# Jack McVeigh

Jack Edward McVeigh (born 27 June 1996) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 2015 to 2018. McVeigh started his professional career with the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 2018 and spent three seasons with the team. He joined the Tasmania JackJumpers for their inaugural season in 2021 and led them to an NBL championship in 2024, earning the NBL Grand Final Most Valuable Player Award. McVeigh played for the Australian national team at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

## Early life and career

McVeigh was born in Murwillumbah, New South Wales. He grew up in nearby Cabarita Beach before moving to Gold Coast for boarding school. He attended The Southport School and played for the North Gold Coast Seahawks. He graduated from Lake Ginninderra College in Canberra in 2014.
In 2014 and 2015, McVeigh played for the BA Centre of Excellence in the South East Australian Basketball League.

## College career

McVeigh played college basketball with the Nebraska Cornhuskers between 2015 and 2018. He emerged as the team's sixth man during his sophomore season but a reduction in playing time during his junior season led to his departure from the team. In 78 games over three seasons, he made 15 starts and averaged 5.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per game.

## Professional career
### NBL, state leagues and Germany (2018–2024)

After leaving college, McVeigh returned to his hometown to play for the Gold Coast Rollers in the 2018 Queensland Basketball League season. He subsequently joined the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League on a three-year deal. He averaged 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds with the 36ers in 2018–19. He then played for the North Adelaide Rockets in the 2019 Premier League season. He averaged 9.4 points per game during the 2020–21 season.
After helping the Rockets win the 2021 NBL1 Central championship, McVeigh joined the inaugural squad of the Tasmania JackJumpers, a team entering the NBL for the first time in 2021–22. He helped the JackJumpers reach the grand final series, where they lost 3–0 to the Sydney Kings.
After playing for the North Gold Coast Seahawks in the 2022 NBL1 North season, McVeigh re-joined the JackJumpers for the 2022–23 NBL season. Following the NBL season, he joined USC Heidelberg of the Basketball Bundesliga.
In the 2023–24 NBL season, the JackJumpers returned to the NBL Grand Final series with a 2–1 semi-finals series victory over the Perth Wildcats, with McVeigh scoring a game-high and career-high 27 points in game three. The JackJumpers went on to win the NBL championship with a 3–2 grand final series victory over Melbourne United. McVeigh was named grand final MVP. He was named the JackJumpers Club MVP after finishing with season averages of 17.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
On 12 April 2024, McVeigh extended his contract with the JackJumpers until the end of the 2026–27 season.

### Houston Rockets (2024–present)

On 25 July 2024, McVeigh signed a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. He became the first NBA player to wear the jersey number 58 which is the sum of the four jersey numbers he wore during his collegiate, NBL and international careers. McVeigh made his debut for the Rockets in a game against the San Antonio Spurs on 6 November and scored his first points with a three-pointer against the Oklahoma City Thunder two days later. On 9 January 2025, he scored a career-high 29 points in the Vipers' 130–118 win over the Oklahoma City Blue.

## National team career

In July 2024, McVeigh was named in the Australian Boomers' final squad for the Paris Olympics.

## Career statistics
### College

| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| 2015–16 | Nebraska | 34 | 4 | 17.0 | .350 | .340 | .690 | 2.6 | 1.0 | .4 | .1 | 4.8 |
| 2016–17 | Nebraska | 30 | 11 | 22.9 | .372 | .338 | .780 | 2.5 | .6 | .5 | .3 | 7.5 |
| 2017–18 | Nebraska | 14 | 0 | 7.5 | .345 | .333 | 1.000 | 1.1 | .1 | .4 | .1 | 1.9 |
| Career | Career | 78 | 15 | 17.6 | .361 | .339 | .746 | 2.3 | .7 | .4 | .2 | 5.3 |

## Personal life

McVeigh married his partner, Beth, in June 2024. He missed his honeymoon to attend the Australian basketball selection camp for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
McVeigh's younger brother, Lloyd, plays college basketball for the Buffalo Bulls.
McVeigh is the co-host of a podcast titled Shooters!.