Biwali Bayles (right) shares a moment with Hawks teammate “Dave” Hickey. The pair grew up in Redfern together and attended the same high school. Photo: Joel Armstrong/Illawarra Hawks.
The first thing you notice about Illawarra Hawks guard Biwali Bayles now isn’t the swagger people remember from his teenage years, it’s the calm.
There’s still confidence, plenty of it, but it’s quieter, measured. The kind that comes from someone who has already been tested, already been doubted and already decided, long ago, that none of it was going to change the destination.
Bayles is 23 now, back in the Illawarra, contributing in spurts, waiting for his moments and taking them when they come. Hawks fans are starting to see it … not always in points or highlights, but in the way he settles the group, hustles, reads the floor and values possessions. It’s the product of time, experience and a journey that has forced him to grow up faster than most.
“I’ve never thought this wasn’t going to work,” Bayles says flatly.
“Not once. Since I was a kid.”
Here are five things (OK, six actually) Illawarra fans probably don’t know about the Hawks guard who is learning to play the long game.
1. He’s friends with global stars … but only one really counts
Ask Bayles who is the most famous person in his phone who would answer if he rang them, and he doesn’t hesitate.
“Probably Kyg.”
Nick Kyrgios. And not in a name-drop way.
Mid-interview in an instant, Bayles FaceTimes him. Kyrgios answers. Biwali explains the reason for the call. They laugh. It’s casual – no performance, no flex.
Their friendship goes back to his years as a teenager with the Sydney Kings — to a simple gym session organised through mutual friends, long before either was who they are now.
“A hoop session became mates,” Bayles shrugs. “Since then we’ve just been boys.”
There are other famous names in his contacts, but they’re not the same.
“Kyg’s the only famous person I’m actually close with,” he says. “We’ll just FaceTime and talk about whatever.”
It’s telling. Bayles isn’t impressed by proximity to celebrity. He values real connection — something that has shaped how he’s navigated the highs and lows of professional sport.
2. He never once thought basketball wouldn’t work out
This might be the most surprising revelation.
Cuts, limited minutes, being let go, playing overseas – none of it ever shook his belief.
“Never crossed my mind,” he says. “Not once.”
Even when he left the NBL? “Never. I’m wired like that.”
That confidence isn’t arrogance. It’s identity.
“I still see myself making the league (NBA),” he says. “If I didn’t believe that, I don’t know if I could live with myself.”
It’s the same belief that carried him through junior disappointments, missed selections and injuries — and eventually to NBA Summer League with the New York Knicks.
“That experience was huge,” he says.
“It reiterated that I am good at basketball.”
3. Going overseas didn’t change him, it confirmed him
Banished to the basketball wilderness in Switzerland after a fickle NBL fraternity had lost faith through his time with the Kings and a short stint with the Hawks, Switzerland wasn’t a humbling wake-up call. It was confirmation.
The language barriers, the culture shock, the isolation — none of it rattled him.
“I’ve always been independent,” Bayles says. “It wasn’t crazy for me.”
What did change was how comfortable he became with himself.
“I started doing stuff by myself, traveling by myself – Paris, Barcelona, snow trips.”
Before, he wouldn’t go to the beach alone. Now he enjoys solitude.
“I genuinely enjoy being by myself,” he says. “I think it’s the best.”
The lesson wasn’t survival. It was self-trust. “I’m built for this,” he says simply.
4. Being ‘wanted’ matters more than minutes
Bayles’ return to Illawarra wasn’t driven by promises of playing time or role clarity. It was driven by something more basic.
“I felt more wanted,” he says.
He contrasts that with earlier stops in his career, where he now feels he was valued more for what he represented than who he was.
“Looking back (to his time with the Sydney Kings which started as a 17-year-old), I don’t think they wanted me for me,” he says. “It was more about what they could get out of me.”
At the Hawks, the approach felt different.
“Mat Campbell reached out, took initiative,” Bayles says. “That mattered.”
Even now, with minutes that fluctuate, he remains grounded.
“Four minutes, 14 minutes, 22 minutes or DNPs — whatever it is, I’m locked in,” he says. “As long as we keep winning.”
It’s a mindset forged by experience … and one Illawarra fans are starting to appreciate.
5. He doesn’t count his championship ring … and he’s OK with that
Bayles owns an NBL championship ring from his time in Sydney.
He doesn’t count it.
“I want a ring where I contributed,” he says. “I want a ring where I earned that.”
He remembers the celebration vividly — sitting off to the side while teammates cried with joy. He was happy for them, genuinely. But it wasn’t his moment.
“I want an A on the group project,” he laughs. “Not just my name on it.”
It’s not bitterness, it’s standards.
And it explains why patience defines his approach now.
6. He plays chess — and it explains everything
The thing that would surprise people most has nothing to do with basketball.
“I’m good at chess,” Bayles says, dead serious.
He learned young – rocked up to school an hour early; beat the chess club kids; kept playing.
“I’m confident I can go toe-for-toe with a lot of people.”
Chess taught him patience, foresight, sacrifice.
“You’ve got to think moves ahead,” he says.
It’s also taught him how to live.
“When I was younger, I was always rushing,” he says. “What’s next? What’s next?”
Now, he’s present.
“I don’t have to rush it,” he says. “Timing matters.”
He’s no longer trying to please coaches, fans or expectations.
“I’m just embracing who I am,” he says. “People are going to love or hate you regardless.”
He pauses, then smiles.
“Sometimes,” he says, “you’ve just got to play the long game.”
Checkmate, Biwali.
The Illawarra Hawks take on the Adelaide 36ers at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Saturday night from 5:30 pm. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
