Aaron Duane Olson (born 11 May 1978) is a Canadian-New Zealand former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who played the majority of his career in New Zealand.

Early life and career

Born in

Whitehorse, Yukon Whitehorse () is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas ...

, Canada to a New Zealand mother and a Canadian father, Olson moved back and forth between the two countries as a youth, spending time living in

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

and the

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for it ...

region. Olson attended college at the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary insti ...

in Canada before switching to Eastern Washington University in 1999. He played in 46 games for the

Eastern Washington Eagles The Eastern Washington Eagles are the intercollegiate varsity athletic teams that represent Eastern Washington University, located in Cheney, southwest of Spokane. A member of the Big Sky Conference, EWU's athletic program comprises five men's ...

over two seasons, averaging 11.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

Professional career

In 2001, Olson returned to New Zealand and joined the

Auckland Stars The Auckland Stars were a New Zealand basketball team based in Auckland. The Stars competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at ASB Stadium. Team history The Auckland Stars, then known as Auckland Metro, were ...

of the National Basketball League. After a one-season stint with the Harbour Kings in 2002, Olson returned to the Stars in 2003 and continued playing for them until 2005, helping the club win back-to-back championships in 2004 and 2005.Basketball New Zealand – Aaron Olson
/ref> He also spent the 2002–03 season playing in Finland for Äänekosken Huima. Between 2003 and 2007, Olson played for the

New Zealand Breakers The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Sky Sport Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at ...

in the Australian National Basketball League. In 130 games for the Breakers over four seasons, he averaged 13.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. In May 2007, Olson announced his retirement from professional basketball.Basketball: Olson calls time out from basketball
/ref>

National team career

Known for his outside shooting touch and gritty defence, Olson debuted for the Tall Blacks against the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

in 2003, was ruled ineligible to face Australia in that year's Oceania Championships, but was cleared to represent New Zealand at the 2004 Olympics and subsequently the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

References

External links

ANBL profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olson, Aaron 1978 births Living people Auckland Stars players Basketball people from Yukon Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Canadian emigrants to New Zealand Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States Canadian men's basketball players Canadian people of Danish descent Canadian people of New Zealand descent Commonwealth Games medallists in basketball Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand Eastern Washington Eagles men's basketball players New Zealand men's basketball players New Zealand Breakers players New Zealand people of Canadian descent Olympic basketball players of New Zealand Sportspeople from Victoria, British Columbia Sportspeople from Whitehorse Victoria Vikes basketball players 2006 FIBA World Championship players Shooting guards Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games