The Hawke's Bay Hawks are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Napier. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Pettigrew Green Arena. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Taylor Hawks.
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.
Kevin Brooks is an American professional basketball coach and former player. Born in Beaufort, South Carolina, Brooks is a graduate of White Castle High School in White Castle, Louisiana and graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, then named the University of Southwestern Louisiana.
Rick Rickert is a former American professional basketball player. He is a 2001 graduate of Duluth East High School where he was a basketball star and highly recruited college prospect. He was named 2001 Minnesota Mr. Basketball.
Nick Horvath is an American-New Zealand former professional basketball player who played the majority of his career in the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). In 2010, he became the first person to win an NCAA championship (2001), an ANBL championship (2009) and a NZNBL championship (2010).
Joshua Michael Pace is an American former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his ten-year career playing in the New Zealand National Basketball League. He also had successful stints playing college basketball for Syracuse and playing in the ABA for the Mavericks. He currently serves as the head coach for the Western New Mexico Mustangs women's basketball team.
Craig Robert Bradshaw is a New Zealand former professional basketball player. Bradshaw played four years of college basketball at Winthrop University in the United States before playing professionally with clubs in New Zealand, Australia, Turkey, Spain, South Korea and Latvia from 2007 to 2012.
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.
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.
Kenny McFadden was an American basketball player and coach. Born in the United States, he moved to New Zealand in 1982, where he played 15 seasons for the Wellington Saints and won four NBL championships. He was instrumental in developing and coaching New Zealand's young basketball players over 40 years.
Dion Anthony Prewster is an American-born New Zealand basketball player for the Wellington Saints of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). He played college basketball for San Jacinto College and Stephen F. Austin State University. He served as an assistant coach of the Shimane Susanoo Magic in the Japanese B.League during the 2023–24 season.
Torrey Craig is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Upstate Spartans, where he was named an honorable mention All-American and Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year in 2012.
Charles Edward Jackson is an American professional basketball player for the Kyoto Hannaryz of the B.League in Japan. He attended Grant Union High School in Sacramento, California before attending and competing for three different colleges.
The 1988 NBL season was the seventh season of the National Basketball League. With the relegation of Palmerston North in 1988, Waitemata returned to the NBL following a four-year hiatus after winning the Conference Basketball League (CBL) championship in 1987. Wellington won the championship in 1988 to claim their fourth league title.
Derone Jordan Raukawa is a New Zealand basketball player for the Taranaki Airs of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL).
Xavier Cooks is an Australian professional basketball player for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Winthrop Eagles, where he was named the 2018 Big South Conference Player of the Year. In 2022, he helped the Sydney Kings win the NBL championship while earning grand final MVP honours. In 2023, he was named NBL MVP and won his second straight NBL championship.
Shaquille Thomas is an American professional basketball player for Al-Ahli Amman of the Jordanian Premier Basketball League. He played college basketball for Cincinnati.
Kerwin LaTroy Roach II is an American professional basketball player for CS Antonine of the Lebanese Basketball League. He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns.
Justinian Jessup is an American professional basketball player for ratiopharm Ulm of the Basketball Bundesliga. He played college basketball for the Boise State Broncos and was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 51st overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
Jordan Hunt is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Surrey 89ers of the Super League Basketball. He debuted in the New Zealand New National Basketball League (NZNBL) in 2015 with the Wellington Saints and won a championship with them in 2016. After four years of college basketball in the United States with the Southern Oregon Raiders, he helped the Otago Nuggets win the NZNBL championship in 2020 while earning grand final MVP. He subsequently spent the 2020–21 NBL season in Australia with the Cairns Taipans as a development player.
