 loss to the Indiana Pacers.^[41][42] On 1 February 2026, he scored nine points while making his first career 3-pointer in a 134–91 loss to the Miami Heat.^[43] On 12 April, Olbrich recorded his first career triple-double, compiling 10 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists during a 149–128 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.^[44]

In November 2024, Olbrich joined the Australian Boomers for the first time to compete in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.^[45]