No. 9–Auckland Tuatara | |
---|---|
Position | Shooting guard / point guard |
League | NZNBL |
Personal information | |
Born | Auckland, New Zealand | 29 November 1988
Listed height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) |
Listed weight | 89 kg (196 lb) |
Career information | |
High school | Westlake Boys (Auckland, New Zealand) |
College | Lambuth (2007–2008) |
NBA draft | 2010: undrafted |
Playing career | 2008–present |
Career history | |
2008–2011 | New Zealand Breakers |
2009–2010 | Harbour Heat |
2011 | Wellington Saints |
2012–2017 | New Zealand Breakers |
2013–2014 | Wellington Saints |
2015 | Mega Leks |
2016 | Koroivos |
2016 | Super City Rangers |
2017 | Wellington Saints |
2017–2018 | Ironi Nahariya |
2018 | Guizhou |
2018–2019 | New Zealand Breakers |
2019–2020 | Zhejiang Lions |
2020 | Virtus Roma |
2020–2021 | New Zealand Breakers |
2021–2022 | Al Ittihad |
2022 | Franklin Bulls |
2022–2024 | Perth Wildcats |
2023 | KK Mornar Bar |
2023 | Al Ahly |
2023 | Canterbury Rams |
2024–present | Auckland Tuatara |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Corey Webster (born 29 November 1988) is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Auckland Tuatara of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He joined the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) for the first time in 2008 after a season of college basketball in the United States for Lambuth University, and won championships with the club in 2011, 2013 and 2015.
He has also been a regular in the New Zealand NBL, winning championships with the Wellington Saints in 2011, 2014 and 2017, and with the Canterbury Rams in 2023. He has had stints in Serbia, Greece, Israel, China, Italy and Egypt, winning the 2023 BAL championship with Al Ahly.
Webster attended Westlake Boys High School in Auckland, New Zealand, and played junior basketball for North Harbour Basketball Association. [1] He moved to the United States in 2007 and played a season of college basketball for Lambuth University of the NAIA. [2] He averaged 11.5 points per game and was named the TSAC Freshman of the Year. [3]
In June 2008, Webster joined the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian NBL for the first time, signing as a development player. [4] He spent two seasons as a development player [5] before joining the full-time roster ahead of the 2010–11 season. [6] He won his first championship with the Breakers that season before missing the 2011–12 season due to a drug violation. [7] The Breakers brought him back on a three-year deal ahead of the 2012–13 season [8] [9] and won his second NBL championship that season. [10] He averaged a then career-high 8.5 points per game during the 2013–14 season. [11]
The 2014–15 season saw Webster develop into one of the league's premier scorers as he moved to a starting role and averaged a team-best 15.3 points per game, including scoring a career-high 24 points in the first semi-final against the Adelaide 36ers. [12] He helped the Breakers win their fourth title in five years. [13] [14]
After re-signing with the Breakers on a three-year deal, [12] Webster's 2015 off-season saw him attend a pre-draft tryout with the Indiana Pacers [15] and later spent NBA preseason with the New Orleans Pelicans. [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] With the Breakers in 2015–16, [21] Webster scored a career-high 39 points in November [22] [23] and helped the team return to the NBL Grand Final series, where they lost to the Perth Wildcats. [24] He earned All-NBL Second Team honours after he finished second in scoring with 21.09 points per game during the regular season. [25]
After missing the second half of the 2016–17 NBL season due to a hip injury, [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] Webster was released by the Breakers in March 2017. [31] He subsequently played for the Dallas Mavericks during the 2017 NBA Summer League. [32]
On 24 May 2018, Webster returned to the Breakers on another three-year deal. [33] He started the 2018–19 NBL season strong, [34] but had a form slump in December [35] that saw him present as a shadow of the figure who was once a premier scorer in the league. [36] He returned to form in the 2019–20 NBL season, averaging 19.5 points in 11 games, before being bought out of his contract in December in order to sign in China. [37]
Webster re-joined the Breakers for the 2020–21 NBL season, but he missed the first two weeks of the season after slicing a nerve in his hand with a knife in his kitchen. [38] [39] [40] He was later sidelined for four weeks with a knee injury. [41]
On 20 August 2021, Webster parted ways with the Breakers. [42]
On 30 March 2017, Webster signed a two-year deal with the Perth Wildcats. [43] [44] However, he soon requested a release from his contract, which was granted by the Wildcats on 13 July 2017. [45]
On 15 June 2022, Webster reunited with the Wildcats on a two-year deal. [46] On 12 December 2022, in his 250th NBL game, he hit the game-winning 3-pointer to lift the Wildcats to a 90–89 win over Melbourne United. [47]
On 3 May 2023, Webster re-signed with the Wildcats on a new two-year deal. [48] After playing 27 minutes per game in 2022–23, he fell out of favour in 2023–24 to average 13 minutes per game. The Wildcats did not pick up their team option on his contract for the 2024–25 season. [49] [50]
Webster debuted in the New Zealand NBL in 2009, playing two seasons for the Harbour Heat. In 2011, he joined the Wellington Saints and helped them win the championship. His second season with the Saints came in 2013. [51] In 2014, he won the league MVP [52] and another championship with the Saints. [53] He spent the 2016 season with the Super City Rangers. [54] In 2017 with the Saints, [30] [55] he won his second MVP award and third championship. [56] [57] In 2022, he played for the Franklin Bulls. [58] He joined the Canterbury Rams in 2023 [59] and won his fourth NZNBL championship. [60] He joined the Auckland Tuatara for the 2024 season. [61]
Following both the 2014–15 and 2015–16 NBL seasons, Webster played in Europe. He played in Serbia in 2015 with Mega Leks [62] and in Greece in 2016 with Koroivos. [63]
Webster played the 2017–18 season in Israel for Ironi Nahariya. [64] [65] He won the Three-Point Shootout during the league's All-Star Event. [66] Following the Israeli season, he joined the Guizhou Shenghang Snow Leopards of the Chinese NBL. [67]
In December 2019, Webster returned to China to play for the Zhejiang Lions in the CBA. [37] He played in seven games before leaving China on 3 February 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [68] He moved to Italy later that month to play for Virtus Roma of the Lega Basket Serie A, [69] but that season was also cut short due to the pandemic. He appeared in just one game for Roma. [70]
Webster played the 2021–22 season in Egypt for Al Ittihad. [71]
In February 2023, Webster joined KK Mornar Bar of the Montenegrin League for the rest of the 2022–23 season. [72] He returned to Egypt in April 2023 and joined Al Ahly. [73] He helped Al Ahly win the Basketball Africa League championship for the 2023 season. He scored 13 points in the 80–65 win over Douanes in the final. [74]
Webster joined the New Zealand national basketball team for the first time in 2008 at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. He later played for New Zealand at the 2009 FIBA Oceania Championship, [75] 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship, 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, 2015 FIBA Oceania Championship and 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. [76]
Webster is the son of Tony and Cherry Webster. Tony, who is from New York, [77] was a standout basketball player in his own right, earning first-team All-WAC honours at Hawaii in 1983 and ranking fourth on Hawaii's career steals list before playing professionally in New Zealand. Webster's younger brother, Tai, played four years of college basketball for the University of Nebraska and has played professionally in New Zealand and Europe. [78]
The New Zealand Breakers are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers are the only non-Australian side currently competing in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL), and one of only two non-Australian sides to have done so. They play their home games at multiple venues, mainly Spark Arena in Auckland. In 2011, the Breakers won their first NBL championship and successfully defended it in 2012 and 2013, claiming the second three-peat in NBL history. They won their fourth title in 2015.
Kirk Samuel Penney is a New Zealand former professional basketball player. He is the all-time leading scorer for New Zealand's national team and he ranks 12th all-time in points scored at the FIBA World Cup. In 2024, he was inducted in the FIBA Hall of Fame.
Mika John Vukona is a Fijian-born New Zealand former professional basketball player who is the general manager of basketball operations for the Tasmania JackJumpers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). Between 2003 and 2018, he spent 13 seasons with the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL and helped them win four championships. He was also a regular with the Nelson Giants in the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) and was a long-time New Zealand Tall Black.
Thomas Iain Abercrombie is a New Zealand former professional basketball player who played 16 seasons in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) for the New Zealand Breakers. A product of Westlake Boys High School in Auckland, Abercrombie had a short-lived college basketball stint with Washington State before debuting in the Australian NBL in 2008 with the Breakers. In 2011, he won his first NBL championship and earned Grand Final MVP honours. He went on to win three more championships in 2012, 2013 and 2015. He ended his NBL career in 2024 as the Breakers' most-capped player with 429 games.
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.
Robert Loe is a New Zealand professional basketball player for Melbourne United of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for Saint Louis University and represents the New Zealand national team. He also holds a British passport.
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.
Cedric Lamar Jackson is an American former professional basketball player. He played two years of college basketball for Cleveland State University, where he made a notable game-winning full-court shot against Syracuse and helped the Vikings past Wake Forest in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
Tai William Evans Wesley is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Utah State Aggies, where he was named the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2011. After beginning his career with successful stints in Europe, he made a name for himself in Australia and New Zealand, winning two Australian NBL championships and three New Zealand NBL championships. Wesley also represented the Guam national team on numerous occasions.
Tai Jack Webster is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). Prior to playing college basketball in the United States, Webster won a New Zealand NBL championship with the Auckland Pirates in 2012 and an Australian NBL championship with the Breakers in 2013 as a development player. He played four college seasons for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, earning second-team All-Big Ten as a senior in 2017. He played professionally in Germany and Turkey between 2017 and 2020.
Tai Hikuroa Wynyard is a New Zealand professional basketball player who last played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. He began his career playing in his home country for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian NBL and the Super City Rangers of the New Zealand NBL. After a two-year stint in the United States playing college basketball for Kentucky, Wynyard returned to the Australian and New Zealand NBL.
James Paton Hunter is an Australian-New Zealand basketball player for the Maitland Mustangs of the NBL1 East.
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.
William McDowell-White is an Australian professional basketball player for Alba Berlin of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. He debuted in the NBL in 2016 with the Sydney Kings before playing two seasons in Germany and then two seasons in the NBA G League. He joined the Breakers in 2021.
The 2019–20 NBL season was the 17th season for the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL.
Reuben Te Rangi is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Tasmania JackJumpers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He started his NBL career in 2012 with the New Zealand Breakers with whom he won two championships in 2013 and 2015. Te Rangi joined the Brisbane Bullets in 2016 and won both the Best Sixth Man Award and Most Improved Player Award in 2019. He played four seasons with the South East Melbourne Phoenix before signing with the JackJumpers in 2024.
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.
Hugo Besson is a French professional basketball player for Manisa Basket of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the Basketball Champions League (BCL). He debuted in the LNB Pro A in 2018 with Élan Chalon. After two seasons with Chalon, he was loaned to Saint-Quentin BB of the LNB Pro B and led the league in scoring in the 2020–21 season. After a season with the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL, he was drafted by the Indiana Pacers with the 58th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft.
Izayah Mauriohooho-Le'afa is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Sydney Kings of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He began his career in the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL), playing three seasons for the Wellington Saints before moving to the United States in 2016 to play college basketball 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 in the Australian NBL and played two seasons before joining the New Zealand Breakers in 2022.
Dontae Russo-Nance is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played two seasons in the New Zealand NBL in 2021 and 2022 with the Auckland Huskies/Tuatara, earning Youth Player of the Year honours in 2022. After a season in the United States with Oak Hill Academy, he signed with the Wildcats in May 2023.
Lambuth's Corey Webster, left, was named the TranSouth Freshman of the Year this season while averaging 11.5 points.