Benny Charles "B. J." Anthony Jr. (born 20 July 1988) is a 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 multiple seasons in both the Australian NBL and New Zealand NBL. He also played in Germany and England, and represented the New Zealand Tall Blacks on multiple occasions.

Professional career

New Zealand NBL

Anthony made his debut in the New Zealand NBL in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

with the

Harbour Heat The Harbour Heat were a New Zealand basketball team based in Auckland. The Heat competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at North Shore Events Centre. Team history The Harbour Heat, then known as North Shore ...

. He continued on with the Heat in 2009 and 2010. After a season with the

Waikato Pistons The Waikato Pistons were a New Zealand basketball team based in Hamilton. The Pistons competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at Hamilton Boys' High School. After sitting out the 2012 NBL season, the Pist ...

in 2011, Anthony signed with the

Otago Nuggets The Otago Nuggets are a New Zealand basketball team based in Dunedin. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Edgar Centre. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Night 'n Day Otago ...

for the 2012 season. However, he missed the entire season due to injury. He returned to the Nuggets for the 2013 season. In

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, Anthony won a championship as a member of the

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 1 ...

. He had signed with the Super City Rangers for the 2015 season, but missed the entire season due to injury. He re-joined the Saints in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

and won his second championship, going on to win his third with the Saints in

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. He played a fourth season with the Saints in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, but missed the second half of the season with a broken foot.

Australian NBL

In the 2010–11 season, Anthony made his debut in the Australian NBL as a development player with 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 ...

. He played a second season with the Breakers in 2011–12 as a full-time contracted player. He won two championships in his two seasons with the Breakers. For the 2013–14 season, Anthony played for the

Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...

. He continued on with the 36ers in 2014–15, but missed the second half of the season with an Achilles tendon injury.

Europe

For the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons, Anthony played in Germany for Herzoege Wolfenbuettel of the

ProB The ProB is the third-tier level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 24 teams, separated into a Northern and a Southern Division. Officially, the ProB is part of the '' 2. Basketball Bundesliga'', which con ...

. During his first season, he also spent time with SG MTV/BG 93 Wolfenbuttel in the Regionalliga. In January 2013, Anthony returned to Germany and joined BBC Solarto Eagles Magdeburg for the rest of the 2012–13 season. He went on to earn Regionalliga All-Star Five honours.Basketball: Anthony chases redemption
/ref> For the 2015–16 season, Anthony joined the

Plymouth Raiders The Plymouth Raiders was a professional basketball team based in Plymouth, England. The team competed in the British Basketball League, the country's premier basketball competition. The club was founded in 1983 through a merger between two lo ...

of the

British Basketball League The British Basketball League (BBL) is a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain and represents the highest level of play in the countries. The league is contested by 10 teams from England and Scotland. There are no clubs howeve ...

. He appeared in five games before being released by the club on 7 November 2015 due to poor behaviour off the court.

National team career

Anthony was selected to join the Tall Blacks on 17 August 2009 for the first time as an injury replacement for

Jeremiah Trueman Jeremiah Kloeten Trueman (born 19 May 1987) is a New Zealand former professional basketball player. Early life Trueman was born in New Plymouth and originally grew up in nearby Stratford. He joined his parents, first in Tasmania and then in Bra ...

. He participated in the 2009 FIBA Oceania Championship and the

2010 FIBA World Championship The 2010 FIBA World Championship was the 16th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 September 2010. It was co-organised by the Inte ...

Personal

Anthony's father, Benny Sr., is a former player and coach in the New Zealand NBL.Super City Rangers name Jeff Green as coach
/ref> Anthony holds a British passport thanks to his

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

-born mother.

References

External links

Eurobasket.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthony, B.J. 1988 births Living people Adelaide 36ers players Basketball players from Auckland Harbour Heat players New Zealand expatriate basketball people in Australia New Zealand expatriate basketball people in England New Zealand expatriate basketball people in Germany New Zealand men's basketball players New Zealand Breakers players Otago Nuggets players People educated at Avondale College Plymouth Raiders players Power forwards Waikato Pistons players Wellington Saints players 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players 2010 FIBA World Championship players