One of Australian basketball’s most familiar faces is heading to a new stop on his globetrotting career, with Mitch Creek set to continue his journey in the Saudi Basketball League.
Fox Sports Australia has revealed the former South East Melbourne Phoenix captain has signed with Al-Ula, the Medina-based club that is coming off a title-winning season. The move is understood to make the 34-year-old the highest-paid Australian basketball player outside the NBA.
Creek leaves behind a long and impressive NBL resume. Across 13 seasons, he played 340 games, spending eight years with the Adelaide 36ers before five with the Phoenix. His standout campaign came in 2023-24, when he averaged 23.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists a game.
The Horsham product’s NBL peak came in December 2022, when he torched the Sydney Kings for 46 points and 10 rebounds in a one-point win. He has also represented the Australian Boomers at the FIBA World Cup and has experience in the NBA system, including a 10-day stint with the Brooklyn Nets and a brief run with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Creek’s career has taken him well beyond Australia in recent years, with stops in Puerto Rico, China, Canada, Türkiye and Romania. He most recently starred in Canada’s CEBL, winning MVP and earning All-CEBL First Team honours before helping U-BT Cluj-Napoca claim another championship in Romania.
Al-Ula is no stranger to Australian talent either, having had Thon Maker on its roster last season. The club finished the 2025-26 campaign with a dominant 17-1 record before lifting the SBL trophy, and Creek will now be tasked with helping defend that crown.
While the move doesn’t completely rule out an NBL return one day, it appears to make that path a little less likely for one of the league’s most recognised stars.