As a youth, Purser played for the Perry Lakes Hawks in the Western Australian Basketball League (WABL).[3][4][5] He also represented Western Australia at multiple junior national championships,[6][7][8] winning silver with the Under 18 Metro team in 2007[9][10] and bronze with the Under 20 team in 2008.[2]
In 2009, Purser recorded a triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists against the Perth Redbacks on 4 April, and had a season-high 28 points against the Mandurah Magic on 16 May.[18] He helped the Hawks reach the SBL Grand Final,[19] where they were defeated 85–77 by the Lakeside Lightning.[20][21] He had eight points, two assists, one rebound and one steal in the grand final.[22] For the season, Purser won the SBL Most Improved Player Award.[23][24] In 28 games, he averaged 13.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.[18]
In 2010, Purser scored in double figures in all but one game, including a season-high 28 points against the Cockburn Cougars on 20 March.[25] The Hawks were defeated in the quarter-finals by the Geraldton Buccaneers.[26] In 26 games, he averaged 17.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game.[25]
In 2011, Purser again scored in double figures in all but one game.[27] On 6 June, he recorded 16 points, 21 rebounds and seven assists in a 94–85 win over the Goldfields Giants.[28] He was subsequently named Player of the Week for Round 12.[28] He later had back-to-back games with 28 points on 10 July and 16 July.[27] The Hawks reached the SBL Grand Final for the second time in three years,[29] where they were defeated 88–83 by the Wanneroo Wolves despite 18 points from Purser.[30] In 22 games, he averaged 18.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game.[27]
Purser was named team captain for the 2012 season.[31] On 26 May, he scored 32 points in a 95–90 win over the Willetton Tigers.[32][33] The Hawks missed the finals in 2012 for the first time since 1992,[34] with Purser averaging 17.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals in 19 games.[35]
In 2013, Purser had three games with 30 points of more,[36] including 34 points in a 104–97 win over the Perth Redbacks on 26 July.[37] He helped the Hawks return to the semi-finals, where they lost to the Wanneroo Wolves.[38][39] In 29 games, he averaged 17.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game.[36]
In 2014, Purser recorded a triple-double with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in a 138–134 double-overtime win over the Stirling Senators on 23 May.[40] On 21 June, he scored a season-high 31 points against the Joondalup Wolves.[41] He scored in double figures in all but one game[41] as the Hawks missed the finals.[42] He appeared in all 26 games, averaging 20.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.[41] At the season's end, Purser played for the North All-Stars in the first North v South SBL All-Star game in over a decade.[43][44][45]
In 2015, Purser helped the Hawks return to the finals following a successful second half of the season where they won nine of their final 13 games.[46][47] They lost in the quarter-finals to the Joondalup Wolves.[47][48] On 4 July, in his 200th SBL game,[49] Purser had 29 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four steals in a 104–102 overtime win over the Goldfields Giants.[50][51] He appeared in all 29 games, averaging 18.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.[52]
In 2016, Purser participated in the SBL All-Star Game[53][54] and earned SBL All-Defensive Five honours.[55] On 7 May, he scored a season-high 31 points in a 92–91 loss to the Willetton Tigers.[56] In the Hawks' regular-season finale on 29 July, he recorded 24 points and 21 rebounds in a 102–96 win over the Kalamunda Eastern Suns.[57] The Hawks lost in the quarter-finals to the Cockburn Cougars. Purser once again appeared in all 29 games, averaging 15.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game.[58]
In 2017, Purser again participated in the SBL All-Star Game[59] and earned SBL All-Defensive Five honours.[60] In the third game of the season, he had a season-high 25 points against the Cockburn Cougars.[61] On 10 June, in his 250th SBL game, Purser scored a team-high 22 points in a 74–69 loss to the Goldfields Giants.[62][63][64] The Hawks lost in the quarter-finals to the Willetton Tigers. In 27 games, Purser averaged 14.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.[61]
In 2018, Purser was named in the All-Defensive Team for the third straight year and earned All-SBL First Team honours for the first time.[65] The Hawks went on a 12-game winning streak to finish in regular season in fourth place.[66] He had a season-high 29 points in game two of the semi-finals against the Rockingham Flames,[67][68] with the Hawks going on to reach the SBL Grand Final.[69] In the grand final, Purser led the Hawks to a 94–87 victory over the Joondalup Wolves to win his first championship. He was named grand final MVP with 12 points, 10 rebounds and a game-high eight assists in playing all 40 minutes.[70][71][72] He appeared in all 33 games, averaging 16.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.[73]
In 2019, Purser was named in the All-Defensive Team for the fourth straight year and finished fourth in SBL MVP voting.[74][75] He had a triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists against the Mandurah Magic on 5 April,[76] and had a season-high 24 points against the East Perth Eagles on 30 June.[77] In July, he became the all-time leader in games played for Hawks men with 318.[78] The Hawks lost in the semi-finals to the Joondalup Wolves. He appeared in all 30 games, averaging 14.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.[77]
With a cancelled 2020 SBL season due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[79] Purser played for the Hawks in the West Coast Classic.[80][81] He helped them reach the grand final, where they lost 96–81 to the Warwick Senators despite Purser's 24 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and two steals.[82] He appeared in all 15 games, averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.[83][84]
The SBL was rebranded as NBL1 West for the 2021 season.[85][86] On 11 June, Purser scored a season-high 21 points against the Lakeside Lightning.[87] He became the Hawks' overall games record holder in July 2021 when he played his 337th SBL/NBL1 game.[88] He helped the Hawks finish the regular season as minor premiers with an 18–4 record. They went undefeated in the first two weekends of the finals to reach the NBL1 West Grand Final.[89] In the grand final, Purser recorded 16 points, four rebounds and four assists in a 92–82 win over the Rockingham Flames to claim his second championship with the Hawks.[90][91] In 21 games, he averaged 13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game.[87]
In 2022,[92] Purser recorded 23 points and 11 rebounds against the Joondalup Wolves on 22 April[93][94] in his 350th SBL/NBL1 game.[95][96] He had another 23-point game against the Wolves on 10 June.[97] In 23 games, he averaged 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.[97]
Purser returned for his 15th SBL/NBL1 season in 2023.[98] It marked his 12th year as captain.[99] He scored a season-high 17 points in the second game of the season on 1 April against the Lakeside Lightning.[100] In 23 games, he averaged 8.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game.[100]
In November 2023, Purser announced his retirement from the NBL1 West.[99][101] In 393 SBL/NBL1 games, he averaged 15.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.[99]
In the 2012–13 NBL season, Purser appeared in 14 games for the Wildcats, scoring a total of 11 points.[119] He served as an injury replacement for guard Brad Robbins early in the season.[120][121][122][123] Purser was eligible to be elevated to the senior roster for the NBL Grand Final in place of the injured Damian Martin but the Wildcats opted for Robbins coming out of retirement instead.[124][125][126] The Wildcats went on to lose the grand final series 2–0 to the Breakers.[127]
In June 2009, Purser represented Australia at the FIBA Oceania Basketball Tournament in Saipan.[131][132] The team went undefeated in the round robin and finals, going 6–0 to win the gold medal.[133] A highlight for Purser was recording 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a 107–41 win over CNMI on day 3.[133][134]
3x3
In April 2018, Purser played in the NBL 3x3 Pro Hustle and helped his team reach the final of the tournament.[135][136][137]
^"20 AND IB WINNERS DECIDED". Basketball.net.au. 20 February 2009. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. The ACT will need to find a way to stop the Sandgropers' scoring trio- Ben Purser, Cody Ellis and Reece Maxwell combine for an average of 41 points per game in this tournament
^"Quarter Finals Review - Week One". BasketballWA.asn.au. 10 August 2008. Archived from the original on 13 September 2009. The Hawks came in at 21-5 on top of the ladder but without Peter Crawford & Tom Garlep still recovering from injury...
^"PURSER AT PEAK OF POWERS BUT HAWKS SUCCESS HIS FOCUS". SBL.asn.au. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018. They have gone on a stunning 11-game winning streak now to be guaranteed of fourth position heading into the final game of the regular season against the Stirling Senators at Warwick Stadium this Saturday night.
^"Wildcats second after beating Cairns". TheAge.com.au. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2017. Wildcats development player Ben Purser thrilled the home crowd in the final period with an athletic three-point play on the tough Aaron Grabau...