Robert Loe (born 5 August 1991) is a New Zealand 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 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 ...

of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for Saint Louis University and represents the New Zealand national team. He holds a British passport which allows him to play as an unrestricted player in Europe.

Early life

Born in Leicester, England, Loe grew up in

Auckland, New Zealand Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

where he attended

Westlake Boys High School Westlake Boys High School is a state secondary school for boys located in Forrest Hill, Auckland, New Zealand. The school opened in 1962, when Westlake High School (opened 1958) split into Westlake Girls High School on the existing site and We ...

. At Westlake, he helped the team win two national championships and was a Westlake Sportsman of the Year recipient after averaging 19.5 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 63 percent from the field. He also earned the ASB college sport Sportsman of the Year award in 2009 and the ASB college sport Basketballer of the Year award in 2008 and 2009, while being named Westlake's most outstanding basketball player three years in a row. In April 2010, he was a member of the World Select Team that competed at the Nike Hoop Summit in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

College career

As a freshman at Saint Louis in 2010–11, Loe averaged 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while playing in all but one game for the Billikens. He drew 18 starting assignments and was third on the squad with 20 blocks, the seventh-most by a freshman at SLU. As a sophomore in 2011–12, Loe was one of three Billikens to start every game. He finished third on the squad with 34 made three-pointers, and blocked 17 shots during the season to rank third on the team. He averaged 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game while helping the Billikens reach the 2012 NCAA Tournament. As a junior in 2012–13, Loe was one of three Billikens to start all 35 games. He averaged 7.0 points and 3.4 rebounds, and tied for third on the squad with 29 made three-pointers. As a senior in 2013–14, Loe started all 34 games for the Billikens. He finished third on the team in scoring with 10.3 points, led the team in blocked shots with 41 (the 10th-most in a single season at SLU), and his 88 career blocked shots finished eighth all-time at SLU. On 1 February 2014, he scored a career-high 23 points in an 87–81 overtime win over

George Mason George Mason (October 7, 1792) was an American planter, politician, Founding Father, and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, one of the three delegates present who refused to sign the Constitution. His writings, including ...

College statistics

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

, style="text-align:left;", Saint Louis , 30 , , 18 , , 17.5 , , .389 , , .337 , , .606 , , 3.5 , , .8 , , .5 , , .7 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;", Saint Louis , 34 , , 34 , , 16.3 , , .417 , , .351 , , .630 , , 2.9 , , .6 , , .4 , , .5 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, style="text-align:left;", Saint Louis , 35 , , 35 , , 22.9 , , .419 , , .315 , , .690 , , 3.4 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .3 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;", Saint Louis , 34 , , 34 , , 27.7 , , .453 , , .306 , , .753 , , 5.7 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , 1.2 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 133 , , 121 , , 21.2 , , .423 , , .326 , , .696 , , 3.9 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .7 , , 7.3 , -

Professional career

Greece (2014–2015)

After going undrafted in the

2014 NBA draft The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

, Loe joined the Golden State Warriors for the

2014 NBA Summer League The 2014 NBA Summer League consists of two pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA and the Orlando Magic just after the 2014 NBA Draft. Ten teams took part in the week-long summer league at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, from July 5 t ...

. On 9 September 2014, he signed with Greek team KAOD for the 2014–15 season. On 7 February 2015, he scored a season-high 22 points in KAOD's win over Rethymno Aegean. In 26 games for KAOD, he averaged 7.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

Belgium (2015–2016)

On 26 July 2015, Loe signed with Belgian club

Limburg United Limburg United, for sponsorship reasons named Hubo Limburg United, is a professional basketball club based in Hasselt, Limburg (Belgium), Limburg, Belgium. Founded in 2014, the club plays in the BNXT League, the first tier of basketball in Belgiu ...

for the 2015–16 season. On 17 December 2015, he was ruled out for eight to ten weeks with a knee injury. He returned to action on 4 March 2016 and played out the rest of the season. In 27 games for Limburg, he averaged 7.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

New Zealand Breakers (2016–2018)

On 17 June 2016, Loe signed with the

for 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 ...

. On 2 December 2016, he scored a season-high 21 points in a 95–91 loss to the

Illawarra Hawks The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home game ...

. In 26 games for the Breakers in 2016–17, he averaged 7.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. On 28 March 2017, Loe re-signed with the Breakers for the 2017–18 season. On 21 December 2017, he scored a career-high 24 points in a 99–95 win over the Sydney Kings. He appeared in all 30 games for the Breakers in 2017–18, averaging 7.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

Cairns Taipans (2018–2019)

On 24 April 2018, Loe signed a two-year deal with the

Cairns Taipans The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Convention Centre, known colloquially as "The ...

. On 5 April 2019, he was released from the second year of his contract per his request.

New Zealand and Japan (2019–present)

On 31 March 2019, Loe signed 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 ...

for the 2019 New Zealand NBL season. On 7 May 2019, Loe signed a one-year deal with the

, returning to the club for a second stint. In October 2019, he sustained a skull fracture during a game which required hospitalisation. Following the 2019–20 NBL season, Loe joined the Kagawa Five Arrows of the Japanese B.League. However, he cut his stint short after just two games in order to return to the New Zealand due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. On 16 February 2020, Loe re-signed with the Breakers on a three-year deal. On 18 February 2021, he left the team, who were stationed in Australia during the

2020–21 NBL season The 2020–21 NBL season was the 43rd season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of nine teams contested in the 2020–21 season. The regular season was played between January and June 2021, followed by a p ...

, to return to New Zealand for personal reasons. He re-joined the team in April for the rest of the season. Loe had off-season knee surgery in 2021. In January 2022, he played his 100th game for the Breakers, becoming the 16th player in team history to reach the milestone. He fell out of favour with coach Dan Shamir during the 2021–22 season, becoming the squad's third-string centre. On 15 April, just hours after the Breakers parted ways with starting centre

Yanni Wetzell Yannick Clemens Thomas Wetzell (born 8 July 1996) is a New Zealand professional basketball player for Alba Berlin of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the St. Mary's Rattlers, the Vand ...

, Loe scored a career-high 27 points in an 88–86 loss to the

Tasmania JackJumpers The Tasmania JackJumpers are an Australian professional basketball team based in Hobart, Tasmania, who entered the National Basketball League (NBL) in the 2021–22 season, and play their home games at MyState Bank Arena and the Silverdome. T ...

. Loe joined the

Auckland Tuatara The Auckland Tuatara is a professional baseball team in the Australian Baseball League based in Auckland, New Zealand. They are the only team from New Zealand to compete in the ABL, and one of two expansion teams that entered the league in the ...

for the 2022 New Zealand NBL season. Loe re-joined the Breakers for the

2022–23 NBL season The 2022–23 NBL season was the 45th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams contested in the 2022–23 season. Australian broadcast rights to the season are held by ESPN in the second sea ...

and is set to re-join the Tuatara for the 2023 New Zealand NBL season.

National team career

Loe competed for the New Zealand junior national team as a 17-year-old at the

2009 FIBA Under-19 World Championship The 2009 FIBA Under-19 World Championship (Maori: 2009 FIBA I-Raro I Te 19 Tau Toa o Te Ao) was the 9th edition of the FIBA U19 World Championship, the biennial international men's youth basketball championship contested by the U19 national team ...

held in New Zealand. Although the Junior Tall Blacks struggled to a disappointing 13th-place finish, Loe led the team with 18.8 points and seven rebounds per game. On the heels of his strong performance at the Under-19 championship, Loe was selected to the senior national team for the first time at the

2009 FIBA Oceania Championship The FIBA Oceania Championship for Men 2009 was the qualifying tournament of FIBA Oceania for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey. For the first time, the tournament featured a best-of-two, home-and-away series between Australia and New Ze ...

. At only 18 years of age, Loe was the youngest player in the tournament, and saw action off the bench in both games against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. In June 2012, he was named to the

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 ...

roster for the 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament. In August 2014, he was named to the Tall Blacks roster for the

2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the tournament previously known as the FIBA World Championship. Hosted by Spain, it was the last tournament to be held on the then-current four-year cycle ...

. After helping lead the Tall Blacks to the 2015 Stanković Cup title, Loe played in the two-game

FIBA Oceania Championship FIBA Oceania Championship was the Oceania basketball championships that took place every two years between national teams of the continent. Through the 2015 edition, the Oceania Championship was also a qualifying tournament for the Basketball ...

series against Australia in mid-August. New Zealand were defeated 2–0 as Loe recorded a total of 10 points over the two games.

Personal life

Loe and his wife Kelly have a son.

References

External links

NBL profileBelgian League profileSLU Billikens bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loe, Robert 1991 births Living people 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup players 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Auckland Tuatara basketball players Basketball players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Cairns Taipans players Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for New Zealand Commonwealth Games medallists in basketball Centers (basketball) K.A.O.D. B.C. players Kagawa Five Arrows players Limburg United players New Zealand men's basketball players New Zealand Breakers players New Zealand expatriate basketball people in Australia New Zealand expatriate basketball people in Belgium New Zealand expatriate basketball people in Greece New Zealand expatriate basketball people in Japan New Zealand expatriate basketball people in the United States People educated at Westlake Boys High School Power forwards (basketball) Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball players Wellington Saints players