Wagstaff: "It's a Pretty Damn Good Job"

Jesse Wagstaff is delighted to be running around again for the Perth Wildcats in NBL24, but it was a far from straightforward decision for the 37-year-old.

The upcoming campaign will mark Wagstaff’s 15^th consecutive NBL season with the Wildcats, and with six titles to his name already – one more championship will see him become the most decorated winner in the history of the competition.

His re-signing represents something of a port in a storm for the roster, which has undergone drastic change already in this off-season.

<iframe src="https://omny.fm/shows/nbl-podcasts/jesse-wagstaff-on-sen-june-2-2023/embed?style=artwork" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write" width="100%" height="180" frameborder="0" title="Jesse Wagstaff on SEN - June 2, 2023"></iframe>

“Basketball is a significant part of my life and my families’ lives, but it isn’t the be all and end all,” Wagstaff told SEN. “There were some things I wanted to pursue away from the court and decide if the time was right to pursue them, but at the end of the day I thought while I’m still physically capable and my head is in the right space, it’s a pretty damn good job.

“The joy I saw when we told the kids I’m playing again [was incredible]. They love game nights and going down to the city. It’s quite embarrassing that my wife has labelled Perth city ‘my city’. Every time they see the city they say ‘dad’s city’.

“It’s a bigger picture than my final year potentially, or my final game.”

Since his debut in 2009, Wagstaff has become synonymous with the Perth Wildcats.

He formed an integral part of the core – including Damian Martin, Shawn Redhage and Greg Hire – that played in and set the foundations for the bulk of the side’s championships this century.

That being said, the club legend revealed there was a chance he could have been suiting up in a different uniform for the upcoming season.

“Nothing is black and white,” he said. “I am well aware this sport is a business as well, and there are certainly other great places to live in Australia.

“My wife was certainly not keen for an adventure, but she was up for moving elsewhere.

“I’m aware of that side, but I’m also aware of the side [that] it’s pretty rare you get to play for a decade-and-a-half at the same organisation, and at an organisation like the Wildcats.

“That’s something I rake great pride in, and I think it’s important to be a one club player – it’s pretty rare these days and it’s certainly important to me.”

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As the season begins to approach then, the amount of room for sentiment across the competition will become drastically reduced. Only one thing will be on the mind of Wagstaff and the Wildcats - another championship.

Should the Wildcats earn a lengthy post-season run though, there is the potential for the former NBL Rookie of the Year to pass the legend that is Ricky Grace as the all-time highest appearance maker for the side - a record that is firmly parked at the back of the club captain’s mind.

“I didn’t think I’d get to 50 games to be honest, so everything’s a bonus really,” he said. “Ricky’s obviously a legend not only of the club, but of the league in general.

“It would be a huge honour but there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge before that. I’ve got to stay healthy, I’ve got to stay active, and there’s a whole season to go before that happens.

“The goal – especially at a club like the Wildcats – is always a championship.

“It’s a privilege and a rarity to finish winning your last game and winning a championship … but the goal at the end of the year is always to lift that championship up.”

Perth’s first game of NBL24 will come on Friday, September 29 against Tasmania.