We’re nearly at the end of our Kiwi Ballers Worldwide series for 2023, which showcases the range of basketball pathways that our young Kiwi ballers choose to pursue around the world.
Next we focus on the New Zealand men and women who have been plying their trade in the Australian professional basketball leagues for the 2022/23 season.
On the women’s side, we have five players currently suiting up in the WNBL; up from three last year. And in the Australian NBL, 24 men are currently on the rosters for the 2022/23 season – including eight Kiwis in the NZ Breakers side. Let’s check them out.
Kiwi Women – Australia (Professional)
McKenna Dale (Bendigo Spirit)
Dale has linked with former Tall Ferns Head Coach Kennedy Kereama at Bendigo Spirit for the 2023-24 Australian WNBL season, following a successful season in the GJ Gardner Tauihi Aotearoa Basketball league which saw her score 32 points on debut for the Whai.
Dale signed for Whai soon after she graduated from the University of Virginia, where she made 102 appearances in her NCAA Division I career. Her outstanding form in GJ Gardner Tauihi also resulted in Dale being named to the 16-strong Tall Ferns squad last month, which sees her in contention for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in February 2024.
Penina Davidson (Melbourne Boomers)
Davidson is currently playing her fifth season with the Melbourne Boomers in the Australian WNBL. Davidson played for Cairns Dolphins in NBL1 North earlier this year, before averaging 16ppg & 11rpg for Northern Kāhu as they claimed the 2023 Tauihi Aotearoa Basketball championship.
She was also named to the All-Star 5 at the 2023 FIBA Asia Cup in Sydney in July, where New Zealand finished fourth and qualified for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2024. Davidson averaged a near double-double of 13.6ppg and 9.8rpg, the latter second-best at the tournament.
Jade Kirisome (Canberra Capitals)
Kirisome is another player who has been extremely busy since graduating from college earlier in the year. The combo-guard initially played for South West Metro Pirates in the NBL1 North after graduating from St Mary’s College, California – where she played alongside Tall Ferns Amy West and Tayla Dalton.
She then suited up for the Whai in GJ Gardner Tauihi, before signing with Canberra Capitals for the 2023-24 Australian WNBL season.
Esra McGoldrick (Bendigo Spirit)
McGoldrick is currently playing alongside McKenna Dale for Bendigo Spirit in the Australian WNBL. Earlier in the year, the Cantabrian played in NBL1 South for Casey Cavaliers before linking up with Mainland Pouākai for the 2023 Tauihi Aotearoa Basketball season.
She also played five games at the 2023 FIBA Asia Cup in Sydney in July, where New Zealand finished fourth and qualified for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2024. McGoldrick also suited up for the 3×3 Tall Ferns at the 2023 FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup in Singapore back in March, helping her team win Silver.
Akiene-Tera Reed (Melbourne Boomers)
Reed began 2023 playing in Finland, where she averaged 20.4ppg & 9.3rpg for the Pyrinto club. In February she scored 48 points in a 96-82 win against FOA – although no records exist, it is thought to be the highest individual score by a Kiwi in a women’s professional game.
Following her stint at Pyrinto, Reed then played all six games at the 2023 FIBA Asia Cup in Sydney in July where New Zealand finished fourth and qualified for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2024. A successful season for Northern Kāhu soon followed, as she helped them claim the 2023 Tauihi Aotearoa Basketball championship.
That success propelled Reed into the Australian WNBL, where she is playing alongside Penina Davidson for Melbourne Boomers; she is currently averaging 10.2ppg and 6.3rpg as a key part of the rotation.
Kiwi Men – Australia (Professional)
Tom Abercrombie (BNZ Breakers)
The longest serving Breakers player, Abercrombie played his 400th game for the club in the opening fixture of the 2023-24 season. He was a key member of the Breakers team that went all the way to the Australian NBL Grand Final Series earlier in the year.
In June this year, Abercrombie announced his retirement from the international game after making 110 appearances for the Tall Blacks.
Max Darling (BNZ Breakers)
A member of the Canterbury Rams 2023 Sal’s NBL Championship winning team, Darling averaged 12.8ppg and 5.3rpg. He is currently a Development Player with the New Zealand Breakers.
Carlin Davison (BNZ Breakers)
Davison is currently a Development Player with the New Zealand Breakers. He played his fourth season for Taranaki Airs in the 2023 Sal’s NBL, averaging 11.2ppg and 7.0rpg; he has recently re-signed with the Airs for the 2024 NBL season.
Finn Delany (BNZ Breakers)
Delany returned to the BNZ Breakers for the 2023-24 Australian NBL season after playing in Germany during the 2022-23 European season. Playing for Bonn, he helped the club claim the European Champions League crown in their first-ever appearance in the competition.
Alongside Reuben Te Rangi, Delany was New Zealand’s equal highest scorer (16.4ppg) at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He played 10 games for the Tall Blacks in the 2023 calendar year.
Dan Fotu (BNZ Breakers)
Fotu is currently in his second season with the BNZ Breakers, after playing 18 games for the Franklin Bulls in the 2023 Sal’s NBL season – averaging 17.8ppg and 6.7rpg. He was also a member of the extended Tall Blacks squad in 2023, alongside his brother Isaac.
Dominique Kelman-Poto (BNZ Breakers)
Kelman-Poto is a member of the BNZ Breakers extended squad in the 2023-24 Australian NBL season. Prior to this, he played for the bronze medal-winning 3×3 Tall Blacks at the 2023 FIBA Asia Cup in Singapore in March, and was a key member of the NZ team that beat Australia the inaugural 3×3 Trans-Tasman International Series in October.
In the 5 on 5 space, Kelman-Poto played 19 games for the Franklin Bulls in the 2023 Sal’s NBL season – averaging 8.5ppg and 4.2rpg per game.
Izayah Le’afa (BNZ Breakers)
A member of the NZ Breakers team that went all the way to the Australian NBL Grand Final Series in2022-23, Le’afa is back for a second season with the club this year.
In between those campaigns, he played 12 games for the Wellington Saints in the Sal’s NBL, and averaged 12.8ppg and 3.6apg for the Tall Blacks at the 2023 FIBA World Cup – appearing in 11 games total for the Tall Blacks in the 2023 calendar year.
Alex McNaught (BNZ Breakers)
McNaught played 12 games for the NZ Breakers as a Development Player in the 2022-23 ANBL season, and recently signed a three year contract extension with the club.
In his fourth season with the Nelson Giants, he averaged 9.9ppg and 4.1apg. McNaught also made his Tall Blacks debut this year, averaging 5.5ppg & 3apg across two appearances in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers.
Jack Andrew (Perth Wildcats)
Andrew is currently playing his second season in the ANBL with Perth Wildcats, after completing his fourth season for the Otago Nuggets in the 2023 Sal’s NBL. He was a member of the Nuggets championship-winning teams in both 2020 and 2022.
Walter Brown (Tasmania Jack Jumpers)
Brown was named the 2023 Sal’s NBL Youth Player of the Year, after averaging 9.4ppg for the Canterbury Rams championship-winning team. His impressive domestic form propelled him into the Tall Blacks team for the 2023 FIBA World Cup as the youngest player on the squad, with the 20-year-old suiting up for 11 games with the Tall Blacks in the 2023 calendar year.
Brown is currently in his second season in the ANBL with the Tasmania Jack Jumpers.
Flynn Cameron (Melbourne United)
Cameron is currently in his rookie season as a pro with Melbourne United in the Australian NBL, after graduated from the University of California Riverside earlier this year with 123 NCAA Division I appearances under his belt.
Cameron was part of the 12-man squad who travelled to the 2023 FIBA World Cup in the Philippines, with the guard making 6 appearances for the Tall Blacks in the 2023 calendar year.
Hyrum Harris (Perth Wildcats)
Harris played the early part of 2023 with the Adelaide 36ers in the Australian NBL, but has subsequently transferred to Perth Wildcats alongside fellow Kiwis Dontae Russo-Nance and the Webster brothers.
He played all 19 games for the Hawks in the 2023 Sal’s NBL, where he averaged 13.8ppg and 9.3rpg. This form helped him to earn a place in the Tall Blacks team for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, with the forward making 12 appearances in the black singlet in the 2023 calendar year.
Tyrell Harrison (Brisbane Bullets)
Harrison is currently in his sixth season in the Australian NBL with the Brisbane Bullets. He played for the Franklin Bulls in the 2023 Sal’s NBL, and although injury restricted him to just 7 games he averaged 14.7ppg and 8.6rpg as the Bulls progressed through to the semi-finals. Harrison also made a pair of appearances for the Tall Blacks in February this year, averaging 5.5ppg in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers.
Shea Ili (Melbourne United)
One of the premier point guards in the Australian NBL, Ili is now in his fifth season with Melbourne United. Ili averaged 12.8ppg and a team-high 7.6apg for the Tall Blacks at the 2023 FIBA World Cup; his assist mark ranking him third overall amongst the world’s best. He played a total of eight games for the Tall Blacks in the 2023 calendar year.
Rob Loe (Melbourne United)
Loe was a key member of the Breakers team that went all the way to the 2022-23 Australian NBL Grand Final Series, and this season suited up for Melbourne United as an injury replacement player.
He also enjoyed an outstanding Sal’s NBL season with Auckland Tuatara, being named the MVP for the 2023 season after averaging 20.5ppg, 11.5rpg and 2.1 blocks as the Tuatara went all the way to the Grand Final. In June this year, Loe announced his retirement from the international game after making 90 appearances for the Tall Blacks.
Sam Mennenga (Cairns Taipans)
Mennenga finished his 87-game NCAA Division I career at Davidson College earlier in 2023, and has now embarked on his rookie professional career with Cairns Taipans in the Australian NBL; averaging 5.1ppg and 3.7rpg alongside fellow Kiwi Sam Waardenburg.
Anzac Rissetto (South East Melbourne Phoenix)
Rissetto is playing his second season in the Australian NBL with South East Melbourne Phoenix, after averaging 13.2ppg and 5.5rpg for the Taranaki Airs in the 2023 Sal’s NBL earlier this year.
Dontae Russo-Nance (Perth Wildcats)
After spending the early part of the year at Oak Hill Academy in America, Russo-Nance has this year signed a three-year contract with the Perth Wildcats in the Australian NBL; alongside fellow kiwis Harris and the Webster brothers.
Tohi Smith-Milner (Adelaide 36ers)
Smith-Milner began the year playing in the Australian NBL for South East Melbourne Phoenix and will end it with the Adelaide 36ers. In between, he averaged 12.4ppg and 7.4rpg in 18 games for the Wellington Saints in the Sal’s NBL.
Smith-Milner was also a member of the Tall Blacks 2023 FIBA World Cup team and one of only three players to appear in all 13 Tall Blacks games in the 2023 calendar year.
Reuben Te Rangi (South East Melbourne Phoenix)
Te Rangi was New Zealand’s equal highest scorer (16.4ppg), alongside Finn Delany, at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He ranked 13th overall in 3-point shooting at the World Cup, making 16 from 31 at a 51.6% clip. He was also one of only three players to appear in all 13 Tall Blacks games in the 2023 calendar year.
Following the World Cup Te Rangi, returned to South East Melbourne Phoenix for his fourth season with the club – and twelfth overall in the ANBL. He also averaged 19.1ppg this year for Auckland Tuatara in the 2023 Sal’s NBL.
Sam Timmins (Sydney Kings)
Timmins averaged 15.6ppg and 9.5rpg for the Otago Nuggets in the 2023 Sal’s NBL season. Prior to that he played for the NZ Breakers and is currently with ANBL defending champions, the Sydney Kings. He played four games for the Tall Blacks in the 2023 calendar year.
Sam Waardenburg (Cairns Taipans)
Waardenburg is currently in his second season with the Cairns Taipans, having enjoyed an outstanding inaugural ANBL season in 2022-23 when he averaged 11.3ppg and 5.6rpg. He also played one game for Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Summer League before playing 20 games with Riesen Ludwigsburg in the German League.
Waardenburg made his all Blacks debut in February this year, scored 17 points against Saudi Arabia.
Corey Webster (Perth Wildcats)
Few players were busier than Corey Webster in the 2023 calendar year. He began the year playing for his current club, the Perth Wildcats, in the Australian NBL before appearing briefly in the Montenegro League.
From there he joined Egyptian club Al Ahly Cairo with whom he won an African League Championship. Then it was back to New Zealand, where he propelled the Canterbury Rams to their first NZ NBL championship in 31 years; Webster scoring 25 points in the Grand Final victory against Auckland Tuatara.
Tai Webster (Perth Wildcats)
As he did last season, Tai Webster is playing alongside brother Corey at the Perth Wildcats in the 2023-24 Australian NBL. Like Corey, he returned to New Zealand for the 2023 Sal’s NBL – where he averaged 21ppg, 6apg and 7.3rpg for the Otago Nuggets.
