Anthony Lamb
October 29, 2024
Dererk Pardon
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 1/10/96
- Place of Birth: Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
- Position: CTR
- Height (CM): 203
- Weight (KG): 107
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: Northwestern (2015-2019)
- NBL DEBUT: 18/09/22
- AGE AT DEBUT: 25
- LAST NBL GAME: 15/03/23
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 26
- NBL History: New Zealand 2023
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Dererk Pardon was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio (USA) where he attended Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Dererk Pardon made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 25 years of age. He scored six points in his first game.
With the departure of Dan Shamir, assistant Mody Maor was elevated to head coach as the Breakers prepared for their first full season of home games in two years. The team faced a major rebuild, losing six of their top eight players from the previous campaign, including Yanni Wetzell, Hugo Besson, and Finn Delany. Only Thomas Abercrombie, Robert Loe, and William McDowell-White returned.
The Breakers signed several key players, including Dererk Pardon, Jarrell Brantley, and Barry Brown Jr as imports. The roster was bolstered further with Tom Vodanovich (via Sydney), Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’Afa, and Cameron Gliddon (both via South East Melbourne) for defensive and perimeter depth, and French NBA prospect Rayan Rupert joined through the NBL Next Stars program.
The season began with a loss to Melbourne but showed little of the defensive dominance the Breakers would later become known for. Despite a slow start, the team matched their total wins from the previous season within just four rounds. A Round 5 demolition of the Adelaide 36ers (99-70) showcased their potential. Barry Brown Jr (22 points) and Jarrell Brantley (22 points, 4 steals) starred, while the Breakers forced 18 turnovers and hit 15 of 30 from deep. Two nights later, they posted a commanding 94-62 victory over the Tasmania JackJumpers. Dererk Pardon recorded a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Brown Jr scored 24 points off the bench.
By December, the Breakers had established themselves as contenders, entering the month with an 11-2 record. Pardon continued to be a force on both ends of the floor. In a narrow 93-90 loss to Perth, he led all scorers with 28 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. Later, against Illawarra, Pardon was relentless, tallying 19 points and a season-high 17 rebounds, though the Breakers lost to a dramatic Tyler Harvey buzzer-beater (78-76).
The Breakers rebounded with a convincing 99-71 win over Brisbane, where Pardon (17 points, 9 rebounds) and Brantley (22 points) powered the team. New Zealand clinched second place in the regular season with a 91-81 win over Illawarra. Despite a 16-point halftime deficit, they roared back with a dominant third quarter, outscoring the Hawks 29-9. Pardon’s defensive presence and consistent rebounding were critical throughout.
Pardon finished the regular season averaging 11.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game, playing every game for the Breakers. He was named to the All-NBL Second Team alongside Barry Brown Jr (19.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists), who also won the league’s Best Sixth Man award. Jarrell Brantley (16.2 points, 6 rebounds, 1.5 steals) was later named the Breakers’ club MVP.
In the semifinals against Tasmania, New Zealand dominated Game 1 with an 88-68 win. Pardon contributed 15 points and 9 rebounds as the Breakers exploded with a 49-31 second half. Game 2 saw the JackJumpers fight back, winning 89-78 behind a stellar performance from Milton Doyle. Pardon stood tall with 15 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. In Game 3, Pardon delivered another double-double (15 points, 14 rebounds) as the Breakers closed out the series with a 92-77 victory to reach their first Championship Series since 2016.
The Championship Series saw New Zealand face the Sydney Kings. In Game 1, the Breakers stunned Sydney 95-87 on their home floor. Pardon’s defensive presence and rebounding helped anchor the team’s effort. However, Sydney responded in Game 2, winning 81-74 despite another strong showing from Pardon (12 points, 8 rebounds). The Kings dominated Game 3 in front of a record crowd of 18,049, defeating the Breakers 91-68. New Zealand extended the series with an 80-70 victory in Game 4, where Pardon (10 points, 10 rebounds) provided a key double-double.
In a thrilling Game 5, New Zealand built multiple leads but couldn’t hold off a late 14-0 run by Sydney, who clinched the championship with a 77-69 victory. Pardon (8 points, 12 rebounds) battled until the end, capping off an outstanding debut season.
Dererk Pardon’s impact as a dominant big man and defensive anchor was vital to the Breakers’ resurgence. His consistency on the glass and efficient scoring made him one of the league’s most valuable players in New Zealand’s memorable season.
Dererk Pardon played one season in the NBL. He averaged 11.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 35 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 26 | New Zealand | 18-10 (2) | 35 | 983.4 | 413 | 286 | 28 | 106 | 180 | 26 | 36 | 42 | 81 | 150 | 238 | 63% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 113 | 162 | 70% | 66% | 63% | 28 | Totals | 35 | 983 | 413 | 286 | 28 | 106 | 180 | 26 | 36 | 42 | 81 | 150 | 238 | 63.0% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 113 | 162 | 69.8% | 67% | 63% | 28 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 26 | New Zealand | 18-10 (2) | 35 | 28.1 | 11.8 | 8.2 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 5.1 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 6.8 | 63% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 3.2 | 4.6 | 70% | 66% | 63% | 28 | Total | 35 | 28.1 | 11.8 | 8.2 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 5.1 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 6.8 | 63.0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0% | 69.8% | 67% | 63% | 28 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 28 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
|---|
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Spent time playing in Israel, Germany and Italy.
COLLEGE
Dererk Pardon played four seasons at Northwestern from 2015–16 to 2018–19, developing into one of the most efficient big men in program history and finishing his Wildcats career as the school’s all-time leader in field goal percentage at 60.3 percent.
Pardon opened his Northwestern career in 2015–16 planning to redshirt, but injuries forced him into action in late December, and he immediately announced himself in Big Ten play by exploding for a career-high 28 points and 12 rebounds in just his second collegiate game, an 81–72 win over Nebraska on December 30, 2015.
During the 2016–17 season, Pardon started all 28 games he appeared in and became one of the league’s most reliable interior finishers, leading the Big Ten in conference-only field goal percentage at .617 while also ranking near the top of the league in rebounding and rim protection at 8.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in all games.
That sophomore season produced multiple signature moments, including a massive 19-point, 22-rebound performance in a 73–61 win over Nebraska on January 26, 2017, with the 22 boards recorded as the most by a Northwestern player in more than five decades and the sixth-most in school history.
Pardon also delivered the defining play of Northwestern’s breakthrough year on March 1, 2017, scoring at the buzzer off a full-court inbounds pass to beat Michigan 67–65, a result widely linked with pushing the Wildcats over the line toward the program’s first-ever NCAA tournament berth.
In the 2017 NCAA tournament, Pardon posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds as Northwestern won its first March Madness game, defeating Vanderbilt in the opening round, before the Wildcats fell 79–73 to Gonzaga in the second round, where Pardon added six points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes.
As a junior in 2017–18, Pardon delivered his most efficient full season, setting a Northwestern single-season field goal percentage record at .619 while starting all 32 games, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition from the media, and leading the team at 7.1 rebounds per game and 56 total blocked shots.
That 2017–18 campaign included a string of two-way stat lines that highlighted his growth into a focal point, including a 20-point, eight-rebound, four-assist game at Purdue, a 17-point, 15-rebound effort against Nebraska, and a 13-point, 12-rebound, six-block double-double versus Minnesota.
In his senior season of 2018–19, Pardon became a consistent double-double threat, recording multiple big rebounding nights including 18 rebounds against American and posting one of the best scoring games of his college career with 24 points and 10 rebounds against Indiana on December 1, where he matched a career-high with 11 field goals made.
Across that 2018–19 season, he continued stacking high-impact games in Big Ten play, producing repeat 20-point performances against Michigan, adding 21 points and two blocks versus Wisconsin, and finishing the year with 17 points in the Big Ten tournament against Illinois as he closed his Northwestern career as both an elite finisher and a reliable rim protector.
By the time he left Evanston, Pardon had appeared in 125 games for Northwestern and was also credited as the program’s second-highest shot blocker, with his resume built around efficiency inside, major rebounding nights, and a central role in the team that broke through for Northwestern’s first NCAA tournament appearance and win.
AWARDS
- 1x All-NBL Second Team
Related
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