Tai Wesley
July 23, 2020
Tai Wynyard
- Nationality: NZL
- Date of Birth: 5/02/98
- Place of Birth: Auckland (New Zealand)
- Position: F/C
- Height (CM): 208
- Weight (KG): 116
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: Kentucky (2016–2018)
- NBL DEBUT: 17/10/14
- AGE AT DEBUT: 16
- LAST NBL GAME: 18/01/20
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 21
- NBL History: New Zealand 2015-16, 2025 | Cairns 2020
- Championships: 1
- New Zealand (2015)
BIO: Tai Wynyard was born and raised in Auckland (NZ). Wynyard attended Rangitoto College and helped the school’s basketball team win the Auckland premier championship in 2014.
That year, he travelled to the United States to play in the Jordan Brand Classic.
He began his career that same year, playing in his home country for the New Zealand Breakers and the Super City Rangers of the New Zealand NBL.
Wynyard then spent two years playing basketball in the United States for Kentucky. Wynyard returned to the Australian and New Zealand NBL in 2020.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Tai Wynyard made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 16 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
After a dismal season the year prior, where the team missed out on the NBL playoffs despite having won the previous three seasons in a row, the Breakers regrouped by replacing imports Kerron Johnson and Gary Wilkinson with big man Ekene Ibekwe and fan favourite Cedric Jackson, who had led the team to back-to-back titles previously (2012, 2013).
This season saw the exits of CJ Bruton (retired) and Daryl Corletto (to Melbourne) and replaced with Rhys Carter (via Adelaide) and Tai Wesley, who qualified as a local player due to being born in Guam under the league’s Asian player rule.
As a development player, Wynyard would appear in only three games, failing to score, as the Breakers battled all season long for top spot alongside Perth and Cairns, eventually finishing in second place (19–9). New Zealand would go on to defeat Cairns in the Grand Final, clinching the Breakers fourth title in five seasons.
2015/16
The Breakers retained every player from their 2015 championship-winning roster minus Rhys Carter (to Sydney) and Ekene Ibekwe (to Europe). To replace the pair, the club picked up Australian point guard Shane McDonald and rookie American big man Charles Jackson. New Zealand’s pre-season was met with a number of challenges which included Alex Pledger being absent due to recovering from off-season foot surgery, Thomas Abercrombie being forced to the sidelines with a nagging hamstring strain and the exit of Corey Webster, who headed to the US to trial with the New Orleans Pelicans. In a move to replace them, the Breakers elevated development players Shea Ili and Tai Wynyard, while also signing Everard Bartlett as a replacement for Webster. Delany would sign on as a development player and appear in four games during the season.
New Zealand finished fourth (16–12) to claim the final playoff berth, where they swept ladder leaders Melbourne in the semifinals (2–0) and moved on to their fifth NBL Grand Final appearance in six years.
Again we would see a New Zealand v Perth Grand Final, where this time, the Wildcats would rely on the presence inside of Nathan Jawai and the tough defence of Casey Prather to take home victory in game one (82–76).
Game two was played in Auckland where the Breakers evened the series (1-1) thanks to a near triple-double from Cedric Jackson (13 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists) that propelled them to the win (72–68).
With the deciding game in Perth, 13,090 of the ‘Red Army’ were in attendance and the Wildcats’ made sure to avenge their grand final loss from last year. Casey Prather (19 points) and Jermaine Beal (14 points) did most of the damage on the scoreboard for the Wildcats, but it was Damian Martin’s inspirational display in defence that shone the brightest. Martin would be named Grand Final MVP after keeping star Breakers guard Cedric Jackson scoreless on five attempts and forcing him to foul out early in the last term. The Wildcats would go on to claim their seventh NBL championship in a blow-out victory (75–52).
The loss marked the first time New Zealand had lost to the Wildcat’s in playoff history and the team’s first ever grand final series loss.
During his second year as a development player, Wynyard continued to see limited playing opportunities with the Breakers, appearing in only five games, scoring a total of five points.
CAIRNS TAIPANS
2019/20
After three seasons out of the league, Wynyard received another opportunity to play in the NBL in Cairns, but failed to see regular court time once again. The Taipans finished in third place finish with a 16-12 record.
NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS
2024/25
Tai Wynyard played four seasons in the NBL..
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 27 | New Zealand | 10-19 (9) | 4 | 1.9 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 100% | 0% | 4 |
| 2019-20 | 22 | Cairns | 16-12 (3) | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0% | 0 | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 |
| 2015-16 | 18 | New Zealand | 16-12 (4) | 5 | 13.5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 50% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 1 | 2 | 50% | 51% | 0% | 2 |
| 2014-15 | 17 | New Zealand | 19-9 (2) | 3 | 2.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0% | 0 | 1 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 | Totals | 14 | 19 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 40.0% | 0 | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | 2 | 50.0% | 0% | 0% | 4 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 27 | New Zealand | 10-19 (9) | 4 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 100% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 100% | 0% | 4 |
| 2019-20 | 22 | Cairns | 16-12 (3) | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 |
| 2015-16 | 18 | New Zealand | 16-12 (4) | 5 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 50% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.2 | 0.4 | 50% | 51% | 0% | 2 |
| 2014-15 | 17 | New Zealand | 19-9 (2) | 3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 | Total | 14 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 40.0% | 0.0 | 0.0% | 0.1 | 50.0% | 0% | 0% | 4 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Maitland (2020)
Wynyard joined Maitland for the 2020 Waratah One season after signing with the Mustangs in March 2020. He never played a game however because the season was cancelled due to Covid.
FIBA EXPERIENCE
In 2017, Wynyard played for New Zealand during the FIBA World Cup Qualifying window.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- New Zealand - Super City Rangers (2014–2015), Southland Sharks (2019), Taranaki Airs (2020–2022), Canterbury Rams (2023) | China - Shanghai Sharks (2024)
Wynyard joined the Super City Rangers for the 2014 New Zealand NBL season in New Zealand, where he appeared in nine games and averaged 4.6 points and 2.4 rebounds.
He returned to the Super City Rangers for the 2015 New Zealand NBL season and improved his production to 6.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.2 assists across 10 games.
Wynyard re-entered the New Zealand NBL with the Southland Sharks in 2019 after signing on March 28, 2019, and across 19 games he averaged 4.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists.
Wynyard returned to play in New Zealand after playing college basketball for four years. He signed with the Southland Sharks in 2019 and averaged 4.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists across 19 games.
He joined the Taranaki Airs for the 2020 New Zealand NBL season during the COVID-shortened competition and averaged 7.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.7 assists over 15 games.
Wynyard remained with Taranaki for the 2021 season after re-signing on March 6, 2021, and recorded 15.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 17 games.
He continued with the Airs for a third straight season in 2022 after re-signing on January 7, 2022, producing 12.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists across 13 games while also averaging 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks.
Wynyard signed with the Canterbury Rams for the 2023 New Zealand NBL season on March 20, 2023 and in seven games averaged 19.1 points and 10.7 rebounds, including a 35-point, 14-rebound performance against the Manawatu Jets on April 16, 2023.
He then joined the Shanghai Sharks for the 2023–24 Chinese Basketball Association season on January 9, 2024, making two league appearances.
COLLEGE
Tai Wynyard played at Kentucky from 2016–17 to 2017–18 after arriving in Lexington in December 2015 and redshirting the 2015–16 season to preserve eligibility.
As a freshman in 2016–17, Wynyard appeared in 15 games for the Wildcats in a limited reserve role, averaging 3.6 minutes per game while posting 0.7 points and 0.9 rebounds per contest.
Kentucky listed him as a frontcourt depth option behind a crowded rotation, and his early time in the program included injury disruption, including a fractured facial bone sustained during Kentucky’s televised practice period in October 2016 that sidelined him from practice activity.
In 2017–18 as a redshirt sophomore, Wynyard appeared in eight games and recorded eight points, 14 rebounds, three steals, one block, and he averaged 5.4 minutes per game while producing 1.0 points and 1.8 rebounds per outing.
His best stretch of that season came during a six-game run in which Kentucky’s roster injuries opened rotation minutes, with Wynyard logging a career-high 12 minutes against Monmouth and posting career highs of six rebounds and two steals while matching his career-high with four points.
Wynyard’s 2017–18 season was curtailed by a back injury, with Kentucky noting his final appearance came on December 31 against Georgia when his back flared up again after he had played in six straight games.
Following the season, Kentucky announced on April 2, 2018 that Wynyard would be granted a full release to transfer, bringing his Wildcats career to a close after appearing in 23 total games across two active seasons.
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