Nathan Leon Jawai (born 10 October 1986) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Darwin Salties of the

NBL1 North 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 ...

. Standing at 209 cm, he plays at the power forward and centre positions.

Early life

Born at the Royal Hospital for Women in the

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

suburb of Paddington on 10 October 1986, Jawai lived in Sydney for a year before his parents, Lynette and Ron, moved back to Bamaga, a small town of about 1000 people, located north of the Jardine River and only 40 km from the tip of Cape York Peninsula. He is an Indigenous Australian of Torres Strait Islander descent. He is the cousin of

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

basketball player Patty Mills, rugby league

NRL The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

players Edrick Lee and Brenko Lee. Jawai's uncle is former Olympian basketballer

Danny Morseu Danny Morseu (born 1 January 1958) is an Australian basketball player who played on the Australian national basketball team in the 1980 Summer Olympics and 1984 Summer Olympics. International career Morseu played for the Australian team at th ...

, the second Indigenous Australian to represent Australia at the Olympics in basketball. Jawai’s great uncle is Indigenous land rights activist Eddie Mabo. Like most children on Cape York, he played rugby league throughout primary school and early high school.Indigenous basketballer Nathan Jawai shoots for top
/ref> However, living in a remote indigenous community meant Jawai was subject to a lot of bad influences and was often getting in trouble due to the stain of drug and alcohol abuse.Wildcats' wild ride to the top
/ref> Strong parental guidance and the decision to send Jawai to high school at St Augustine's College in

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

ensured he stayed away from bad influences. At the age of 15, Jawai began playing basketball, and it only took him two years until he began playing competitively for the Cairns Marlins 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 ...

in 2004. He then spent two years at the

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

before venturing to the United States in 2006 to play college basketball for Midland College. However, after just one season with Midland, Jawai returned to Australia and had surgery to remove the meniscus in his right knee. With his move back home, he had hopes of joining an NBL club.The next Shaq is a Taipan
/ref> He subsequently re-joined the Cairns Marlins and helped guide them to a

national title A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

while earning ACC All-Star Five honours.

Professional career

Cairns Taipans

Jawai's play 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 (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Conventio ...

' feeder team, the Cairns Marlins, earned him a spot on the Taipans roster 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 31 games for the Taipans, Jawai averaged 17.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. His season highs for points and rebounds was 28 and 18 respectively.

NBA

Jawai was drafted 41st overall in the 2008 NBA draft by the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

; however, his rights were traded to the Toronto Raptors in a deal that also brought Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto in exchange for

T. J. Ford Terrance Jerod Ford Sr. (born March 24, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. Having been awarded numerous top basketball accolades in high school and college, Ford entered the 2003 NBA draft and was selected eighth overall ...

Rasho Nesterović Radoslav "Rasho" Nesterović ( sr-Cyrl, Радослав "Рашо" Нестеровић, sl, Radoslav "Rašo" Nesterovič; born May 30, 1976) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player. He holds citizenship in both Slovenia and Greece ...

, Maceo Baston, and the draft rights to Roy Hibbert. On 11 July 2008, he signed a two-year deal with the Raptors, and the nicknames soon rolled in with "Aussie Shaq", "Outback Shaq" and "Baby Shaq", due to his resemblance to

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

. He was also nicknamed "Big Nate" by Toronto commentators. On 17 December 2008, Jawai was cleared to resume training after enduring a worrisome period in which he was not allowed to undergo physical activity. Jawai was required to 'rest', due to a routine pre-season test which revealed a cardiac abnormality. On 21 January 2009, Jawai made his NBA debut against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills, becoming the first indigenous Australian to play in the NBA. On 26 February 2009, Jawai was assigned by the Raptors to the Idaho Stampede of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

. In his first start (his second game), he registered 12 points, 5 rebounds and a team-high 3 blocks in Idaho's 104–96 win over the

Utah Flash Orem, Utah Orem Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal ...

. Jawai was recalled from the D-League on 23 March 2009. On 9 July 2009, Jawai was traded to the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

as a part of the four-team trade that also involved the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

and Memphis Grizzlies. Later that year, on 20 October 2009, Jawai was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for a conditional second-round pick in the

2012 NBA draft The 2012 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2012, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Asso ...

. On 8 November 2009, Jawai played arguably the best game of his NBA career, scoring a team-high 16 points and grabbing six rebounds in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers. On 19 February 2010, Jawai was sent to the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA D-League for a short stint. He was recalled on 21 February 2010, and sent back on 31 March 2010.

Europe

On 18 August 2010, Jawai signed a one-year deal with the Serbian team Partizan Belgrade. In June 2011, Jawai signed a deal with the Russian team

UNICS Kazan BC UNICS (russian: БК УНИКС) is a professional basketball club in Kazan, Russia, that plays in the VTB United League, and formerly played in the EuroLeague. On February 28, 2022, EuroLeague Basketball suspended the team because of the 2022 ...

. Following the conclusion of Kazan's season, Jawai returned to Cairns and joined the Marlins for a two-game stint. In July 2012, Jawai signed a deal with the Spanish team Barcelona Regal for the 2012–13 season. In July 2013, Jawai signed with the Turkish team Galatasaray Liv Hospital. In October 2013, he sustained a traumatic neck injury while playing for Galatasaray. He had long-lasting effects because of the incident and temporarily couldn't see from one eye. He subsequently managed just four total games for Galatasaray in 2013–14. Despite the circumstances, Jawai re-signed with the club in September 2014. In December 2014, he left Galatasaray and signed with MoraBanc Andorra for the rest of the season.

Perth Wildcats

On 28 August 2015, Jawai signed with the Perth Wildcats for the

2015–16 NBL season The 2015–16 NBL season was the 38th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between 7 October 2015 and 14 February 2016, followed by a post-season featuri ...

. On 10 October 2015, Jawai made his debut for the Wildcats in the team's season opener, where he recorded 11 points and six rebounds in 21 minutes in a 79–66 win over the Adelaide 36ers. On 22 November 2015, he scored a season-high 20 points in a 91–90 win over his former team, the

. On 21 January 2016, he had his best game in two months, scoring 18 points in a 95–72 win over the Illawarra Hawks. The Wildcats finished the regular season in second place with an 18–10 record and reached the NBL Grand Final series, where they defeated the New Zealand Breakers 2–1. Jawai appeared in 32 of the team's 34 games in 2015–16, averaging 10.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

Second stint with Cairns and return to Europe

On 3 June 2016, Jawai signed a three-year deal with the

, returning to the club he began his career with in 2007. A major factor in his return to Cairns was his long-time mentor and Taipans head coach Aaron Fearne. On 3 August 2016, he was ruled out for the entire NBL pre-season following finger surgery. On 5 February 2017, he scored a season-high 22 points in an 85–77 win over the Perth Wildcats. On 10 October 2017, Jawai was ruled out for 12 weeks after suffering a partial tear of a ligament in his left foot in the Taipans' 2017–18 season opener four days earlier. On 3 April 2018, Jawai took up his player option with the Taipans for the 2018–19 season. On 17 February 2019, Jawai signed with French team Levallois Metropolitans for the rest of the

2018–19 Pro A season The 2018–19 Pro A season, for sponsorships reasons the Jeep Élite, was the 97th season of the Pro A, the top basketball league in France organised by the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB). It was the second season with Jeep as main sponsor. The ...

. In 14 games, he averaged 5.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. On 4 August 2019, Jawai re-signed with the Taipans for 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 *The ...

. On 3 August 2020, Jawai re-signed again with the Taipans on a two-year deal. On 9 June 2021, Jawai joined the Cairns Marlins of the

, marking his fourth stint with the team. Jawai missed most of February of the

2021–22 NBL season The 2021–22 NBL season was the 44th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams are contesting in the 2021–22 season, which commenced on 3 December 2021. Australian broadcast rights to the ...

after suffering a partial Grade 2 tear of his right adductor. He parted ways with the Taipans following the season. In May 2022, Jawai joined the Darwin Salties for their inaugural season in the NBL1 North.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Toronto , 6 , , 0 , , 3.2 , , .250 , , .000 , , .000 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Minnesota , 39 , , 2 , , 10.6 , , .441 , , .000 , , .684 , , 2.7 , , .6 , , .3 , , .2 , , 3.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 45 , , 2 , , 9.6 , , .435 , , .000 , , .684 , , 2.4 , , .5 , , .2 , , .2 , , 2.8

Euroleague

, - , 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. I ...

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

Partizan Partizan may refer to: Sport * JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs: **AK Partizan, athletics ** Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling ** Džudo Klub Partizan, judo **FK Partizan, association fo ...

, 16 , , 7 , , 22.9 , , .459 , , .000 , , .786 , , 5.0 , , .9 , , .6 , , .7 , , 9.1 , , 10.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;", UNICS , 15 , , 10 , , 14.1 , , .547 , , .000 , , .643 , , 4.3 , , .3 , , .3 , , .5 , , 7.3 , , 5.7 , - , 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;", Barcelona , 30 , , 6 , , 15.5 , , .697 , , .000 , , .710 , , 4.7 , , .4 , , .3 , , .8 , , 7.1 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;", Galatasaray , 2 , , 0 , , 14.7 , , .875 , , .000 , , .727 , , 2.5 , , .5 , , .5 , , .5 , , 11.0 , , 14.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 63 , , 23 , , 17.0 , , .582 , , .000 , , .790 , , 4.6 , , .5 , , .4 , , .7 , , 7.8 , , 8.9

National team career

Jawai represented the

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 t ...

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 ...

and the

2014 FIBA 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 ...

. In November 2018, he was called up to the Boomers squad for the team's next window of 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

Personal life

Jawai is the nephew of

, the first Indigenous Australian to play basketball for Australia. Jawai has two daughters.

References

External links