Izayah Mauriohooho-Le'afa (born 7 November 1996) 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

Wellington Saints The Wellington Saints are a New Zealand professional men's basketball team based in Wellington. The Saints compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at TSB Bank Arena. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as ...

of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He is also contracted with the

New Zealand Breakers The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Bank of New Zealand, BNZ Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers are the only non-Australian side currently competing in Austral ...

of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He began his career in the New Zealand NBL, playing three seasons for the Saints before moving to the United States in 2016 to play

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the Sacramento State Hornets. After graduating in 2020, he played a season for the Auckland Huskies and earned NZNBL Defensive Player of the Year and NZNBL All-Star Five. He subsequently joined the

South East Melbourne Phoenix The South East Melbourne Phoenix are an Australian professional basketball team based in the south–eastern Melbourne suburb of Wantirna South, Victoria. The Phoenix entered the National Basketball League (NBL) in the 2019–20 season. The t ...

in the Australian NBL, where he played two seasons before joining the New Zealand Breakers in 2022. After a season with the

Sydney Kings The Sydney Kings are an Australian men's professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL). The team is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and play their home games at Qudos Ba ...

in 2024–25, he re-joined the Breakers.

Early life and career

Le'afa was born and bred in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, New Zealand. He attended St Patrick's College, where he played both

and

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

. He played four years for the basketball team and was the starting

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

each of his final three seasons. He averaged over 20 points per game during his last two years and was named the school's Sportsman of the Year and team MVP during each of those seasons. St Patrick's were coached by Le'afa's father, George, who was also an assistant coach with the

in the New Zealand NBL. Le'afa debuted for the Wellington Saints in the

2013 New Zealand NBL season The 2013 NBL season was the 32nd season of the National Basketball League. The 2013 season saw the withdrawal of the Auckland Pirates and Harbour Heat, but saw the return of the Waikato Pistons after a one-year hiatus as well as the Super C ...

, but due to suffering from multiple concussions, he missed a number of games over his first two seasons. He won a

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 sys ...

with the Saints in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

and then averaged 7.3 points per game in

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

College career

Le'afa moved to the United States in 2016 to play

for the Sacramento State Hornets, becoming the program's first ever New Zealand-born player. As a freshman in 2016–17, Le'afa played in 29 games and made 28 starts, averaging 4.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 25.1 minutes per game. He scored in double figures four times, including a season-best 16 points against

Southern Utah Dixie is a nickname for the populated, lower-elevation area of south-central Washington County, the southwest corner of the State of Utah, bordering nearby Arizona to the south, and Nevada to the west. The area lies in the northeastern Mojave ...

on 12 January 2017. As a sophomore in 2017–18, Le'afa played in 30 games and made 26 starts, averaging 8.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 31.0 minutes per game. He scored in double figures in 13 of his final 23 games of the season, including a career-high 23 points against

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

on 21 December 2017. As a junior in 2018–19, Le'afa played in 30 games and made 26 starts, averaging 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 31.2 minutes per game. He was a finalist for Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year. He scored in double figures 11 times, including eight games with at least 15 points. He twice had a season high of 18 points. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Le'afa's final season was cut short. As a senior in 2019–20, he started all 28 games in which he appeared, averaging 10.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals in 32.6 minutes per game. He scored in double figures 13 times, including tying his career high with 23 points on two occasions. He was subsequently named an honourable mention all-Big Sky Conference selection. In his junior and senior seasons, Le'afa was named a Big Sky all-academic selection and NABC Honors Court choice for academic excellence.

Professional career

Auckland Huskies (2020)

In June 2020, Le'afa was acquired by the Auckland Huskies for the 2020 New Zealand NBL season. In the Huskies' final game of the season, he scored 39 points against the

Canterbury Rams The Canterbury Rams are a New Zealand professional men's basketball team based in Christchurch. The Rams compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Cowles Stadium. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as Th ...

. He was named in the league's All-Star Five and earned co-

Defensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY or DPOTY) is the name of an award given in sports for outstanding defensive play by a single player over the course of a season. Many sports leagues award this type of award. League awards for Defensive Player o ...

honours alongside

Jarrod Kenny Jarrod Daniel Kenny (born 17 September 1985) is a New Zealand basketball player who last played for the Hawke's Bay Hawks of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He won two championships in the Australian NBL with the Perth Wi ...

. In 13 games, he averaged 20.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.5 steals per game.

South East Melbourne Phoenix (2020–2022)

On 24 September 2020, Le'afa signed with the

in Australia as a development player for 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 ...

. He was drawn to the Phoenix by his Kiwi connections with Reuben Te Rangi and assistant coach Judd Flavell. He was quickly thrust into the rotation due to injuries. He had a breakout game on 15 April 2021, scoring a game-high 29 points with eight 3-pointers in a 97–90 loss to the

. In 32 games, he averaged 6.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. On 24 June 2021, Le'afa re-signed with the Phoenix on a two-year deal. His hounding defence and ability to get to the rim in his first season saw him earn elevation from development player to a full-time contract. In 2021–22, he emerged as a backcourt starter and one of the best lockdown defenders in the league, averaging 8.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 26 games. On 7 June 2022, Le'afa and the Phoenix agreed on a mutual release from the second year of his contract.

New Zealand Breakers and Wellington Saints (2022–2024)

On 10 June 2022, Le'afa signed a two-year deal with the

. He helped the Breakers reach the NBL Grand Final series in the 2022–23 season, where they lost 3–2 to the

. In 35 games, he averaged 10.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game. On 27 April 2023, Le'afa signed with the

for the rest of the 2023 New Zealand NBL season. In the

2023–24 NBL season The 2023–24 NBL season was the 46th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams contested in the 2023–24 season. Australian broadcast rights to the season are held by ESPN in the third seas ...

, Le'afa averaged 7.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 30 games. Le'afa re-joined the Saints for the

2024 New Zealand NBL season The 2024 NBL season was the 43rd season of the National Basketball League. The competition increased to 11 teams in 2024 with the Tauranga Whai joining the league for the first time. The 2024 season saw the return of a pre-season blitz for the ...

Sydney Kings and Wellington Saints (2024–present)

On 19 April 2024, Le'afa signed a two-year deal with the

. On 27 October 2024, he scored 23 points in a 93–89 loss to the

. He appeared in 30 games during the 2024–25 season and averaged 3.7 points, 2.0 assists and 1.9 rebounds across 19.4 minutes per game. The second-year mutual option on Le'afa's contract was declined on 25 March 2025. He re-joined the Wellington Saints for the

2025 New Zealand NBL season The 2025 NBL season is the 44th season of the National Basketball League. The competition increased to 12 teams in 2025 with the debut of the Indian Panthers, but later decreased to 11 teams in May following the withdrawal of the Panthers. The ...

Return to the Breakers (2025–present)

On 10 April 2025, Le'afa signed a two-year deal with the New Zealand Breakers, returning to the club for a second stint.

National team career

In 2013, Le'afa was selected for the New Zealand Tall Blacks, making his senior national team debut as a 16-year-old. In 2014, he captained the Junior Tall Blacks at the FIBA Oceania Under 18 Championship and represented

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

3x3 basketball 3x3 basketball (stylized as ''ƐX3'', pronounced ''three-ex-three'') is a Variations of basketball, variation of basketball played three-a-side, with one Backboard (basketball), backboard and in a basketball court, half-court setup. This basketba ...

at the

Summer Youth Olympics Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...

. In 2015, he was selected to play for the Tall Blacks' Olympic qualifying team. In July 2023, Le'afa was named in the Tall Blacks squad for the

2023 FIBA World Cup The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 19th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams, held from 25 August to 10 September 2023. The tournament was the second to feature 32 teams and was hosted by multipl ...

. He re-joined the Tall Blacks for qualifiers in February 2024.

Personal life

Le'afa is the son of George and Dana. His father played in the New Zealand NBL for the Wellington Saints and won multiple championships. He also coached Le'afa at school and at the Saints.

References

External links

New Zealand Breakers player profile

Sacramento State Hornets college bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Le'afa, Izayah 1996 births Living people Auckland Huskies players New Zealand Breakers players New Zealand expatriate basketball people in the United States New Zealand men's basketball players People educated at St Patrick's College, Wellington Point guards Sacramento State Hornets men's basketball players South East Melbourne Phoenix players Basketball players from Wellington City Sydney Kings players Wellington Saints players 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup players 21st-century New Zealand sportsmen