Jarred Bairstow (born 5 November 1992) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Brisbane Bullets of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played three seasons of college basketball in the United States for the Central Oklahoma Bronchos before returning to Australia and spending the 2016–17 season as a development player with his hometown Brisbane Bullets in the NBL. Between 2020 and 2024, he played one season with the Perth Wildcats and three seasons with the Tasmania JackJumpers. He returned to the Bullets in 2024.
In 2013, Bairstow moved to the United States to play college basketball for the Central Oklahoma Bronchos in the NCAA Division II.[5] In his first season, he averaged 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 11 games with nine starts. In the 2014–15 season, he averaged 4.9 points and 3.1 rebounds while playing in all 30 games with seven starts. In the 2015–16 season, he averaged 8.9 points and 4.5 rebounds in 30 games with 24 starts.[5] He scored a career-high 24 points on 1 March 2016 against Central Missouri.[5]
Professional career
After playing for the South West Metro Pirates in the QBL in 2015 and 2016,[3] Bairstow joined the Brisbane Bullets as a development player for the 2016–17 NBL season.[2] He played four games for the Bullets during the season.[6] His brother Cameron Bairstow was his teammate.[2][7]
Bairstow played three more seasons for the South West Metro Pirates in the QBL between 2017 and 2019.[3][8] He returned to the Brisbane Capitals in 2020 and helped them win the Queensland State League (QSL).[9][10]
On 9 December 2020, Bairstow signed with the Perth Wildcats for the 2020–21 NBL season as an injury replacement for Majok Majok.[11][12] He was deactivated from the roster on 6 May 2021 following the Wildcats' signing of Will Magnay.[13][14][15] He returned to the active roster later that month following the season-ending injury to Bryce Cotton.[16] He played 38 games, starting in 17, and averaged 1.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.[17]
In June 2021, Bairstow joined the Sunshine Coast Phoenix of the NBL1 North.[18]
On 7 July 2021, Bairstow signed a three-year contract with the Tasmania JackJumpers, a team entering the NBL for the first time in 2021–22.[19] After playing for the Hobart Chargers in the 2022 NBL1 South season,[20] he returned to the JackJumpers for the 2022–23 NBL season.[21] He re-joined the Chargers for the 2023 NBL1 South season.[22] In the 2023–24 NBL season, he was a member of the JackJumpers' championship-winning team. He parted ways with the JackJumpers in April 2024.[23][24]
After initially signing with the North Gold Coast Seahawks,[25] Bairstow instead joined the Southern Districts Spartans for the 2024 NBL1 North season.[26]
On 12 July 2024, Bairstow signed with the Brisbane Bullets for the 2024–25 NBL season, returning to the team for a second stint.[27]
^O'Donoghue, Craig (6 May 2021). "Perth Wildcats confirm signing of Will Magnay to boost title chances". TheWest.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. But his arrival means Jarrad [sic] Bairstow will have to sit out matches unless another player is injured, given he was originally signed as an Injury Replacement Player for Majok Majok.
^O'Donoghue, Craig (6 May 2021). "Perth Wildcats recruit Will Magnay to be eased into NBL line up for key clash". TheWest.com.au. Retrieved 7 May 2021. But Jarrad [sic] Bairstow will be forced out of the team given Perth signed him as Majok Majok's Injury Replacement Player. Bairstow will still be allowed to play if any other Wildcat is unavailable because of injury of illness.