Mojave King

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Mojave King
Mojave King (cropped).jpg
King with the NBA Global Academy in 2020
No. 7 – Adelaide 36ers
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (2002-06-11) 11 June 2002 (age 19)
Dunedin, New Zealand
NationalityNew Zealand / American
Listed height1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Listed weight88 kg (194 lb)
Career information
High schoolBrisbane State
(Brisbane, Queensland)
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–2021Cairns Taipans
2021–presentAdelaide 36ers

Mojave King (born 11 June 2002) is a New Zealand-American professional basketball player for the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League (NBL).

Early life and career[]

King was born in Dunedin, New Zealand and was named after the Mojave Desert in the southwestern United States.[1][2]

In 2007, at the age of four, Mojave moved with his family to Mackay, Queensland when his father accepted a role to coach the Mackay Meteors in Australia's semi-professional Queensland Basketball League.[3] The family settled in Brisbane four years later when the father accepted a position to coach the Brisbane Spartans in the South East Australian Basketball League.[4] Mojave attended Brisbane State High School as a teenager.[4]

In January 2019, King joined the NBA Global Academy, a training center at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. In association with the academy, he played for BA Centre of Excellence in the NBL1, an Australian semi-professional league.[4] Later that year, King represented Queensland South at the Australian Under-18 Championships, where he led the competition in scoring with 26.6 points per game.[4] At the NBA Academy Games in Atlanta, Georgia in July 2019, he averaged a tournament-high 19.2 points per game.[2]

Professional career[]

On 12 March 2020, at the age of 17, King signed with the Cairns Taipans of the National Basketball League (NBL) as a part of the league's Next Stars program to develop NBA draft prospects.[5][6] By joining the NBL, he turned down offers from several NCAA Division I programs, including Arizona, Baylor, Oregon and Virginia.[7] During the 2020–21 season, King averaged 6.2 points and 2.4 rebounds.[8] On 14 July 2021, King was transferred to the Adelaide 36ers for the final year of his Next Stars contract.[9]

National team[]

King is a dual citizen of New Zealand and the United States but considers himself Australian.[7] He intends to obtain Australian citizenship to fulfil his ambition to represent the Australian national team.[10][11]

Personal life[]

King is the son of Tracey and Leonard King. His father, Leonard, is from the United States and is of Native American as well as African American descent.[2] Leonard played National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college basketball for Florida A&M before pursuing a professional career in Europe and New Zealand and later becoming a coach.[2] Leonard was a star player for the Otago Nuggets, leaving as the franchise's all-time leader in points, rebounds and steals.[1] He is also the fourth highest scorer in NZNBL history.[12] King's mother, Tracey, is a New Zealand native and played NCAA basketball for Duquesne.[11] His older sister, Tylah, played for Pacific in the NCAA.[2] King's maternal grandfather, John Paul, coached basketball in Otago for over 50 years and is one of the region's most prominent basketball figures.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Cheshire, Jeff (10 April 2019). "Young Dunedin-born player turning heads in US". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e Glier, Ray (8 August 2019). "From Down Under, With a Nod to the Mojave Desert, Comes a New Hoops Star". OZY Media. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  3. ^ Payne, Charlie (13 January 2011). "Gypsy king moving on from Mackay". Daily Mercury. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d "Meet Mojave King: Brisbane's next NBA prospect". The Pick and Roll. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Mojave King Joins Cairns Taipans as NBL Next Star". NBL. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  6. ^ Uluc, Olgun (13 March 2020). "Mojave King signs with Cairns Taipans as part of NBL's Next Stars program". Fox Sports. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  7. ^ a b Daniels, Evan (12 March 2020). "Mojave King bypasses college options to sign with NBL". 247Sports. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Mojave King". www.NBL.com.au. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Mojave King Moves to Adelaide 36ers for NBL22". NBL.com.au. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  10. ^ "NBA Global Academy Mojave King features on Fox Sports". NBA Academy. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  11. ^ a b Santamaria, Liam (11 April 2019). "Meet Mojave King: Australian Basketball's Next Big Thing". NBL. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  12. ^ Kossatch, Nick (6 December 2015). "Elite coach praises local basketball talent". Gladstone Observer. Retrieved 24 April 2020.

External links[]

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