Latest news with #MojaveKing
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Basketball: Cameron leads Tall Blacks to Asia Cup final eight
Flynn Cameron broke a New Zealand scoring record at the Asia Cup. Photo: PHOTOSPORT The Tall Blacks have secured a quarter-final berth at the Asia Cup with their third win of the tournament in Saudi Arabia. New Zealand beat Chinese Taipei 118-78 at King Abdullah Sports City to claim top place in Group D and move on to the knock-out stages. Flynn Cameron's 28 points, including two three-pointers, was the most ever scored by a New Zealander in a FIBA Asia Cup game and he also pulled down nine rebounds and had eight assists. Cameron was assisted by Mojave King 22 points, including four three-pointers, and he also made eight rebounds and four assists. Ben Gold and Taylor Britt both scored 14 points. Every player who took the court for New Zealand got on the scoresheet. In a chaotic first quarter that saw seven lead changes, it was the Tall Blacks who would head into the break with a one-point lead, 19-18. They extended their lead to 49-35 at half-time and did not look back. Chinese Taipei's Long-Mao Hu scored the first points of the game with a three-pointer but New Zealand's defensive intensity started to suffocate the Chinese Taipei offence and they could not keep pace with the New Zealander's scoring as the game progressed. The Hinton Brothers, Robert and Adam, combined for 40 points for Chinese Taipei to lead their scoring effort. The Tall Blacks have a four-day break until their quarter-final match-up and they will be watching to see who they will play in the final eight. New Zealand finished the 2022 Asia Cup in third. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
05-08-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Basketball: Tall Blacks beat Iraq in FIBA Asia Cup opener
Taylor Britt of the Tall Blacks. Photo: Jeremy Ward/Photosport A huge fourth quarter effort saw the Tall Blacks beat Iraq 100-78 in their FIBA Asia Cup 2025 opener in Saudi Arabia. Playing in 39 degree heat in Jeddah, the Tall Blacks guards found their range early, with Mojave King, Taylor Britt and Flynn Cameron combining for the team's first 11 points. The Tall Blacks managed to keep Iraq scoreless for a four-minute period to open up a 24-16 quarter time buffer. Britt knocked down a pair of free throws within 10 seconds of the second quarter starting but Iraq clawed themselves back into the game. Iraqi sharpshooter Ahmed Abdul scored five straight and Iraq nudged into the lead just before half-time. New Zealand fought hard in the third quarter before seven straight from point guard Britt saw the Tall Blacks take a two-point lead heading into the last period. Turnovers began to mount for Iraq and the Tall Blacks put the hammer down to outscore Iraq 37-17. Coach Judd Flavell was pleased with the Tall Blacks much improved second half. "I first wanted to acknowledge Iraq and the way that they came out and played. We were half a step late, our defence wasn't good enough. That gave them some good looks from the outside," Flavell said. "For our group in the second half, we were in a grind. We wanted to keep the pace high, so I feel like that sort-out rewarded us down the stretch there in the fourth quarter where we managed to get on top and obviously the scoreboard was in our favour from then on." Britt said they have to play with that level of intensity from the start. "I think we responded quite well, especially in that fourth quarter. Just putting out that level of intensity… that needs to be there from the first quarter of the game and going forward. But I guess it's a positive that we can do it for one quarter, but we've got to do it for four," Britt said. New Zealand meet the Philippines in the early hours of Friday morning. Tall Blacks 100 (Britt 19p, 7r, 4a, King 18p, Davison 14p, 7r) defeat Iraq 78 (Ahmed Abdul 19p, Hammoodi 15p) Q1: 24-16 HT: 42-43 Q3: 63-61 FT: 100-78
Otago Daily Times
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
King unlikely to don blue any time soon
Mojave King would look good in blue. It certainly suited his father. Leonard King reigned supreme for the Otago Nuggets during the 1990s. The American guard set up camp in Dunedin and clocked 181 games for the franchise, scoring a record 4599 points. He also married into Dunedin basketball royalty. He wed Tracey King (nee Paul), a quality basketballer in her own right. His new father-in-law and Mojave's grandfather, the late John Paul, coached basketball in the region for more than 50 years. Mojave's roots are firmly in Dunedin. But it is not home for the 23-year-old Tauranga Whai small forward. He might have been born here but he no longer has any family living in the city. And during the warm-up before Friday night's game against the Nuggets, he was blowing on his fingers to keep them warm, which is a sure sign he has been gone a while. It worked. He top-scored with 23 points, and completed the 88-82 win with a dunk. "The last time I was in Dunedin was probably when I played for the Sharks in 2022, so I haven't been back since," he said. "But it's always nice to get back here. "Obviously, this [city] has a special place in my heart. "I've got so many good memories from when I was a real little kid. "Even in this building, you know, coming in here with my granddad, and just shooting around. So yeah, this is definitely a special place for me. "Dad doesn't really share too much. He keeps it pretty close to his chest. But I hear stories, and especially when I'm over here I hear a lot more about what he was doing back in his day. "He still kind of has a lot of good connections and still gets a lot of love from some of the fans over here, which is cool to see." Mojave has many of the same tools his dad was blessed with: speed, athleticism, confidence. And that has not gone unnoticed. He was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 47th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. He was immediately traded to the Indiana Pacers, and earlier this month was traded again, this time to the New Orleans Pelicans. Mojave was just the third New Zealand-born player to be selected in the NBA draft after Sean Marks and Steven Adams. It is a big deal and it had teenage girls lining up to get a selfie with him after helping the Whai edge the Nuggets. One brash young fellow wanted his shoes or his singlet or both. Mojave said he still needed them. But the big question most of us want to know is whether Mojave has any desire to follow in his father's footsteps and slip on a Nuggets singlet. "A Nuggets singlet? Who knows. I'm not going to say no, but yeah, I'm not too sure. We'll see what the future holds." The Nuggets have a lot of work to do to get to the starting line next season. Their owner, SEN, has signalled its intention to pull out. But if the team can be saved then they could do a lot worse than signing Mojave. He has represented the region before. He played an age-grade tournament for North Otago. But he moved to Australia with his parents when he was a toddler and identifies as Australian. He signed with the Cairns Taipans when he was 17 as a part of the league's Next Stars programme to develop NBA draft prospects. He transferred to the Adelaide 36ers the following year and joined the Southland Sharks in 2022. He has also had a stint with the New Zealand Breakers, Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rico and two years in the G-League in the United States. So what is next? "I'm not 100% sure yet, I'm still just kind of weighing up my options, but I should be making a decision relatively soon, so we'll see." He would look good in blue.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pacers trade away No. 23 pick in NBA draft to Pelicans to recover 1st-rounder in 2026. Here's why
If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. For the second straight season, the Indiana Pacers will not have a pick in the first round in the NBA draft. The Pacers traded this year's first-round pick, the No. 23 selection in the draft, and the draft rights to guard Mojave King to the New Orleans Pelicans to recover the 2026 first-round pick they originally sent to the Raptors in the trade for Pascal Siakam, league sources confirmed to IndyStar. ESPN's Shams Charania originally reported the trade. Advertisement The Pacers still have a pick in the second round at No. 54. The deal would seem to avoid further tightening a roster crunch that has made it difficult for the Pacers to find playing time for young players over the past two seasons. Almost all of their key rotation players on this year's Eastern Conference championship team are under contract to return next season with center Myles Turner being the only player in their top eight set to be a free agent, and it is reportedly likely that he will re-sign. The trade should help the Pacers in pursuit of Turner because not adding the salary of a first-round pick will make it easier to fit him in financially. Signing Turner will still likely put the Pacers under the luxury tax threshold, but they could stay under the first luxury tax apron which comes with restrictions on player movement. Re-live the Indiana Pacers unbelievable run to the NBA Finals with IndyStar's commemorative book Second-year wings Ben Sheppard and Jarace Walker are also still on their rookie scale contracts as is rookie wing Johnny Furphy and the Pacers have already found some difficulty finding steady rotational minutes for all three. Furphy appeared in just 50 games this season and averaged 7.6 minutes per game, mostly appearing in mop-up duty after getting some meaningful minutes in November and December when the Pacers were missing several players with injuries. Advertisement The Pacers could have used the pick to address the backup center position, but they also have several options there. Isaiah Jackson, who missed almost all of the season with an Achilles tendon tear, is set to be a restricted free agent, but the Pacers could also re-sign him for a reasonable price. Backup center Thomas Bryant is set to be an unrestricted free agent and the Pacers have a club option on third-string center Tony Bradley. They also maintained a relationship with James Wiseman, who tore his Achilles tendon in the season's first game as he was traded at the deadline and then released. The Pacers would only be able to keep two of those players, but would have reason to be interested in doing so. King, a New Zealand native who played high school basketball in Australia, was taken with the No. 40 pick in the 2023 draft and has mostly been stashed overseas since. He played professionally in both Australia and New Zealand this season. The Raptors traded the Pacers' 2026 first-round pick along with Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk at the deadline to New Orleans to acquire Brandon Ingram. The Pacers also traded their 2024 pick to Toronto in the Siakam trade. Get IndyStar's Pacers coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Pacers Update newsletter. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: NBA draft trades: Pacers send No. 23 pick to Pelicans for 2026 1st round pick
NBC Sports
20-06-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
2025 NBA Draft Order: Full list, dates, start times, and how to watch
The 2025 NBA Draft will be held on Wednesday, June 25, and Thursday, June 26, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Live coverage begins at 8 PM ET on both nights. This year marks the 79th edition of the event. See below for everything you need to know about the 2025 NBA Draft, including the full draft order, how to watch information, and more. RELATED: Pacers to trade No. 23 pick in this year's NBA draft, Mojave King to Pelicans for 2026 first-rounder 2025 NBA Draft Order: Round 1: 1. Dallas Mavericks 2. San Antonio Spurs 3. Philadelphia 76ers 4. Charlotte Hornets 5. Utah Jazz 6. Washington Wizards 7. New Orleans Pelicans 8. Brooklyn Nets 9. Toronto Raptors 10. Houston Rockets (from Phoenix via Brooklyn) 11. Portland Trail Blazers 12. Chicago Bulls 13. Atlanta Hawks (from Sacramento) 14. San Antonio Spurs (from Atlanta) 15. Oklahoma City (from Miami via the LA Clippers) 16. Memphis (from Orlando) 17. Minnesota (from Detroit via New York, Oklahoma City, and Houston) 18. Washington (from Memphis) 19. Brooklyn (from Milwaukee via New York, Detroit, Portland, and New Orleans) 20. Miami (from Golden State) 21. Utah (from Minnesota) 22. Atlanta (from the Los Angeles Lakers via New Orleans) 23. New Orleans (from Indiana) 24. Oklahoma City (from the LA Clippers) 25. Orlando (from Denver) 26. Brooklyn (from New York) 27. Brooklyn (from Houston) 28. Boston 29. Phoenix (from Cleveland via Utah) 30. LA Clippers (from Oklahoma City) RELATED: Dallas Mavericks jump from 11th to first, win 2025 NBA Draft Lottery Round 2: 31. Minnesota (from Utah) 32. Boston (from Washington via Detroit and Brooklyn) 33. Charlotte 34. Charlotte (from New Orleans via San Antonio, Phoenix, and Memphis) 35. Philadelphia 36. Brooklyn 37. Detroit (from Toronto via Dallas and San Antonio) 38. San Antonio 39. Toronto (from Portland via Sacramento) 40. Washington (from Phoenix) 41. Golden State (from Miami via Brooklyn and Indiana) 42. Sacramento (from Chicago via San Antonio) 43. Utah (from Dallas) 44. Oklahoma City (from Atlanta) 45. Chicago (from Sacramento) 46. Orlando 47. Milwaukee (from Detroit via Washington) 48. Memphis (from Golden State via Washington and Brooklyn) 49. Cleveland (from Milwaukee) 50. New York (from Memphis via Oklahoma City and Boston) 51. LA Clippers (from Minnesota via Atlanta and Houston) 52. Phoenix (from Denver via Charlotte and Minnesota) 53. Utah (from the LA Clippers via the Los Angeles Lakers) 54. Indiana 55. Los Angeles Lakers — New York (forfeited) 56. Memphis (from Houston) 57. Orlando (from Boston) 58. Cleveland 59. Houston (from Oklahoma City via Atlanta) Kurt Helin, When is the 2025 NBA Draft? Round 1: Wednesday, June 25, at 8 PM ET Round 2: Thursday, June 26, at 8 PM ET How can I watch the 2025 NBA Draft? Coverage of the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft will be available on ABC and ESPN. The second round will be available on ESPN and the ESPN app. Where is the 2025 NBA Draft? This year's draft will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Head to for the latest NBA news, updates, and storylines!
