Wellington Saints

Basketball team in Wellington, New Zealand

Wellington Saints

League| NZNBL
Founded| 1981
History| Wellington Saints
1983–1996
Wellington Wizards
1997–1998
Wellington Saints
1999–2019; 2021–
Arena| TSB Bank Arena
Location| Wellington, New Zealand
Team colours| Blue & white
Main sponsor| Mills Albert
CEO| Jordan Mills
Head coach| Aaron Young
Ownership| Nick Mills
Championships| 13 (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2025)
Retired numbers| 1 (5)
Website| Saints.co.nz

Home

Away

|

The Wellington Saints are a New Zealand professional men's basketball team based in Wellington. The Saints compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at TSB Bank Arena. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Mills Albert Wellington Saints.

## Team history

[edit]

The Wellington Saints were founded in 1981. In 1982, the Exchequer Saints won the second division title, which promoted them to the first division for the 1983 season.[1][2] The Saints went on to play in six straight championship games upon joining the NBL, winning titles in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988.[3] They played in their seventh final in 1991, where they lost to the Hutt Valley Lakers.

At the end of the 1996 season, both the Saints and the Lakers were struggling to survive. They amalgamated for the 1997 season, becoming TransAlta Wellington. With fans wanting a 'real' name, for the 1998 season, they became the TransAlta Wizards. For the 1999 season, they returned to the original identity of Saints.[4][5]

The Saints returned to title contenders in the 2000s, winning their fifth championship in 2003 and finishing as runners-up in 2001 and 2008. In the 2010s, the Saints played in every championship game between 2010 and 2019, except 2013. They claimed back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011, before claiming their eighth championship in 2014. With their ninth title in 2016, the Saints matched the Auckland Stars for most championships in NBL history.[6] In 2017, the Saints made NBL history by becoming the first team to complete a perfect regular season, going 18–0.[7][8] They went on to defeat the Canterbury Rams in the semi-finals before becoming the first team to complete an unbeaten season, capping off a perfect 20–0 campaign by beating the Southland Sharks 108–75 in the final. Their tenth championship set a new record for most in NBL history.[9][10] The Saints returned to the final in 2018, but missed the chance at their first three-peat with a 98–96 loss to the Sharks.[11] In 2019, the Saints completed their second undefeated regular season in three years, going 18–0,[12] before completing another perfect 20–0 campaign by defeating the Hawke's Bay Hawks 78–68 in the final to win their 11th title.[13][14][15]

The Saints sat out the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16][17][18] They returned in 2021 and won their 12th championship.[19]

In November 2024, the Saints unveiled a rebranded logo and identity for the 2025 season to honour their 40-year legacy.[20] The Saints went on to earn the minor premiership in 2025 with a first-place finish and a 16–4 record,[21] before reaching the NBL final for the first time since 2021.[22][23] In the final, the Saints defeated the Southland Sharks 88–83 to win their 13th championship.[24][25][26]

## Honour roll

[edit]

NBL Championships:  | 13 (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2025)

|

Most Valuable Player:  | Lindsay Tait (2010, 2013), Corey Webster (2014, 2017), Torrey Craig (2015), Shea Ili, (2018), Nick Kay (2019), Dion Prewster (2021), Xavier Cooks (2022)
Kiwi MVP:  | Neil Stephens (1992), Lindsay Tait (2013, 2015), Corey Webster (2014, 2017), Shea Ili (2018)
All-Star Five:  | Kenny McFadden (1983, 1984, 1985, 1988), Darryl Johnson (1998), DeWayne McCray (1998), Terrence Lewis (1999, 2000), Mark Dickel (2002), Ben Knight (2004), Nick Horvath (2006, 2008), Michael Efevberha (2009), Lindsay Tait (2010, 2011, 2013), Eric Devendorf (2010), Corey Webster (2014, 2017), Torrey Craig (2015, 2016), Shea Ili (2017, 2018, 2019), Tai Wesley (2017), Nick Kay (2019), Dion Prewster (2021), Taane Samuel (2021), Xavier Cooks (2022)
Most Outstanding Guard:  | Kenny McFadden (1983, 1984), Terrence Lewis (1999), Michael Efevberha (2009), Lindsay Tait (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013), Corey Webster (2014, 2017), Torrey Craig (2015), Dion Prewster (2021)
Most Outstanding Kiwi Guard:  | Lindsay Tait (2010, 2011, 2013, 2015), Corey Webster (2014, 2017), Shea Ili (2016, 2018, 2019), Dion Prewster (2021)
Most Outstanding Forward:  | Kerry Boagni (1988, 1990), Tai Wesley (2017), Nick Kay (2019), Xavier Cooks (2022)
Most Outstanding Kiwi Forward/Centre:  | Neil Stephens (1989, 1992), Terrence Lewis (2001), Robert Loe (2019)
Scoring Champion:  | Kenny McFadden (1983, 1984), Kerry Boagni (1992), Terrence Lewis (1999), Michael Efevberha (2009), Eric Devendorf (2010), Corey Webster (2017)
Assist Champion:  | Kenny McFadden (1985, 1987, 1991), Mark Dickel (1998), George Le'afa (2003), Lindsay Tait (2010, 2013, 2015), Jason Crowe (2012)
Rookie of the Year:  | Steven Adams (2011)
Coach of the Year:  | Mike McHugh (2003), Doug Marty (2008), Pero Cameron (2010), Kevin Braswell (2017), Zico Coronel (2021)

## Current roster

[edit]

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

Wellington Saints roster

Players | Coaches
| Pos. | No. | Nat. | Name | Ht. |  |  |

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

F | 0 |  | Heke, Tyrael-Cage | 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)  |  |  |
F | 1 |  | Marshall, Nick (I) | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)  |  |  |
G | 2 |  | Le'afa, Izayah | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)  |  |  |
F | 3 |  | Gold, Sam | 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)  |  |  |
G | 6 |  | Munir, Hassan | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)  |  |  |
G | 7 |  | Bruce, Shaun (I) | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)  |  |  |
F | 8 |  | Plumtree, Troy | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)  |  |  |
F | 11 |  | Ngatai, Jordan | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)  |  |  |
G | 12 |  | Dougall-Mita, Rangimarie | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)  |  |  |
F | 13 |  | Harris, Hyrum (C) | 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in)  |  |  |
G | 16 |  | Chunga, Aubrey |  |  |  |
F | 24 |  | Richards, Lukah | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)  |  |  |
G | 25 |  | Evans, Kazlo | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)  |  |  |
G | 27 |  | Pilcher, Arthur | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)  |  |  |
C | 33 |  | Muszynski, Nick (I) | 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in)  |  |  |
G | 51 |  | Ili, Shea | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)  |  |  |
G | 80 |  | Magalogo, Keelan |  |  |  |

Head coach

*   * Aaron Young

Assistant coach(es)

*   * Chris Tupu
*   * Jayden Smith

* * *

Legend

* (C) Team captain
* (DP) Development player
* (IN) Inactive
* (I) Import player
* Injured

* * *

* Roster

Updated: 28 June 2025

## Notable players

[edit]

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

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.

* Kenny McFadden
* Kevin Braswell
* Thomas Abercrombie
* Steven Adams
* Brandon Bowman
* Xavier Cooks
* Torrey Craig
* Corey Webster
* Lindsay Tait
* Shea Ili
* Tai Wesley
* Kerry Boagni
* /  Casey Frank
* Kyle Adnam
* Eric Devendorf
* Terrence Lewis
* Nick Kay

### Retired numbers

[edit]

Wellington Saints Retired Numbers

No | Nat. | Player | Position | Tenure | Ceremony date
5 |  | Kenny McFadden | PG | 1982–2021 | 30 June 2010

## CBL team

[edit]

The Saints began in the second-tiered Conference Basketball League (CBL), winning the CBL title in 1982. In 1997, Wellington's second division team, TransAlta Wellington, finished as runners-up in the CBL.[27] In 2000, Wellington's second division CBL team was called Capital Punishment.[28][29] In 2001, the Wellington College Saints finished as CBL runners-up.[27] In 2008, the Saints' second division team won the CBL championship with a 90–84 win over the Waikato Titans in the final.[30][31][32][33]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Saints Legend Kenny McFadden becomes first NBL player with a retired jersey". Saints.co.nz. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013.
2. ^ Hyslop, Liam (11 April 2019). "'Mr Wellington Saints' Kenny McFadden back as assistant coach". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 11 April 2019. "Former Wellington Saints chief executive Justin Toebes, left, presents then assistant coach Kenny McFadden with the number five shirt, retired in his honour, in 2010."
3. ^ "Who Are We". Saints.co.nz. Archived from the original on 22 June 2013.
4. ^ "Locations – Exodus Saints". Wotzon.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013.
5. ^ "The Saints are Back". plug.co.nz. 16 March 1999. Archived from the original on 11 October 1999.
6. ^ SAINTS CLAIM 9TH NBL TITLE
7. ^ Wellington Saints complete perfect National Basketball League regular season
8. ^ Wellington Saints' NBL season won't be perfect without another championship
9. ^ Basketball: Wellington Saints complete perfect NBL season
10. ^ Wellington Saints complete perfect season with NBL final win over Southland Sharks
11. ^ SHARKS CLAIM THIRD TITLE WITH GUTSY WIN OVER DEFENDING CHAMPION SAINTS
12. ^ THIS IS WHAT 18-0 LOOKS LIKE
13. ^ SAINTS COME FROM BEHIND TO FINISH 2019 UNDEFEATED
14. ^ Wellington Saints claim 11th NBL title with stunning comeback win over Hawks
15. ^ Paul Henare on undefeated champion Saints: 'Not bad for a bunch of role-players'
16. ^ Hinton, Marc (9 May 2020). "Saints, Southland Sharks non-starters as innovative Kiwi NBL battles to achieve liftoff". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
17. ^ "Seven teams confirmed for NBL basketball competition in June". Stuff.co.nz. 19 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
18. ^ Rollo, Phillip (20 May 2020). "'Too high of a risk': Why the champion Saints will not compete in the make-shift NBL". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
19. ^ "Wellington Saints continue NBL dominance with grand final win over Hawke's Bay Hawks". Stuff.co.nz. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
20. ^ "Saints Announce New Rebrand for the 2025 Season". saints.co.nz. 13 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
21. ^ Frank, Casey (3 July 2025). "Sal's NBL 2025: Finals Frenzy!!!". NZNBL. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
22. ^ "Saints Storm Into Grand Final After Dominant Semi-Final Win". saints.co.nz. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
23. ^ "Wellington Saints Grand Final Preview". nznbl.basketball. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
24. ^ Egan, Brendon (20 July 2025). "Hyrum Harris shines as Wellington Saints capture NBL title No 13". thepost.co.nz. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
25. ^ Francis, Ben (20 July 2025). "Basketball: Wellington Saints beat Southland Sharks to clinch 13th National Basketball League title". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 20 July 2025. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
26. ^ "Basketball: Welington Saints player dedicates NBL victory to late coach". RNZ. 20 July 2025. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
27. ^ a b "2010 Conference Basketball League" (PDF). Basketball.org.nz. p. 4–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2015.
28. ^ "Wellington Saints". saints.co.nz. Archived from the original on 1 June 2000.
29. ^ "Capital Punishment". saints.co.nz. Archived from the original on 24 January 2001.
30. ^ "2008 Annual Results" (PDF). Basketball.org.nz. p. 4. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
31. ^ Meikle, Hayden (1 September 2008). "Basketball: Satisfactory placing for Penguins". odt.co.nz. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
32. ^ "Shot at big time too early for Suns". nzherald.co.nz. 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
33. ^ "2008 Conference Basketball League Finals". basketball.org.nz. Archived from the original on 21 October 2008.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

National Basketball League (New Zealand)

Current teams|

* Auckland Tuatara
* Canterbury Rams
* Franklin Bulls
* Hawke's Bay Hawks
* Manawatu Jets
* Nelson Giants
* Otago Nuggets
* Southland Sharks
* Taranaki Airs
* Tauranga Whai
* Wellington Saints

Former teams|

* Auckland Pirates
* Auckland Stars
* Centrals
* Christchurch Cougars
* Harbour Heat
* Hutt Valley Lakers
* Indian Panthers
* Northland Suns
* Ponsonby
* Porirua
* Super City Rangers
* Waikato Pistons
* Waitemata Dolphins

Associated|

* Conference Basketball League

Other|

* Awards
* Champions
* Players
* Current rosters

Related|

* Australian National Basketball League
* New Zealand men's national basketball team
* Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa

* v
* t
* e

Sport in Wellington

Basketball|

NBL

Wellington Saints

Cricket|

NZC (men's)

Wellington Firebirds
NZC (women's)

Wellington Blaze

Football (soccer)|

A-League Men

Wellington Phoenix
A-League Women

Wellington Phoenix
NZNL

Wellington Olympic
Wellington Phoenix Reserves
Western Suburbs

Netball|

ANZ Premiership

Central Pulse
NNL

Central Manawa

Rugby league|

NZRL Men's National Competition

Wellington Orcas

Rugby union|

Super Rugby

Hurricanes
NPC

Wellington Lions

Events|

American football
Capital Bowl
Horse racing

Wellington Cup
Lacrosse

Wellington Lacrosse Open
Rugby sevens

Wellington Sevens (2000–2017)
*[Pos.]: Position(s)
*[No.]: Jersey number
*[Nat.]: Nationality
*[Ht.]: Height
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template