Nathan Jawai

Nathan Leon Jawai (born 10 October 1986), an Indigenous Australian of Torres Strait Islander descent,[1] is a professional basketball player for the Cairns Taipans of the National Basketball League (NBL). Standing at 209 cm, he plays at the power forward and centre positions.

Nathan Jawai
Jawai in December 2014
No. 15 – Cairns Taipans
PositionPower forward / Centre
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (1986-10-10) 10 October 1986
Sydney, New South Wales
NationalityAustralian
Listed height209 cm (6 ft 10 in)
Listed weight140 kg (309 lb)
Career information
High schoolSt Augustine's College
(Cairns, Queensland)
CollegeMidland College (2006–2007)
NBA draft2008 / Round: 2 / Pick: 41st overall
Selected by the Indiana Pacers
Playing career2004–present
Career history
2004Cairns Marlins
2005–2006Australian Institute of Sport
2007Cairns Marlins
2007–2008Cairns Taipans
2008–2009Toronto Raptors
2009→Idaho Stampede
2009–2010Minnesota Timberwolves
2010→Sioux Falls Skyforce
2010–2011Partizan Belgrade
2011–2012UNICS Kazan
2012Cairns Marlins
2012–2013Barcelona
2013–2014Galatasaray Liv Hospital
2014–2015MoraBanc Andorra
2015–2016Perth Wildcats
2016–presentCairns Taipans
2019Levallois Metropolitans
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life

Born at the Royal Hospital for Women in the Sydney suburb of Paddington on 10 October 1986, Jawai lived in Sydney for a year before his parents, Lynette and Ron, moved back to Bamaga, a small town of about 1000 people, located north of the Jardine River and only 40 km from the tip of Cape York Peninsula.[2] Like most children on Cape York, he played rugby league throughout primary school and early high school.[3] However, living in a remote indigenous community meant Jawai was subject to a lot of bad influences and was often getting in trouble due to the stain of drug and alcohol abuse.[4][5] before venturing to the United States in 2006 to play college basketball for Midland College. However, after just one season with Midland, Jawai returned to Australia and had surgery to remove the meniscus in his right knee.[6] With his move back home, he had hopes of joining an NBL club.[7] He subsequently re-joined the Cairns Marlins and helped guide them to a national title in 2007 while earning ACC All-Star Five honours.[8]

  1. Murphy, Padraic (16 May 2008). "Indigenous basketballer Nathan Jawai shoots for top". The Australian. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  2. Perth Wildcats superstar Nathan Jawai out to beast Adelaide 36ers when NBL season gets under way
  3. Indigenous basketballer Nathan Jawai shoots for top
  4. Wildcats' wild ride to the top
  5. [https://hoopshype.com/2008/02/29/nathan-jawai-i-want-to-be-in-the-nba-next-season/ Nathan Jawai: "I want to be in the NBA next season//www.ausport.gov.au/ais/sports/basketball/athletes/past_athletes|archivedate=12 February 2014|url-status=dead}}
  6. "Jawai return imminent". NBL.com.au. 24 May 2007. Archived from the original on 13 September 2007. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  7. The next Shaq is a Taipan
  8. {{cite web |

    Professional career

    Cairns Taipans

    Jawai's play with the Cairns Taipans' feeder team, the Cairns Marlins, earned him a spot on the Taipans roster for the 2007–08 NBL season. In 31 games for the Taipans, Jawai averaged 17.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. His season highs for points and rebounds was 28 and 18 respectively.<ref>"Player statistics for Nathan Jawai". FoxSportsPulse.com. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
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