Who is William 'Davo' Hickey: Hero of Game 4

• William Hickey ran the Hawks' offense in Game 4 with the savviness of 200-game NBL veteran
• Hickey started Game 4 of the NBL Finals in place of injured Hawks star Trey Kell III
• Hickey has played almost 100 NBL games since 2019

William "Davo" Hickey had been waiting years for the opportunity to prove what he could truly do on the game's biggest stage and that moment arrived in Game 4 of the 2025 NBL Finals against Melbourne United with NBL First Team guard Trey Kell III out with a bruised knee.

NBL Coach of the Year Justin Tatum inserted Hickey, 26, into the starting line-up with Illawarra Hawks season on the line on March 19, 2025. And, did he deliver!

Hickey had 22 points on 9-from-22 from the field, grabbed six rebounds and dished out eight assists to go with three steals and a block in 30 minutes.

He is the first First Nations men's player to score more than 20 points in the NBL Finals game.

A dynamic and explosive point guard, he had shown glimpses of his potential, but it wasn’t until the latter stages of NBL24 that everything finally came together.

Key Details

• Date of Birth: 18th January, 1999‍
• Height: 1.94m‍
• Weight: 92 kgs‍
• Nationality: Australian‍
• Hometown: Cowra, NSW‍
• Nickname: Davo

As the Illawarra Hawks mounted a stunning late-season charge in NBL24, Hickey found himself at the heart of it all — playing big minutes, embracing a key role, and having the ball in his hands when it mattered most.

By the time the Hawks came within one game of reaching the 2024 NBL Championship Series, Hickey had delivered in the biggest moments, proving he belonged on the big stage.

Now, 26 years old and 94 games into his NBL career, he has emerged as one of the toughest, energy guys in the NBL, having taken the long road through the league with stops at South East Melbourne Phoenix, Melbourne United, and now Illawarra.

His journey began in Cowra, a regional town in New South Wales, where his basketball dreams first took shape.

He was a Sydney Comets junior representative and was a fixture in the club's local competition. His return to Comets for the Albury-Wodonga Bandits at the start of NBL1 2024 was a showcase as he went head-to-head with former Sydney Kings guard Biwali Bayles in a shoot out for the ages.

In 2019, he earned his first NBL opportunity as a development player with the South East Melbourne Phoenix. However, minutes were scarce, and he saw the court just twice that season. Determined to prove himself, he turned to the NBL1 South competition, where a standout 2021 campaign with the Ballarat Miners reignited his professional ambitions.

His performances earned him another development player opportunity, this time with Melbourne United in 2021/22. He managed seven appearances but once again found himself back in the NBL1 South the following offseason, this time with the Casey Cavaliers. Each step reinforced his hunger to make an impact at the highest level.

Hickey’s persistence paid off in NBL23 when the Illawarra Hawks offered him another development player spot. This time, he seized the opportunity, becoming part of the team's backcourt rotation and appearing in 24 games while averaging 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds. After another season in the 'Gong, he stayed sharp with a strong NBL1 East campaign before returning to the Hawks for NBL24.

Under new head coach Justin Tatum, his role expanded dramatically in the back half of the season. Given the opportunity, he thrived — playing big minutes and producing when it counted, particularly in the playoffs, as Illawarra pushed toward a championship berth.

Building on that momentum, Hickey delivered a dominant 2024 NBL1 East season for the Albury-Wodonga Bandits, where he was named to the All First Team and earned Best Defensive Player honours. Averaging 22.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 7.9 assists, he showcased the all-around game that had been years in the making.

Now, with his breakthrough season behind him, Hickey is no longer just waiting for an opportunity — he has created one. And with his game at its peak, the best may still be yet to come.

And now, he has the Hawks on the cusp of their first championship in more than two decades.