David Barlow (basketball)

Professional career

David Barlow came back to Australia in 2003 and joined the Sydney Kings in the NBL. Over four seasons with the Kings, he collected two championship rings. A training session on 27 November 2006 ended badly when he tore the ACL in his right knee, forcing him to miss the remainder of the 2006–07 NBL season. During the 2004 to 2006 period, he also suited up for the Sydney Comets in the Waratah League.

Spain (2009–2013)

In April 2007, he moved to the Melbourne Tigers and, in his second season there, helped the club capture the 2007–08 NBL title. After leaving the Tigers in August 2009, he signed a one-year contract with CAI Zaragoza in Spain. That season, Zaragoza won the LEB Oro championship, and Barlow stayed on for another year. August 2011 saw him ink a one-year deal with UCAM Murcia, which turned into a two-year extension in July 2012 before the two sides parted ways in July 2013.

On 9 August 2013, he agreed to a two-year contract with Polish side Stelmet Zielona Góra, but that stint ended on 14 January 2014. Melbourne United signed him to a two-year deal on 2 July 2014. In the 2014–15 season, he averaged 9.0 points and 3.7 rebounds across 25 games. An Achilles injury wiped out his entire 2015–16 campaign.

Melbourne United, Obradoiro and Sandringham Sabres (2014–2023)

He re-signed with United on 24 May 2016 for the 2016–17 season, though a calf problem kept him out of the first nine games. After that NBL season, he played a single game for Obradoiro in Spain to close out the 2016–17 ACB season. On 16 June 2017, he re-signed with United for the 2017–18 season, and in March 2018 he helped the team win another NBL championship. The following off-season, he was slated to play for the Hawke's Bay Hawks in New Zealand but ended up with the Sandringham Sabres in the SEABL instead.

He re-signed with United on 7 May 2018 for the 2018–19 season. In March 2019, he set an NBL record by making his 26th Grand Final appearance. He returned to the Sandringham Sabres in April 2019. On 29 April 2019, he re-signed with United for the 2019–20 season.

A thumb injury in a pre-season game cost him United's two NBLxNBA exhibitions and the first two regular-season rounds, but he came back to help the team reach the semi-finals. He re-signed with United on 22 July 2020 for the 2020–21 season, and in June 2021 he helped the club win yet another NBL championship.

National team career

David Barlow first suited up for the Australian Boomers at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan. His first Olympic appearance came at the Beijing 2008 Games, where the team placed seventh. Two years later, he competed at the World Championships in Turkey, with Australia finishing tenth.

At the London 2012 Olympics, the Boomers dropped their first two group games to Brazil and Spain. They then beat China, host Great Britain, and Russia to reach the quarterfinals, where they faced the United States. Australia lost 119–86 to the eventual champions, ending the tournament in seventh place.

Did You Know?

• Barlow played for the Sandringham Sabres of the Big V from 2001 to 2003.
• In 2002, he moved to the United States to attend Metropolitan State University of Denver, averaging 2.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in 2002–03.
• In February 2026, he was appointed an assistant coach for the Australian Boomers for two FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.