Hayden Allen (born 10 November 1979) is a New Zealand former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his career in the National Basketball League (NBL). He played close to 300 games and scored over 4000 points in his NBL career.

Professional career

Allen debuted as a teenager for 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 ...

in 1998 and enjoyed his best season with the club in 2001, when he averaged 20 points per game and was named in the All-Star Five. His first championship title came the following year in 2002 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 ...

. He returned to Otago for the 2003 and 2004 seasons before joining 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 ...

as a development player for the

2004–05 NBL season The 2004–05 NBL season was the 27th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 11 teams contested the league, the Victoria Giants has been folded. Regular season The 2004-05 regular season took place over 21 rounds betw ...

. He went on to play three seasons for 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, ...

while also joining the

Singapore Slingers The Singapore Slingers is a Singaporean professional basketball team that currently compete in the ASEAN Basketball League. The Slingers were known as the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers between 2009 and 2014, due to sponsorship ties with JobS ...

for the

2007–08 NBL season The 2007–08 NBL season was the 30th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. On 21 November 2006, the Gold Coast Blaze joined the league, expanding it to 13 teams. 2007–08 league participants Stadiums and locations ...

. In 2009, Allen 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 ...

before returning to Waikato to play with the Pistons in 2010 and 2011. Allen's second championship came in 2012 with the

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 Baske ...

. In 2013, Allen returned to Otago to play for the Nuggets once again. After taking a year off from basketball, Allen signed with the

Super City Rangers The Super City Rangers were a New Zealand basketball team based in Auckland. The Rangers competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games across multiple venues in Auckland. Team history The Waitakere Rangers debut ...

for the 2015 NBL season on 1 December 2014. On 1 April 2016, Allen signed with the

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 So ...

for the rest of the 2016 NBL season. On 25 January 2017, he re-signed with the Sharks for the 2017 season. Allen battled a groin injury for much of the 2017 season. On 22 November 2017, he re-signed with the Sharks for the 2018 season. However, he later retired prior to the start of the season.

National team career

In 2012, Allen earned his first

Tall Blacks The New Zealand men's national basketball team is the senior men's national basketball team of New Zealand. The team is nicknamed the Tall Blacks. The ''Tall Blacks'' name is one of many New Zealand national team nicknames related to the All ...

selection to compete at the

FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament The FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, formerly known as the FIBA Pre-Olympic Basketball Tournament, is the last qualifying tournament for the Olympic Basketball Tournament. The best non-champions from the different FIBA World The In ...

in Venezuela. He was able to finally follow in the footsteps of his father, Glen, who represented New Zealand in 1973.

Personal

Allen and his wife, Natalie, have three children. On 12 August 2011, Allen was involved in a horrific car accident along with Pistons' teammate Dan Ryan. He was a non-seatbelt wearing passenger in a speeding car that smashed into a wall on the Auckland Harbour Bridge, sending him hurtling through a window and skimming along State Highway 1. Just days from the birth of his first-born, son Reggie, Allen woke up in a hospital bed with stern-faced medics telling him how close he had come to never waking up. Allen says it changed his outlook on life as he looks back at the incident with a perspective that only those who have truly faced their mortality can understand.

References

External links

Eurobasket.com profileNZNBL statsANBL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Hayden 1979 births Living people Auckland Pirates players Auckland Stars players Harbour Heat players New Zealand men's basketball players New Zealand Breakers players Otago Nuggets players Point guards Shooting guards Singapore Slingers players Southland Sharks players Super City Rangers players Waikato Titans players Sportspeople from Dunedin