Beginning his journey in the sport at 13, Joel Khalu has built a career spanning more than 25 years across elite basketball as a player, coach and leader.

As a player, Khalu competed in 230 games across the CBA, ABA and QBL over 11 seasons, compiling a 192-38 record and winning two National Championships and six Queensland League titles. He also spent two years playing collegiate basketball in the United States, where he helped Waukesha Tech win the 2004 WJCAA Championship while earning National Player of the Week, All-State, All-Conference and Team MVP honours.

Since transitioning into coaching, Khalu has established an extensive record across professional, international, national team and state league basketball.

Khalu currently serves as Associate Head Coach of the Illawarra Hawks in Australia's National Basketball League. Since joining the Hawks during the NBL24 season, he has been part of the club's resurgence, highlighted by the 2025 NBL Championship, the Hawks' second title and first in 24 years.

At state league level, Khalu has built one of the most successful coaching records in QBL/NBL1 North history. Across eight seasons as Head Coach of the Mackay Meteors and Cairns Marlins, he has compiled a 120-35 record and won three championships in 2015, 2021 and 2024.

In 2026, Khalu returned to his hometown to lead the Cairns Marlins, guiding the team to a historic 16-0 regular season, the first men's team in NBL1 history to complete an undefeated regular season. He was subsequently named the 2026 NBL1 North Men's Coach of the Year, becoming the first four-time recipient of the award.

Internationally, Khalu brings ten years of FIBA coaching experience across Head Coach and Assistant Coach roles. His senior international career includes 50 games and a 28-22 record, highlighted by leading the Papua New Guinea Men's National Team to the 2017 FIBA Melanesia Cup Gold Medal and two fourth-place finishes at the Pacific Games.

He also led the Australian Indigenous Men's National Team to four consecutive Trans-Tasman Series titles from 2015 to 2018 and a silver medal at the 2019 International Indigenous Basketball & Cultural Tournament.

Khalu is equally passionate about developing the next generation of international basketball talent. Most recently, he completed three years as an Assistant Coach with the Australian Emus Junior National Team. During that period, Australia won the 2023 FIBA U17 Oceania Championship and 2024 FIBA U18 Asia Cup before finishing sixth at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, Australia's best result at the tournament since 2013. He also coached the Queensland Under 20 Men's Team to an undefeated victory at the 2022 Australian Junior National Championship.

A WABC-accredited coach, Khalu has delivered coach education and development programs across Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Pacific and coached at the 2022 NBA Basketball Without Borders Asia Camp.

Across 19 seasons as a player and coach in Queensland's premier men's competition, Khalu has appeared in 12 Grand Finals and won nine championships, the most by any individual in the history of the competition.