36er knew his NBL days were numbered when he had the 'most pain ever'

From a career-best season, to "lucky" to being able to go on a long walk, Isaac Humphries is just 28 and has had to retire from professional basketball.

"I actually can't play again," he told ABC Sport's Summer Grandstand program.

"I'll be lucky if I can go on, like, a long walk. It's gotten to that point."

After a dominant NBL26 campaign, many 36ers fans were hopeful the centre would at worst miss the 2026/27 season, after not making an appearance in the first few rounds of the new fixture because he was struggling with a knee injury.

But on Tuesday morning, Humphries made the shock announcement he was retiring.

"I don't think there's coming back or playing any form of basketball or sport for me in the future, unfortunately," he said.

"The decision wasn't really mine in the end.

"I couldn't really change anything medically — I just can't play anymore."

Proudest achievement off court

His announcement has further implications than just the impact on a team looking to go one step further than championship runner-up.

In 2022, Humphries made history while playing for Melbourne United by publicly revealing his sexuality and becoming the first male NBL player to do so, and the second person ever in any top-tier basketball league to be openly gay.

He played in the NBA, represented Australia on the international stage and co-captained the 36ers to the 2026 Championship Series.

But coming out is his proudest achievement.

"That was a very big decision to make and it was incredibly scary," he said.

"It's been the best thing I could have ever done."

Humphries is worried his exit from basketball will reduce representation in the sport but is confident his legacy will remain.

"Because I was the only gay player that was playing in the world, now that I've retired, I'm a bit sad the physical visibility won't be there for basketball, but I understand that what I was able to do and the legacy of it will still be there,"

he said.

"It really was a really big moment for me and my community, and I'll always be very proud of that one."

Extent of injury

In announcing his retirement at a relatively young age, the 211-centimetre centre has detailed just how much his knee had been bothering him.

"It was around pre-season … I was just in the most pain ever. I couldn't describe how much pain I was in with my knee,"

he said.

That pain forced Humphries, who has been playing professional basketball for a decade, into seeking medical advice.

"The more doctors I saw, the more they were like, 'What are you doing? How can you move? How have you been playing?'," he said.

"It's just a really, really bad knee."

Humphries said his forced retirement brought a mixed bag of emotions but he has been looking ahead to what is next in store.

"I might take a little trip down memory lane with [my] music as well, because I've sort of had a bit of a break over the last couple of year," he said.

"I don't really know exactly what I'm going to do yet … but I love to talk and share my stories and I think that's a great way of just keeping my legacy alive."

Humphries will be staying with the club in a non-playing role, and a celebration of his career will take place in December.

You can hear ABC Sport's call of Adelaide 36ers home games on ABC Listen and 891 ABC Adelaide.