The Murray McMahon Award recognises a notable contribution to men’s basketball in New Zealand. Nenad Vucinic is the only man to have played over 100 games for the national team and to also to have been head coach of the team on more than 100 occasions.
In addition, he was Assistant Coach of the Tall Blacks on 95 occasions – taking his tally of games on court or on the sideline to 309 between 1989 and 2014. During those years he appeared at two Olympics and four FIBA World Championships.
The son of a Kiwi mother, Nenad Vucinic emigrated from Yugoslavia in the late 80s. After two seasons with Porirua playing in the NBL 2nd Division, Vucinic made his home in Nelson. As a player he helped the Giants become a perennial contender throughout the 90s, winning championships in ‘94 and ‘98. Retiring after representing NZ at the Sydney Olympics, Nenad turned to coaching full time. His most visible work was with the Giants in the NBL, alongside Tab Baldwin, with the hugely successful Tall Blacks teams of the early and mid 2000s.
One of the most ruthless competitors NZ basketball has seen, Nenad received five Coach of the Year Awards.
