Nicholas Colin Kay (born 3 August 1992) is an Australian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who last played for

Shimane Susanoo Magic Shimane Susanoo Magic (島根スサノオマジック) is a Japanese professional basketball team in Japan's top-tier basketball competition, the B.League. The team is based in Shimane Prefecture with its home arena in Matsue City, but with a f ...

of the Japanese

B.League The B.League is a professional men's basketball league that began in Japan in September 2016. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that ...

. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athle ...

for the

Metro State Roadrunners The Metro State Roadrunners are the athletic teams that represent Metropolitan State University of Denver. The Roadrunners participate in 15 intercollegiate sports and compete in the Division II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. History Metro ...

before beginning his professional career in the National Basketball League (NBL). He won two NBL championships with the

Perth Wildcats The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at RAC Arena, known colloquially as "The Jungle". Aft ...

in 2019 and 2020. He also won a New Zealand NBL championship and league MVP honours 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 2019. In 2021, he won a bronze medal with the Australian national team at the Tokyo Olympics.

Early life

Kay was born and raised in

Tamworth, New South Wales Tamworth is a city and administrative centre of the north-western region of New South Wales, Australia. Situated on the Peel River within the local government area of the Tamworth Regional Council, it is the largest and most populated city in ...

. At age 17, he moved to Sydney to attend

Newington College , motto_translation = To Faith Add Knowledge , location = Inner West (Sydney), Inner West and Lower North Shore (Sydney), Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinate ...

. He averaged 13 points and 14 rebounds for Newington, leading the school to finish second in Australia's all-schools tournament and won the New South Wales all-school tournament. He also represented the New South Wales state team.

College career

In 2011, Kay moved to the United States to play

for the

Metropolitan State University of Denver Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver or Metro State) is a public university in Denver, Colorado. MSU Denver is located on the Auraria Campus, along with the University of Colorado Denver and the Community College of Denver, in ...

in the NCAA Division II. As a freshman in 2011–12, Kay played in all 32 games for the

Roadrunners The roadrunners (genus ''Geococcyx''), also known as chaparral birds or chaparral cocks, are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos with long tails and crests. They are found in the southwestern and south-central United States and Mexico, us ...

, making 15 starts and averaging 6.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He became the first Metro State freshman since 1995 to record a double-double on debut, recording 14 points and 13 rebounds in a start against Bemidji State on 11 November 2011. He had a season-high 24 points against Colorado Christian on 7 January 2012. As a sophomore in 2012–13, Kay was named third-team all-

RMAC The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) from approximately 1910 through the late 1960s, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N ...

after leading Metro State to the national title game and the RMAC regular season and tournament championships. He started 33 of 34 games and averaged 10.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. He had a season-high 19 points three times. He had 10 points and seven rebounds in the national championship game loss to Drury. As a junior in 2013–14, Kay started all 34 games and helped the Roadrunners to the RMAC regular season and tournament championships and the semifinals at the NCAA tournament. He averaged 15.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, and was named NABC first team all-district and first-team all-RMAC. He had a season-high 24 points against UC-Colorado Springs on 1 March 2014, helping Metro State finish the regular season as the third team in RMAC history to go undefeated. He was named the most valuable player of the RMAC Tournament. As a senior in 2014–15, Kay started all 32 games and averaged 20.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He was named NABC first team all-district and first-team all-RMAC for the second straight year. He led the Roadrunners to their third consecutive RMAC regular season championship and a fourth-straight appearance in the NCAA tournament. He scored a career-high 33 points against Arkansas-Fort Smith on 15 November 2014. He had a career-high 17 rebounds along with 21 points against CSU-Pueblo on 27 February 2015.

Professional career

Northside Wizards (2014–2015)

In 2014, in between his junior and senior college seasons, Kay played for the Northside Wizards of the

Queensland Basketball League NBL1 North, formerly the Queensland Basketball League (QBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Queensland partnered wit ...

(QBL). In nine games, he averaged 15.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Kay returned to the Wizards for the 2015 QBL season and averaged 22.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 13 games.

Townsville Crocodiles (2015–2016)

In July 2015, Kay signed with the

Townsville Crocodiles The Townsville Crocodiles were an Australian professional men's basketball team based in the North Queensland city of Townsville. They competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at the Townsville Entertainme ...

of the National Basketball League (NBL). He appeared in all 28 games for the Crocodiles in 2015–16 and ranked top-20 in the NBL for minutes played (28.11 per game). He averaged 10.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, while scoring in double figures on 16 occasions, recording three double-doubles and finishing as the league leader in offensive rebounding (3.0). He was subsequently named NBL Rookie of the Year.

Southland Sharks and Illawarra Hawks (2016–2018)

Following the NBL season, Kay joined 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

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-se ...

. In 19 games, he averaged 17.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. In May 2016, Kay signed with the Illawarra Hawks. He helped the Hawks reach the grand final in the

2016–17 NBL season The 2016–17 NBL season was the 39th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2016 and February 2017, followed by a pos ...

. In 34 games, he averaged 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Following the NBL season, Kay re-joined the Sharks for the

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 Ne ...

. In 20 games, he averaged 14.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. With the Hawks in the

2017–18 NBL season The 2017–18 NBL season was the 40th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2017 and February 2018, followed by a post ...

, Kay averaged 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals in 28 games.

Perth Wildcats and Wellington Saints (2018–2020)

On 20 April 2018, Kay signed a three-year deal with the

. In the

2018–19 NBL season The 2018–19 NBL season was the 41st season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams have contested the league. The regular season had been played between October 2018 and February 2019, followed ...

, he was named in the All-NBL First Team and helped the Wildcats win the

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

. In 34 games, he averaged 14.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Following the NBL season, Kay joined the

for the

2019 New Zealand NBL season The 2019 NBL season was the 38th season of the National Basketball League. The competition increased to nine teams in 2019 with the Southern Huskies joining the league for the first time, marking the first time ever that an Australian team has ...

. He helped the Saints win the

and earned league MVP honours. In 20 games, he averaged 15.9 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game. With the Wildcats in the

2019–20 NBL season The 2019–20 NBL season was the 42nd season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. Teams Nine teams competed in the 2019–20 Season with the addition of South East Melbourne Phoenix. Off-season changes *Th ...

, Kay was named to the All-NBL First Team for the second straight year and helped the team win back-to-back championships. In game three of the grand final series against the

Sydney Kings The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The Kings were formed from a merger between the West Sydney Westars and the ...

, Kay had a career-best game with 30 points and seven 3-pointers to go with 12 rebounds and four assists in a 111–96 win. In 34 games, he averaged 15.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game. On 4 May 2020, Kay opted out of the final year of his contract with the Wildcats to pursue international opportunities after the NBL implemented salary cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spain and Japan (2020–2023)

On 5 July 2020, Kay signed with

Real Betis Real Betis Balompié, known as Real Betis () or just Betis, is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1907, it plays in La Liga. It holds home games at the Estadio Benito Vill ...

of the

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

. In 36 games in the

2020–21 ACB season The 2020–21 ACB season, also known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, was the 38th season of the top Spanish professional basketball league, since its establishment in 1983. It started on 19 September 2020 with the first round of the regula ...

, he averaged 7.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game. On 1 July 2021, Kay signed with

of the Japanese

. In 56 games in the 2021–22 B.League season, he averaged 13.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game. On 22 June 2022, Kay re-signed with Shimane. In 63 games in the 2022–23 B.League season, he averaged 15.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

National team career

Kay debuted for the Australian under 19 national team in 2010. Kay was named to the Australian national team for the

2017 FIBA Asia Cup The 2017 in sports, 2017 FIBA Asia Cup (formerly known as the FIBA Asia Championship) was the 29th continental basketball championship in Asia. The tournament was organised by FIBA Asia. It took place from 8 to 20 August 2017, a week earlier from ...

. In 2018, he won a gold medal with Australia at the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

. In 2019, he was awarded the Gaze Family Medal alongside Nathan Sobey for performances at the World Cup Qualifiers and the Commonwealth Games. In February 2021, Kay was named in the Boomers'

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

squad. He went on to help the Boomers win the bronze medal. He averaged 11.0 points and 6.3 rebounds in six games. In February 2022, Kay was named in a 17-man

Australian Boomers The Australian men's national basketball team, known as the Boomers after the slang term for a male kangaroo, represents Australia in international basketball competition. Since the late 1980s, Australia has been placed among the world elite ...

squad ahead of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in Japan. He re-joined the team for proceeding qualifying windows in August 2022 and February 2023.

References

External links

Shimane Susanoo Magic profileIllawarra Hawks profileMetro State Roadrunners bio"Workmanlike Perth Wildcats forward Nick Kay belongs in MVP conversation"
at thewest.com.au
"Kay Ready for #NBL20 Fireworks"
at nbl.com.au {{DEFAULTSORT:Kay, Nick 1992 births Living people 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Australian expatriate basketball people in Japan Australian expatriate basketball people in New Zealand Australian expatriate basketball people in Spain Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States Australian men's basketball players Basketball players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Basketball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Basketball players from New South Wales Centers (basketball) Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games medallists in basketball Illawarra Hawks players Liga ACB players Medallists at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Metro State Roadrunners men's basketball players Olympic basketball players for Australia Olympic bronze medalists for Australia Olympic medalists in basketball Sportspeople from Tamworth, New South Wales People educated at Newington College Perth Wildcats players Power forwards (basketball) Real Betis Baloncesto players Shimane Susanoo Magic players Southland Sharks players Townsville Crocodiles players Wellington Saints players Sportsmen from New South Wales 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup players