BIO: Standing at 7’0” with a 7’3” wingspan, Gerald Zimmerman was born in Hendersonville, Tennessee (USA) and attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he led the Gaels to four straight state championships, becoming the only player in Nevada history to accomplish the feat at the large-school level.

His 114 career wins also made him the winningest player in school history. As a senior in 2014/15, Zimmerman averaged 14.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.4 blocks per game. He subsequently earned selection to the McDonald’s All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Stephen Zimmerman made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans at 25 years of age. He scored 14 points in his first game.

After finishing ninth with an 8-28 record and missing the playoffs, Cairns replaced Mike Kelly with former Sydney coach Adam Forde and lost leading scorer Cameron Oliver (to the NBA), Fabijan Krslovic (to Tasmania) and Mojave King (to Adelaide). Forde retained captain Scott Machado, Majok Deng, Kouat Noi, Nathan Jawai, Mirko Djeric, Jarrod Kenny and Jordan Ngatai, while adding Tahjere McCall (via Orléans), Keanu Pinder (via Adelaide), rookie Bul Kuol (via Detroit Mercy) and Stephen Zimmerman (via Nymburk).

The former NBA draft pick signed a one-year deal as Cairns’ third import and final roster addition after helping Nymburk win the Czech championship. Forde said, “He’s a proven defender, and I think he will address any issues we have on the defensive end while also being efficient on offence.”

Cairns opened the season at RAC Arena on December 5, where Zimmerman (14 points, 14 rebounds, and 1 assist), Noi (17 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block) and McCall (16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal) led the Taipans, while Cotton (31 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals) guided Perth to a 90-67 win.

Zimmerman (11.4 points and 9.6 rebounds across 16 games) started every game he played, led Cairns in rebounding and produced five double-doubles. His best scoring game came at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on February 20, where Zimmerman (21 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals), Deng (12 points and 4 rebounds) and McCall (8 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal) helped Cairns build a 15-point lead before Adelaide recovered to win 82-71 behind Johnson (18 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks).

Zimmerman’s best game of the season came at Qudos Bank Arena on March 6, where Zimmerman (16 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists), Machado (26 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals) and Deng (14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) led Cairns, while Cooks (23 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks) helped Sydney win 98-88.

Zimmerman played twice more before pain and swelling in his right knee ruled him out of Cairns’ road games against Adelaide and Brisbane from March 18. He was initially expected to return the following round, but the knee failed to respond to treatment and he missed the final 12 games of the season. Marshall Nelson (via Perth) had been added as an injury replacement for Machado in December and was released in March, while training player Ben Ayre was elevated to the active roster in April as Cairns continued to manage injuries and failed to field its full-strength roster during the season.

McCall (16.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2 steals across 22 games) led Cairns in scoring, assists and steals and shared the club MVP award with Machado (10.2 points and 5.3 assists across 18 games), who missed more than six weeks with a heel injury. Deng (14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds across 28 games) played every game and finished second on the team in scoring, while Pinder (10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds across 28 games) doubled his production from the previous season and was named the NBL’s Most Improved Player. Kuol (10.4 points across 28 games) made an Australian rookie-record 64 three-pointers and was named Rookie of the Year, while Noi (8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds across 16 games), Ayre (6.6 points and 3.8 assists across 8 games) and Jawai (5.9 points across 19 games) were the other main contributors.

Zimmerman remained sidelined as Cairns ended its season at the Cairns Convention Centre on April 23, where McCall (42 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block), Deng (30 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) and Pinder (17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block) led the Taipans to a 112-98 win over Brisbane, while Franks (30 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) led the Bullets. The victory produced the highest team score of NBL22, completed Cairns’ first 4-0 Sunshine Stoush sweep and saw the Taipans finish ninth with a 9-19 record.

Stephen Zimmerman played one season in the NBL. He averaged 11.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 16 NBL games.