Mojave King

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

Mojave King
King in January 2020
Cairns Taipans
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (2002-06-11) 11 June 2002
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–presentCairns Taipans

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]

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.[8][9]

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.[10] King's mother, Tracey, is a New Zealand native and played NCAA basketball for Duquesne.[9] 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]

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References
  1. Cheshire, Jeff (10 April 2019). "Young Dunedin-born player turning heads in US". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  2. 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. "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. Daniels, Evan (12 March 2020). "Mojave King bypasses college options to sign with NBL". 247Sports. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  8. "NBA Global Academy Mojave King features on Fox Sports". NBA Academy. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  9. Santamaria, Liam (11 April 2019). "Meet Mojave King: Australian Basketball's Next Big Thing". NBL. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  10. Kossatch, Nick (6 December 2015). "Elite coach praises local basketball talent". Gladstone Observer. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
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