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).
![]() King in January 2020 | |
Cairns Taipans | |
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Position | Shooting guard |
League | NBL |
Personal information | |
Born | Dunedin, New Zealand | 11 June 2002
Nationality | New Zealand / American |
Listed height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) |
Career information | |
Playing career | 2020–present |
Career history | |
2020–present | Cairns Taipans |
Early life and career
King was born in Dunedin, New Zealand.[1] In 2007, his family moved to Mackay, Queensland, four years before settling in Brisbane.[2] King was named after the Mojave Desert in the southwestern United States.[3] He attended Brisbane State High School in South Brisbane. 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.[2] 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.[2][4] At the NBA Academy Games in Atlanta, Georgia in July 2019, he averaged a tournament-high 19.2 points per game.[3]
Professional career
On 12 March 2020, 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]
Personal life
King is the son of Tracey and Leonard King. His father, Leonard, is from the United States and 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.[3] Leonard was a star player for the Otago Nuggets, leaving as the franchise's all-time leader in points, rebounds and steals.[1] King's mother, Tracey, is a New Zealand native and played NCAA basketball for Duquesne.[4] His older sister, Tylah, played for Pacific in the NCAA.[3] 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]
King is a dual citizen of New Zealand the United States but considers himself Australian. He intends to obtain Australian citizenship and play basketball for its national team.[4] He is of Native American and African American descent through his father.[3]
References
- Cheshire, Jeff (10 April 2019). "Young Dunedin-born player turning heads in US". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- "Meet Mojave King: Brisbane's next NBA prospect". The Pick and Roll. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- 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.
- Santamaria, Liam (11 April 2019). "Meet Mojave King: Australian Basketball's Next Big Thing". NBL. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- "Mojave King Joins Cairns Taipans as NBL Next Star". NBL. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- 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.
- Daniels, Evan (12 March 2020). "Mojave King bypasses college options to sign with NBL". 247Sports. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
External links
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