Nelson Giants

New Zealand basketball team based in Nelson From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nelson Giants

The Nelson Giants are a New Zealand professional men's basketball team based in Nelson. The Giants compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Trafalgar Centre. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the NBS Nelson Giants. The Giants are the only remaining original team from the league's inaugural season, as all other teams have spent at least one year out of the league, for various reasons.

Quick Facts League, Founded ...
Nelson Giants
Nelson Giants logo
LeagueNZNBL
Founded1982
HistoryNelson Giants
1982–present
ArenaTrafalgar Centre
LocationNelson, New Zealand
Team coloursBlue & white
Main sponsorNelson Building Society
General managerMichael Fitchett
Head coachMichael Fitchett
OwnershipBasketball Development Nelson Trust
Championships3 (1994, 1998, 2007)
Retired numbers3 (4, 13, 14)
Websitenelsongiants.basketball
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Team history

The Nelson Giants were a foundation member of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1982. The Giants made their first NBL final in 1990, where they lost to the Canterbury Rams in what was the NBL's first all-South Island final.[1] In 1994, the Giants won their maiden championship with a 67–66 win over the Rams in the final.[2] In 1996 and 1997, the Giants lost back-to-back championship series, before winning their second NBL championship in 1998 with an 81–73 win over the North Harbour Kings in the final.[3] In 2000, 2002, and 2004, the Giants were runners-up. In 2007, the Giants won their third championship with a 2–0 series win over the Hawke's Bay Hawks.[4][5][6] In 2009 and 2013, the Giants were runners-up.

The Trafalgar Centre was Nelson's home stadium from 1982 until being closed because of its earthquake risk in December 2013.[7] As a result, the Giants played out of Saxton Stadium in 2014 and 2015.[8] The team returned to the Trafalgar Centre in 2016 after the venue completed earthquake strengthening.[9]

Current roster

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Perspective

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

More information Players, Coaches ...
Nelson Giants roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHt.
G 0 New Zealand McNaught, Alex 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
G 5 United States Forbes, Jaylen (I) 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
F 7 New Zealand Chamberlain, Kaleb 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)
F 10 New Zealand Dempster, Sam (C) 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
F 11 United States Johnson, Brice (I) 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)
F 13 New Zealand Jones, Hayden 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
G/F 15 New Zealand Crate, Lachlan 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
F 16 New Zealand Blight, Will 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in)
F 23 New Zealand Inwood, Ashton 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
G 35 New Zealand Matthews, James 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
G 41 New Zealand Williams, Coen 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
F 51 Australia Dalton, Callum (I) 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)
F 67 New Zealand Judd, Liam 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
G New Zealand Adams, Cooper 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
C New Zealand McRae, Callum 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in)
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Development player
  • (I) Import player
  • Injured Injured

Updated: 16 March 2025
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Notable players

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

More information Criteria ...
Criteria

To appear in this section a player must have either:

  • Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club
  • Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time
  • Played at least one official NBA match at any time.
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Retired numbers

More information No, Nat. ...
Nelson Giants Retired Numbers
No Nat. Player Position Tenure Ceremony date
4Serbia New ZealandNenad VučinićSF1989–200710 June 2017[10]
13New ZealandPhill JonesSG1993–201710 June 2017[11]
14New ZealandMika VukonaPF2000–202021 June 2023[12]
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References

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