Seventeen seasons in, still changing games

He has won more games than anyone in Perth Wildcats history, yet Jesse Wagstaff is still finding new ways to shape winning moments.

In the final game of NBL26, the 39-year-old delivered another reminder of his enduring impact.

From the first time he stepped onto an NBL floor, Wagstaff has built his career on winning plays. Nearly two decades later, that instinct hasn’t faded. If anything, it is as sharp as ever.

On Friday night, he produced one of his most influential performances in years. Wagstaff finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in the 86–74 victory over the Adelaide 36ers, a result that secured fourth spot and locked in a Seeding Qualifier with the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Wednesday, March 4. It marked the first time since NBL17 that he had posted numbers of that level.

But the box score only told part of the story.

With Bryce Cotton sidelined, Adelaide burst out of the blocks, scoring the first nine points in under two minutes. John Rillie turned to Wagstaff, and the tone of the contest shifted immediately.

Four quick points. A rebound. A steal. An assist.

In the space of a few possessions, the momentum swung. The Wildcats steadied, then surged, on their way to the 12-point win.

His coach may have been impressed. Surprised, though, would be another matter entirely.

“Impressed? Absolutely because he influenced the game and impacted the game at both ends in different ways,” Rillie said.

“But probably what gets lost in all of this with Jesse is that he understands the moment and the occasion, and what it calls for, so he is probably sitting there for the first couple of minutes, going ‘oh strewth, I’ve gotta get something going on tonight to get us going.’

“That’s what he’s made a career out of, living in the moment and very few people can understand that and feel it naturally to take it upon themselves, and you saw that in full effect tonight.”

It is that instinct for the moment that has defined Wagstaff’s career.

Already one of the greatest winners in NBL history, he now holds the record for most wins with a single club, 337 for the Perth Wildcats, alongside six championships. The numbers are historic. The consistency is even more remarkable.

“For me it’s just great to see him get rewarded for how he goes about his work every day,” Rillie said.

“When you’re around young guys you just try to use him an example that success will come as long as you stay the course and he does it every day.

“To see someone get rewarded because they go about their business the right way, that’s pleasing for me and it’s amazing that he goes out there and changes the momentum of the game, and things just fall into place for you.”

Seventeen regular seasons into his NBL career,Wagstaff is still shifting games in meaningful ways.

Across the last 12 outings, with the Perth Wildcats going 10–2, Wagstaff sits at +71 in his minutes on the floor. The impact is measurable. The influence is undeniable.

Yet, in typical fashion, he was quick to downplay his Friday night heroics.

“I think my role hasn’t changed in however many years I've been playing and sometimes it's to go out there and not shoot the basketball, and sometimes it is to shoot the basketball,” Wagstaff said.

“Sometimes it's to crash, sometimes to get back and it's just kinda doing whatever's needed and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”

That mindset, steady and selfless, is exactly why his influence continues to endure.