Sam Froling
Samson James Froling is an Australian professional basketball player for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League. He played college basketball for the Creighton Bluejays for one season before leaving to play professionally in Australia.
Early life
Froling was born in Townsville, Queensland, in the suburb of Hyde Park.College career
In January 2018, Froling committed to play college basketball for the Creighton Bluejays after receiving offers from programs including Wichita State, Arizona and Maryland. In 30 games for Creighton during the 2018–19 season, Froling averaged 3.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 8.9 minutes a game. On 1 April 2019, Froling announced he would be leaving Creighton to pursue professional opportunities in Australia.Professional career
On the same day as announcing he had left Creighton, Froling was listed on the roster for the Dandenong Rangers of the Australian semi-professional league NBL1. In 16 games for the Rangers during the league's inaugural 2019 [NBL1 season|2019 season], Froling averaged 16.9 points and 7.6 rebounds a game.On 6 May 2019, Froling signed a three-year deal with the Illawarra Hawks of the NBL. His remaining contract with Illawarra was voided when the club was liquidated on 18 May 2020.
On 22 July 2020, Froling re-signed with the Hawks on a new two-year deal. He re-signed to a new three-year deal on 25 February 2022.
On 22 February 2023, Froling signed with the Levanga Hokkaido of the Japanese B.League.
With the Hawks in the 2023–24 NBL season, Froling won the NBL Next Generation Award.
Froling joined the Taranaki Airs of the New Zealand National Basketball League for the 2024 [New Zealand NBL season|2024 season]. In July 2024, he joined the Indiana Pacers for the NBA Summer League.
With the Hawks in the 2024–25 NBL season, Froling helped the team finish on top of the regular-season ladder and earned All-NBL Second Team honours. In the NBL Grand Final series against Melbourne United, Froling suffered an Achilles injury in the second quarter of a game four victory. He was subsequently ruled out until 2026.
On 29 April 2025, Froling re-signed with the Hawks on a three-year deal. He will make his return from injury on Christmas Day, 2025.
National team career
Froling played for the Australian national junior program between 2015 and 2019. He debuted for the Australia men's national [basketball team|Australian Boomers] during the 2022 [FIBA Asia Cup qualification|FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers] in 2020. He played for the Boomers in the 2023 [FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification (Asia)|FIBA World Cup qualifiers] in 2021 and at the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup.In November 2024, Froling joined the Boomers for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.