BIO: DJ Hogg was born in Columbus, Ohio (USA) where he attended 102.

NBL EXPERIENCE

DJ Hogg made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans at 26 years of age. He scored 15 points in his first game.

DJ Hogg signed a one-year contract with the Cairns Taipans in June 2022, joining the team after coach Adam Forde’s first season at the helm. Although the previous season hadn’t brought much on-court success, it laid a strong foundation that led to one of Cairns’ most successful seasons in NBL23. The club retained key players like leading scorer Tahjere McCall, Majok Deng, Bul Kuol, Mirko Djeric, and the league’s Most Improved Player, Keanu Pinder.

Major departures included Kouat Noi, who moved to Sydney, and Nathan Jawai, who, despite wanting to play another season, was not re-signed by the team or any other NBL squad. Coach Forde rebuilt the roster by signing promising big man Sam Waardenburg (three-year deal), who was highly sought after by most NBL teams but chose Cairns after being offered a starting role. Fellow college graduates Lat Mayen (Nebraska) and Jonah Antonio (Czech League) signed multi-year deals, and Ben Ayre was elevated to the main roster after a memorable stint as an injury replacement player the previous season.

The Taipans secured forward DJ Hogg as their second import for the 2022/23 season, reuniting him with former teammate Tahjere McCall. Hogg and McCall had previously played together with the Lakeland Magic, where they won the G League Championship in 2021. Shannon Scott was later signed as the team’s third import, replacing both Scott Machado and Stephen Zimmerman.

Featuring the youngest roster in the league, Cairns surprised everyone with upset wins at the start of the season. Predicted by most to finish at the bottom of the ladder, the Taipans opened the season by defeating grand finalists Tasmania (106-84), South East Melbourne (85-76), and the reigning champions Sydney (83-78), starting with a 5-1 record—their only loss being to Perth (76-105).

Other notable games included defeating Melbourne United twice. In the first encounter, Cairns outscored Melbourne 11-1 in the final four minutes to secure an 81-77 win, propelling them into second place on the ladder. Coach Forde called Pinder (26 points and 10 rebounds) the best center in the league after the game. The second was a 25-point victory where the Taipans led by as much as 40 points in the final quarter. Bul Kuol added 18 points, DJ Hogg contributed 17, and Ben Ayre scored 16 off the bench.

In a nail-biting 103-106 loss to the Sydney Kings, former Taipan Kouat Noi nailed an epic buzzer-beating three-pointer. Hogg, who appeared to have forced overtime with a game-tying three before Noi’s shot, finished the game with a career-high 27 points and 5 rebounds.

Against Illawarra, Cairns battled back to secure a 102-101 victory over the Hawks in a double-overtime thriller. An early three-point barrage had propelled Illawarra to a 16-point lead in the second term until the Taipans amped up the pressure, taking the lead early in the third quarter. In a back-and-forth final stanza, Tyler Harvey nailed a triple to tie things up with 11 seconds to go before a DJ Hogg miss sent the game to overtime. Hogg took control in overtime, scoring 9 of Cairns’ 15 points across the two extra periods. Two missed free throws from Keanu Pinder left the door open for a Peyton Siva heave that rimmed out at the buzzer, giving Cairns the victory. Hogg and Tahjere McCall both finished with 23 points. Pinder secured another double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds.

A common trait for the Taipans this season was snapping opposition win streaks. This included ending Brisbane’s three-game win streak in November (90-82), with Hogg playing a major role by contributing 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in a dominant frontcourt display. Cairns also halted the Kings’ record 17-game road winning streak (94-88) in an overtime thriller where Hogg was instrumental, scoring 12 of his 20 points in the final term, including back-to-back triples to send the game to overtime. Pinder also recorded a career-high 30 points and 13 rebounds, including 8 points in overtime to seal the win. He became the first Taipan to have 30 points and 10 rebounds in a home game in Cairns since Martin Cattalini in 2007. Tahjere McCall added 18 points off the bench, as the Taipans outscored Sydney 39-23 after three-quarter time.

Despite losing star Keanu Pinder to an ankle injury in December, the Taipans went on a five-game winning streak. Many in the media expected the team to drop down the ladder without Pinder, but instead, they secured wins over the Adelaide 36ers (86-83), Illawarra (96-89), Brisbane (107-81), South East Melbourne (94-85), a second win over Illawarra (89-84), and New Zealand (85-83), with Bul Kuol, DJ Hogg, and Tahjere McCall all scoring 18 points apiece.

During the final month of the season, Cairns lost Pinder again, this time to an eye injury, which resulted in him being unable to play any postseason games. Cairns and New Zealand battled for second place across the final fortnight, finishing the season by defeating Perth (84-71). The win momentarily saw Cairns jump to second place before New Zealand responded with wins over Brisbane and Illawarra, resulting in both teams finishing with an equal record (18-10). Due to the Breakers having a higher percentage, Cairns dropped to third place and had to go through the NBL’s inaugural play-in tournament to reach the semifinals. Facing Perth with Pinder still sidelined, a historic effort from DJ Hogg—scoring 32 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists, the most points ever by a Taipan in a playoff game—delivered a 91-78 victory and the chance to face Sydney as the fourth seed in the semifinals.

Taipans win, Wildcats out 😱

DJ Hogg steals the show with a phenomenal 32-point outing, lifting the Taipans to a crucial win.

Check out the @HungryJacksAU highlights 🍔 pic.twitter.com/HXL6C1UpsU— NBL (@NBL) February 12, 2023

Tahjere McCall suffered a partially dislocated shoulder in the Taipans’ Seeding Qualifier against Tasmania and was absent from Game One of the playoff series against Sydney. Without McCall, Xavier Cooks (27 points and 14 rebounds) powered the Kings to a 95-87 win in the opening game. A drama-filled Game Two saw Kings’ coach Chase Buford ejected. Emotions ran high after Kouat Noi and Sam Waardenburg both went down after hits to the head, Cooks suffered another ankle injury, and Tim Soares was charged with striking. Amidst the chaos, DJ Hogg (25 points and 8 rebounds) and Tahjere McCall (20 points and 7 assists) caught fire, leading Cairns to a 93-82 victory and forcing a do-or-die Game Three.

In the deciding game, Dejan Vasiljevic, who had been almost a non-factor in the first two games, delivered when it mattered most for the Kings, landing three crucial three-pointers on his way to 15 points and 5 rebounds to lead Sydney in scoring. Cooks shook off his rolled ankle from Game Two with 11 points and 11 rebounds as the Kings locked down the Taipans on defense, holding them to their lowest team score of the season. Sydney defeated Cairns 79-64 to advance to the Championship Series. Ben Ayre finished as the top scorer for the Taipans with 20 points (4-8 from downtown) and 4 assists.

DJ Hogg averaged 18.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, leading the Taipans in scoring. Alongside Keanu Pinder (16.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.3 steals), he was named to the All-NBL Second Team. Pinder made history by winning the Most Improved Player award, becoming the first player ever to win the award twice. Rookie Sam Waardenburg (11.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists) collected the league’s Next Generation Award, which replaced the Rookie of the Year award that season.

SYDNEY KINGS
2023/24
Fresh from back-to-back championships, Sydney entered NBL24 attempting to become the first Kings team since 2005 to win three consecutive titles. The roster underwent a major rebuild after reigning NBL MVP Xavier Cooks (to Washington) departed, DJ Vasiljevic left for NBA opportunities, imports Derrick Walton Jr, Justin Simon and Tim Soares headed overseas, and championship coach Chase Buford exited before eventually joining Milwaukee. Jordan Hunter remained as the only starter from the championship lineup, while G-League championship coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah took over and former league MVP Jaylen Adams returned alongside new imports Denzel Valentine and DJ Hogg (via Cairns), Australian Boomer Jonah Bolden, who returned to basketball after four years away, and Next Star Alex Toohey.

Hogg was Sydney’s first import signing for the season, agreeing to a two-year deal with the second year a mutual option. Coming off an All-NBL Second Team season where he was also named Cairns’ MVP and Members’ MVP, Hogg joined the Kings looking to continue the team’s championship run.

“DJ is a remarkably talented young man, and the prototypical player and character we want as a part of our club – he was a priority signing for us,” Kings CEO Chris Pongrass said after adding Hogg to the roster.

“Shooting is a premium in this league and an area that we identified as needing improvement in the off-season – DJ addresses that being one of the best perimeter shooters in the league. Couple this with his playmaking and ability to play multiple positions, we have an elite offensive threat. DJ killed us in nearly every matchup last season – I know our coaching staff had nightmares thinking about how we were to guard him during that finals series.”

A shoulder injury prevented Hogg from taking part in the opening four rounds, with Sydney considering signing a short-term injury replacement before deciding to wait for his return. Hogg eventually made his Kings debut against his former team in Cairns on October 28, coming off the bench for Hogg (13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks) in an 87-80 loss. Noi (18 points and 3 rebounds) and Adams (13 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals) led Sydney, while Bul Kuol (24 points and 5 rebounds) was Cairns’ leading scorer.

Hogg (14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.3 blocks across 16 games) was expected to provide Sydney with another high-level scoring option alongside Adams, but injuries prevented him from establishing any consistent rhythm. Despite Hogg missing the opening four rounds and Jaylin Galloway also spending time sidelined, Sydney sat second after ten games with a 7-3 record, their only losses coming against Tasmania twice and Cairns.

Hogg’s best all-round game came at RAC Arena against Perth on December 1, where Hogg (20 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks) made four three-pointers in a 114-105 loss. Bolden (28 points and 5 rebounds) and Adams (21 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists) also produced big games for Sydney, but Bryce Cotton (41 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals) carried Perth to victory.

Another shoulder problem then sidelined Hogg after December 29, keeping him out for all of January before he returned against Adelaide on February 2. By this stage Sydney’s season had fallen away, with the Kings struggling from Round 8 onwards, allowing 100 points on nine occasions and dropping from championship favourites into a battle simply to remain in the top six.

Adams (19.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists) drove much of Sydney’s offence through his pick-and-roll work with Hunter (10.3 points and 7 rebounds), while Valentine (12.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists), Galloway (10.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals), Noi (10 points and 4.5 rebounds), Bolden (8.5 points and 6.4 rebounds), Toohey (8 points and 4 rebounds) and Glover (5.3 points) were the team’s other major contributors. Hogg and Valentine didn’t deliver as consistently as expected at both ends, while Bolden showed flashes but spent much of the year working himself back into basketball form after four seasons away from the game. Adams was named Kings MVP and Players’ Player, Hunter received Defensive Player of the Year and Members’ MVP honours, Toohey won the Michael Wrublewski Coaches’ Award and Bruce received the Hard Yakka Hard Work Award.

With Sydney needing a victory in its final regular-season game to guarantee a post-season berth, Hogg produced his highest-scoring game of the season against a depleted South East Melbourne on February 17. Hogg (25 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) came off the bench and shot 8-of-11 from the field and 3-of-4 from three, while Adams (24 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals) and Valentine (17 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists) helped Sydney destroy the Phoenix 122-67. Owen Foxwell (16 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists) led South East Melbourne as Sydney recorded the biggest winning margin in franchise history and by any NBL team in the 40-minute era, finishing the regular season fifth with a 13-15 record.

Sydney hosted New Zealand in the Play-In Qualifier at Qudos Bank Arena, where Hogg (17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block) came off the bench and Adams (18 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal) and Hunter (10 points and 7 rebounds) were the Kings’ other leading contributors. Parker Jackson-Cartwright (34 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Zylan Cheatham (18 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals) led the Breakers to an 83-76 victory, ending Sydney’s attempt at a third consecutive championship.

DJ Hogg played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Cairns Taipans and the Sydney Kings. He averaged 16.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 49 NBL games.