The Most Famous
BASKETBALL PLAYERS from New Zealand
This page contains a list of the greatest New Zealander Basketball Players. The pantheon dataset contains 1,757 Basketball Players, 3 of which were born in New Zealand. This makes New Zealand the birth place of the 40th most number of Basketball Players behind Mexico, and Nigeria.
Top 4
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary New Zealander Basketball Players of all time. This list of famous New Zealander Basketball Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Steven Adams (b. 1993)
With an HPI of 32.42, Steven Adams is the most famous New Zealander Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 29 different languages on wikipedia.
Steven Funaki Paea He Ofa Ki Loa Adams (born 20 July 1993) is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing one season with the Wellington Saints, in 2011, Adams moved to the United States in 2012 to play college basketball for Pittsburgh. Adams was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 12th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft. He was the Thunder's primary starting center for six consecutive seasons. In November 2020, after seven years in Oklahoma City, Adams was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. In August 2021, he was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies.
2. Sean Marks (b. 1975)
With an HPI of 27.86, Sean Marks is the 2nd most famous New Zealander Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Sean Andrew Marks (born 23 August 1975) is a New Zealand-American basketball executive and former player and coach who is the general manager of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the first New Zealand-born player to play in the NBA. Marks won two championships with the San Antonio Spurs: one as a player in 2005 and another as an assistant coach in 2014.
3. Aron Baynes (b. 1986)
With an HPI of 26.37, Aron Baynes is the 3rd most famous New Zealander Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.
Aron John Baynes (born 9 December 1986) is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Washington State University before starting his professional career in Europe. In 2013, he joined the San Antonio Spurs, and a year later, won an NBA championship with the Spurs. He has also played with the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors. In the National Basketball League (NBL), he played for the Brisbane Bullets between 2022 and 2024. Baynes also played for the Australian national team.
4. Kirk Penney (b. 1980)
With an HPI of 22.28, Kirk Penney is the 4th most famous New Zealander Basketball Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Kirk Samuel Penney (born 23 November 1980) is a New Zealand former professional basketball player. He is the all-time leading scorer for New Zealand's national team and he ranks 12th all-time in points scored at the FIBA World Cup. In 2024, he was inducted in the FIBA Hall of Fame. Penney played four years of college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers between 1999 and 2003, where he was twice named first-team all-conference and as an all-American. He became the second New Zealander in the NBA when he appeared briefly for the Miami Heat in 2003 and the Los Angeles Clippers in 2005. He went on to play professionally in Spain, the NBA Development League, Israel, Lithuania, Germany and Turkey. He also played six seasons for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He was named the NBL MVP in 2009, named to the All-NBL First Team four times, led the NBL in scoring three times and won an NBL championship with the Breakers in 2011. Penney represented New Zealand at the Sydney and Athens Olympics and averaged 16.9 points at the World Championships in Indianapolis in 2002 and 24.7 points at the World Championships in Turkey in 2010.
People
Pantheon has 4 people classified as New Zealander basketball players born between 1975 and 1993. Of these 4, 4 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living New Zealander basketball players include Steven Adams, Sean Marks, and Aron Baynes. As of April 2024, 1 new New Zealander basketball players have been added to Pantheon including Sean Marks.
Living New Zealander Basketball Players
Go to all Rankings
Steven Adams
1993 - Present
HPI: 32.42
Sean Marks
1975 - Present
HPI: 27.86
Aron Baynes
1986 - Present
HPI: 26.37
Kirk Penney
1980 - Present
HPI: 22.28
