Brendon Pongia (born 27 June 1969) is a New Zealand former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL). He is also a

television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for ...

, having co-hosted ''

Good Morning "Good morning" is a common greeting in the English language. It may also refer to: Television * ''Good Morning!!!'' (Australian show), a children's show * ''Good Morning'' (New Zealand show), a daytime talk show * ''Good Morning'' (Russian ...

'' alongside

Sarah Bradley Sarah Bradley (born 20 April 1966 in Auckland) is a TV presenter and the daughter of the controversial former naval officer Captain Ian Bradley. After studying finance and marketing at Waikato University and graduating with honours, Bradley ...

between 2006 and 2011.

Early life

Born in

Greymouth, New Zealand Greymouth () (Māori language, Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast List of regions in New Zealand, region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The populat ...

, Pongia grew up on the West Coast of the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. His father, a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

, walked out on the family when Pongia was very young. As a 16-year-old in 1986, Pongia began training with NBL club

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

Basketball career

A stalwart of the National Basketball League through the 1990s, Pongia earned greatest recognition in 2001 as a member of the Tall Black squad that defeated Australia to qualify for the 2002 FIBA World Championship. Although he saw little actual court time, he was front and centre in the pre-match build-ups as leader of the

haka Haka (; plural ''haka'', in both Māori and English) are a variety of ceremonial performance art in Māori culture. It is often performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted or chanted accompani ...

. He finally captured an NBL title with the

Waikato Titans 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 2002, but lost his place in the national side. Pongia attended the world tournament in Indianapolis as a spectator and enjoyed a high profile in TV coverage, leading the supporters' haka. He was subsequently offered a presenters' role with

TVNZ , type = Crown entity , industry = Broadcast television , num_locations = New Zealand , location = Auckland, New Zealand , area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the So ...

and later Sky TV in 2003. After a two-year hiatus from the NBL in 2004 and 2005, Pongia returned to the league with 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 ...

in 2006. He played three seasons with the Saints, before departing the NBL following the 2008 season. In July 2009, he signed with the Southland Flyers for the National Provincial Championships. The Flyers went on to win the Open Men's championship with the help of Pongia, who served as team captain.

Personal

In March 2009, Pongia married his wife Michelle Kirkland. Pongia's brother, rugby league player

Quentin Pongia Quentin Lee Pongia (9 July 1970 – 18 May 2019) was a New Zealand rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand in the 1990s and 2000s. Background He was the grandson of fellow Kiwi international Jim Calder. His sister Megan Tahapeehi ...

, died of cancer in May 2019. In 2007, Pongia was a contestant on ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...

'' alongside dance partner

Hayley Holt Hayley Doreen Holt (born 3 July 1980) is a New Zealand television presenter and former snowboarder and ballroom dancer, who presents sports news on 1 News At 6pm. She co-presented TVNZ ''Breakfast'' from 2018 to 2020 alongside Jack Tame and l ...

. The couple were eliminated in the penultimate episode.Late night for Pongia after Dancing With the Stars elimination
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pongia, Brendon 1969 births Living people Harbour Heat players Hawke's Bay Hawks players New Zealand men's basketball players New Zealand Māori broadcasters New Zealand Māori sportspeople New Zealand television presenters People educated at the Church College of New Zealand Sportspeople from Greymouth Waikato Titans players Wellington Saints players Guards (basketball)