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New Zealand NBL Finals Most Valuable Player Award
The National Basketball League Finals Most Valuable Player is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award currently given to the best performing player over the NBL's annual Final Four weekend. The award has previously been known as Final MVP and Final Four MVP. The origin of the award began with a "Final MVP" that was awarded between 2004 and 2006. Between 2008 and 2012, a "Finals MVP" was awarded to the best player of the best-of-three championship round (2008–10) and then the best player of the Final Four weekend (2011–12). A "Final Four MVP" was introduced for 2013 and 2014 before a switch back to Finals MVP every year between 2015 and 2018. Every year between 2019 and 2022, a "Grand Final MVP" was awarded. Winners Final MVP (2004–06) Finals MVP (2008–12) Final Four MVP (2013–14) Finals MVP (2015–18) Grand Final MVP (2019–22) See also * List of National Basketball League (New Zealand) awards References {{DEFAULTSORT:New Zealand ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Basketball League (New Zealand)
The National Basketball League (NBL) is a men's semi-professional basketball league in New Zealand. In 1981, a group of club and provincial teams came together to create a men's national basketball league. The following year, the league was brought under the management of the New Zealand Basketball Federation. The league quickly grew in size and popularity due to the influx of sponsors and American import players. The early 1990s held dwindling fortunes for New Zealand basketball, with reduced TV coverage, sponsorships, and crowd numbers. The sport's popularity increased in the 2000s with the success of the Tall Blacks and the introduction of the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL. In the early days, Auckland, Canterbury and Wellington were the benchmark teams of the league. During the 1990s, Auckland and Nelson were the teams to beat, before Waikato joined Auckland as the dominant sides during the 2000s. During the 2010s, Wellington and Southland became the league's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wellington Saints
The Wellington Saints are a New Zealand basketball team based in Wellington. The Saints compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at TSB Bank Arena. Team history The Wellington Saints were founded in 1981. In 1982, the Exchequer Saints won the second division title, which promoted them to the first division for the 1983 season. The Saints went on to play in six straight championship games upon joining the NBL, winning titles in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988. They played in their seventh final in 1991, where they lost to the Hutt Valley Lakers. At the end of the 1996 season, both the Saints and the Lakers were struggling to survive. They amalgamated for the 1997 season, becoming TransAlta Wellington. With fans wanting a 'real' name, for the 1998 season, they became the TransAlta Wizards. For the 1999 season, they returned to the original identity of Saints. The Saints returned to title contenders in the 2000s, as they finished runners-up in 20 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shea Ili
Shea Ili (born 6 October 1992) is a New Zealand professional basketball player for Melbourne United of the National Basketball League (NBL). Ili was raised in Māngere Bridge, playing his basketball at Onehunga High School and appearing for Counties Manukau in rep teams before appearing in the New Zealand NBL with the Auckland Pirates in 2012. In 2014, he joined the New Zealand Breakers as a development player. That season, he was a member of the Breakers' championship-winning team. In 2016, he was elevated to the Breakers' full-time roster, and in February 2018, he was named the NBL Most Improved Player for the 2017–18 season. In 2015, Ili helped the Southland Sharks win the New Zealand NBL championship before joining the Wellington Saints in 2016 and earning Most Outstanding Kiwi Guard honours. He also garnered his second straight championship. He re-joined the Saints in 2017, and behind a Finals MVP performance, guided the Saints to another championship to garner a pers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2017 New Zealand NBL Season
The 2017 NBL season was the 36th season of the National Basketball League. For the second year in a row, the league fielded seven teams. The regular season commenced on Thursday 16 March in Invercargill with the Southland Sharks hosting the Nelson Giants at Stadium Southland. The season contained 13 weeks of regular season games followed by a Final Four weekend in June at Tauranga's ASB BayPark Arena. The seven teams played every team on three occasions to make up an 18-game round robin season. With an 18–0 record, the Wellington Saints made NBL history by becoming the first team to complete a perfect regular season. They went on to post a perfect 20–0 campaign after sweeping the Final Four and collecting their 10th NBL championship in the process. Team information Summary Regular season standings Final Four Awards Player of the Week Statistics leaders ''Stats as of the end of the regular season'' Regular season * Most Valuable Player: Corey Webster (Wellington S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2016 New Zealand NBL Season
The 2016 NBL season was the 35th season of the National Basketball League. The league's team total dropped to an all-time low for the 2016 season, with the departure of the Manawatu Jets leaving the competition with seven teams. The 2016 pre-season tournament was held at the Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua from Friday 26 February through Sunday 28 February. The four-team event featured the Canterbury Rams (2–1), Nelson Giants (3–0), Wellington Saints (0–3) and a Porirua invitational team (1–2). The regular season commenced on Thursday 10 March in Wellington with the Wellington Saints hosting the Super City Rangers at TSB Bank Arena. The season contained 12 weeks of regular season games and a Final Four series on Queens' Birthday weekend in June. As the only team based north of Hawke's Bay, the Rangers utilised two new 'home' venues around the Upper North Island, Te Awamutu and Whangarei, providing increased exposure for elite basketball in that area of the country. The r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tai Wesley
Tai William Evans Wesley (born May 13, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Utah State Aggies, where he was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2011. After beginning his career with successful stints in Europe, he made a name for himself in Australia and New Zealand, winning two Australian NBL championships and three New Zealand NBL championships. Wesley also represented the Guam national team on numerous occasions. Early life Wesley was born in Orem, Utah, to a Rotuman father and an American mother. He lived in Guam from age 5–11 while his father worked at the University of Guam. The family then returned to Utah where Wesley attended Provo High School. At Provo, Wesley played for school's basketball team and was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Utah by the ''Deseret News'' and the 4A Most Valuable Player by the ''Salt Lake Tribune'' as a prep senior. He averaged 16.7 points, eight rebo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2015 New Zealand NBL Season
The 2015 NBL season was the 34th season of the National Basketball League. The season draw was supposed to be released in December 2014, but the withdrawal of Otago and Waikato prompted a rethink for the 2015 competition format. In the past, each team played each other twice in a 10-team competition, meaning each franchise had nine home games. However, with two fewer teams in 2015, it was decided the new format would be played over two and half rounds to keep incomes at a similar rate for the remaining sides. Each team was scheduled to play each other twice and play three of the sides in a third game. The 2015 pre-season tournament was held at the Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua on Saturday 21 March and Sunday 22 March. The Wellington Saints were the only team to go undefeated over the two days, finishing with a 3–0 record. The regular season commenced on Wednesday 1 April in Invercargill with the Southland Sharks hosting the Manawatu Jets at Stadium Southland. In the regular-s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2014 New Zealand NBL Season
The 2014 NBL season was the 33rd season of the National Basketball League. The Canterbury Rams returned to the league in 2014 after a five-year hiatus. The 2014 pre-season tournament was held at the Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua on Saturday 22 March and Sunday 23 March. The Manawatu Jets were the only team to go undefeated over the two days, finishing with a 4–0 record. In 2014, the NBL Final Four made a triumphant return to Wellington. The Final Four weekend was held at TSB Bank Arena, with the semifinals on Friday 4 July, followed by the championship game on Saturday 5 July. Team information Summary Regular season standings Final Four Awards Player of the Week Rookie of the Week Statistics leaders ''Stats as of the end of the regular season'' Regular season * Most Valuable Player: Corey Webster (Wellington Saints) * NZ Most Valuable Player: Corey Webster (Wellington Saints) * Most Outstanding Guard: Corey Webster (Wellington Saints) * Most Outstanding NZ Guar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southland Sharks
The Southland Sharks are a New Zealand basketball team based in Invercargill. The Sharks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Stadium Southland. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the SBS Bank Southland Sharks. Team history The Southland Sharks brand dates back to the 1990s when the Smokefree Southland Sharks competed in the Conference Basketball League (CBL) and won championships in 1995 and 1998. In 2002, a group of local businessmen launched a bid to enter a Southland team into the National Basketball League (NBL), but that attempt fell over late in the piece when the Community Trust of Southland declined a $150,000 application. In October 2009, Southland Basketball Association was granted a three-year NBL license. In December 2009, the Sharks were confirmed for the 2010 NBL season. The Sharks made playoff appearances in their first two seasons in the NBL, before missing the post-season in 2012. In 2013, the Sharks won thei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leon Henry
Leon Hofeni Nehemiah Henry (born 14 October 1985) is a New Zealand professional basketball player who last played for the Knox Raiders of the NBL1 South. He debuted in the New Zealand NBL in 2004 and has since won seven championships. He also played five seasons in the Australian NBL, where he was a member of the New Zealand Breakers' 3-peat championship contingent between 2010/11 and 2012/13. Early life and career Henry was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand. He attended Mount Albert Grammar School and Avondale College. A rugby league player in his early days, he discovered basketball as a 12-year-old at a holiday camp run by then-Auckland Stars coach Tab Baldwin. Baldwin gave Henry a Tall Blacks trial when he was 18. Henry debuted in the New Zealand NBL in 2004 with the Harbour Heat. He also played for the Junior Tall Blacks in 2004, helping the team defeat Australia in the final of the Oceania Youth Tournament. Henry scored 25 points in the final and averaged a team- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2013 New Zealand NBL Season
The 2013 NBL season was the 32nd season of the National Basketball League. The 2013 season saw the withdrawal of the Auckland Pirates and Harbour Heat, but saw the return of the Waikato Pistons after a one-year hiatus as well as the Super City Rangers, who returned to the league for the first time since 1995. The 2013 NBL Final Four saw the top four teams play off on Saturday 13 July in a semifinals round, with the winner of each game playing in the final on Sunday 14 July at Pettigrew Green Arena in Napier. Team information ''*Despite holding New Zealand citizenship, Jones had to play as an import due to a new league rule where each team could only field one naturalised New Zealand player (Manawatu already had Nick Horvath filling that spot).'' Summary Regular season standings Final Four Awards Player of the Week Statistics leaders ''Stats as of the end of the regular season'' Regular season * Most Valuable Player: Lindsay Tait (Wellington Saints) * NZ Most Valua ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Auckland Pirates
The Auckland Pirates were a New Zealand basketball team based in Auckland. The Pirates competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at ASB Stadium. Team history In March 2011, the franchise was unveiled by Basketball Auckland ahead of the 2011 NBL season, marking the return of an Auckland presence to the NBL, a year after the Auckland Stars folded. The inaugural squad included imports Raheim Brown and Kevin Mickens alongside Dillon Boucher, Luke Martin and Brook Ruscoe. The Pirates finished their first season in seventh place with a 5–11 record. For the 2012 season, the Pirates retained Boucher and Ruscoe, and acquired Lindsay Tait, Alex Pledger, Hayden Allen, Duane Bailey and Ron Dorsey. They subsequently helped the Pirates finish the regular season in second place with a 13–3 record. After defeating the Manawatu Jets in the semi-finals, they faced the Wellington Saints The Wellington Saints are a New Zealand basketball team based ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |