Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Auckland, New Zealand | 13 September 1983
Nationality | New Zealand |
Listed height | 198 cm (6 ft 6 in) |
Listed weight | 127 kg (280 lb) |
Career information | |
High school |
|
Playing career | 2010–2010 |
Position | Forward |
Career history | |
2010 | Southland Sharks |
Bubba Lau'ese (born Barry Papalii; [1] 13 September 1983) is a New Zealand former rugby and basketball player.
Lau'ese was born in Auckland, New Zealand. [2] He attended Surrey Park Primary School in Invercargill, Southland, [1] and Howick College and Onehunga High School in Auckland. [2]
Lau'ese flirted with basketball at secondary school and club level, but made a name for himself on the rugby field. He narrowly missed out on a place in Samoa's squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup and played second division rugby in Wales and France. [1]
In 2009, Lau'ese was lured back to Invercargill by Rugby Southland and the Excelsior Rugby Club. [1] [3]
That same year, Lau'ese played on the same club basketball team as Southland Sharks coach Richard Dickel. He decided to give the Sharks trials a crack on Dickel's advice and was successful in making the inaugural roster for the 2010 New Zealand NBL season. [1] [4] He played in three NBL games for the Sharks. [5] In July 2010, he played for the Southland Flyers in the Conference Basketball League. [6]
As of February 2010, Lau'ese was a probation officer at the Department of Corrections. [1]
Alex John Pledger is a New Zealand former professional basketball player. He played college basketball in the United States for Kansas City and Belmont Abbey before playing eleven seasons in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) between 2009 and 2020. In nine seasons with the New Zealand Breakers, he won four NBL championships. In the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL), he won championships with the Auckland Pirates (2012) and Southland Sharks (2018). He was also a regular member of the New Zealand national team.
The Southland Sharks are a New Zealand professional men's 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 Southland Sharks.
Richard Dickel is a New Zealand basketball coach.
Leon Hofeni Nehemiah Henry is a New Zealand former professional basketball player. He debuted in the New Zealand NBL in 2004 and won seven championships in 19 years. He also played five seasons in the Australian NBL, where he won three straight championships with the New Zealand Breakers between 2011 and 2013.
Paratene McLeod is a New Zealand basketball player.
Hayden Allen 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.
Izaac Williams is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Southland Sharks of the National Basketball League (NBL). Born in Invercargill, Southland, Williams had a promising career in squash before turning to basketball.
James Paringatai is a New Zealand basketball player who last played for the Toowoomba Mountaineers of the Queensland State League (QSL). He played 13 seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL), with his most notable stint coming with the Southland Sharks between 2010 and 2016. He captained the Sharks to NBL championships in 2013 and 2015. In June 2016, he moved to Australia to play in the State Basketball League (SBL). He was a member of the Geraldton Buccaneers' 2019 SBL championship-winning team.
Andrew Wheeler is a New Zealand basketball player for the Southland Sharks of the National Basketball League (NBL).
Everard Verdon Bartlett is a New Zealand basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as the head coach of the Hawke's Bay Hawks of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). Bartlett was a regular in the NZNBL between 2005 and 2022, playing the majority of those years with the Hawke's Bay Hawks. He also had various stints in the Australian NBL for the New Zealand Breakers, Perth Wildcats and Adelaide 36ers, and was a regular with the New Zealand Tall Blacks between 2012 and 2016.
Kevin Lavelle Braswell is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He played college basketball for Georgetown University before playing professionally in Europe and New Zealand. He currently serves as associate head coach of the Utsunomiya Brex in the Japanese B.League.
Marcel Xavier Jones is an American-New Zealand professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Oregon State Beavers between 2004 and 2008 before embarking on a professional career that spanned across the globe, from Europe and the Middle East, to his adoptive home of New Zealand. Since 2009, Jones has had consistent yearly stints in the New Zealand NBL, largely due to gaining New Zealand citizenship in 2012. He also played consistently in the Persian Gulf region between 2017 and 2022.
Duane Benjamin Bailey is a New Zealand former professional basketball player who played in the New Zealand NBL and the Australian NBL.
Samuel Timmins is a New Zealand professional basketball player for Tryhoop Okayama of the B.League. He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies. In 2022, he helped the Otago Nuggets win the NZNBL championship.
Derone Jordan Raukawa is a New Zealand basketball player for the Taranaki Airs of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL).
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.
Ethan Rusbatch is a New Zealand basketball player for the Franklin Bulls of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He began his New Zealand NBL career in 2012 with the Southland Sharks after spending one season in the United States playing college basketball for Lincoln Trail College. After playing for the Taranaki Mountainairs in 2013, he spent the next four seasons with the Canterbury Rams. He joined the Hawke's Bay Hawks in 2018 and won the NZNBL's Most Improved Player in 2019. He also played two seasons with the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL.
Shea Ili is a New Zealand professional basketball player for Melbourne United of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He is also contracted with the Sandringham Sabres of the NBL1 South. He debuted in the Australian NBL in 2014 with the New Zealand Breakers. He was a member of the Breakers' championship-winning team in 2015 and in 2018 he named the NBL Most Improved Player. He joined United in 2019 and in 2021 he won his second NBL championship. He was named NBL Best Sixth Man in 2022 and NBL Best Defensive Player in 2024.
Guy Molloy is an Australian basketball coach, who is currently the head coach of the Sydney Flames of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).
Thomas James Vodanovich is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball in the United States for the James Madison Dukes between 2013 and 2017 before having a two-year stint with the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian NBL. He joined the Sydney Kings in 2021 and won an NBL championship in 2022. He won a second NBL championship with the Tasmania JackJumpers in 2024. In 2020, he was named the New Zealand NBL MVP playing for the Manawatu Jets.