Two talented young New Zealand athletes have returned to their NBA Global Academy base in Canberra, following a hugely successful tourney at the fifth NBA Academy Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Australian NBA Global Academy team went a perfect 6-0 in these games to take out the title, defeating the NBA Academy Select team 91-84. This marked the NBA Global Academy’s first win in the tournament since 2019.
Kiwis Julius Halaifonua and Oscar Goodman both playing starring roles as they combined for 39 points to seal the championship game; Tall Black centre Halaifonua leading the NBA Global Academy with a team-high 22 points and five rebounds, while fellow Kiwi Oscar Goodman – fresh from his fourth-place finish at the FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey – adding 17 points and 6 rebounds on 70% shooting from the field.
Held at the Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Atlanta from July 10-14, the annual NBA Academy Games serves as a basketball showcase for top high-school-age players from around the world; with eight teams made up of top prospects from the league’s academies in Australia, Mexico and Senegal, along with a select team from outside the US and three Nike EYBL teams.
Off the court, the event also featured life-skills sessions centred on player pathway education, alongside the 24 exhibition games which were open to NBA and NCAA team personnel to watch and evaluate the talent on display.
Both athletes put on a show in front of hundreds of college coaches and NBA personnel, with Halaifonua finishing 3rd in overall scoring and undoubtedly boosting his stock ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft.
Halaifonua credits a change in mindset – as well as a focus on his outside shot – for his dominance at the Games.
“Coming into the event, my main goal was just to pretty much dominate; I had the experience of coming here last year so I knew what to expect this time,” says Halaifonua.
“My goal was the show all the coaches what I can do on the floor. Last year I felt like I was passive and I really didn’t have that aggressive mindset, so this time around my mindset was just to dominate – so every time I caught the ball I just went at it.”
Halaifonua went 2-2 from outside the arc in the final game, and says this is an area of his game he will continue to work on.
“There’s still a lot of room to grow, in terms of bring more conditioned and being stronger but I think being able to stretch the floor [is key]; in this tournament I’ve been a lot more confident in knocking down the [outside] shot, and moving forward I can still do more work on that.”
