BIO: Tanner Krebs was born in Hobart (TAS) where his father Dan played as a import for the Devils in 1990, and then grew up in nearby Dodges Ferry. He later started playing basketball with the South East Basketball Association as a junior. Krebs received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 2014. He spent two years year there and played for the program’s state league team (2014, 2015).

FAMILY: Tanner Krebs is the son of Dan Krebs who played 27 games in the NBL. Son of Teresa Spinks, he also has a sister Morgan.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Tanner Krebs made his NBL debut with the Brisbane Bullets at 25 years of age. He scored four points in his first game.

After re-entering the NBL, Brisbane struggled to establish a consistent foundation and culture in their fourth year back. The Bullets released key players, including Cam Gliddon (to South East Melbourne), Lamar Patterson (to New Zealand), and Will Magnay, who signed with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans.

In their place, Brisbane welcomed rookie Tanner Krebs, along with Anthony Drmic and Harry Froling from Adelaide, as well as import players Vic Law and Orlando Johnson. The Bullets’ lineup was high-scoring, led by Law (18.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 blocks, 47% FG) and captain Nathan Sobey (21.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, 46% FG), both ranking among the league’s top five scorers. They also featured a strong local frontcourt with Matthew Hodgson (10.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.3 blocks), Froling (8.0 points, 4.9 rebounds), and Tyrell Harrison (5.2 points, 5.8 rebounds), securing the Bullets’ position as one of the top rebounding teams, finishing third in offensive and second in defensive rebounds.

Memorable performances included a victory over Illawarra (97-91), with Law scoring 29 points and grabbing 9 rebounds, and Sobey adding 18 points and seven assists. The Bullets also defeated league leaders Melbourne (96-88), with Law contributing 10 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 assists, and Hodgson scoring a season-high 24 points. Another highlight was their win over Perth (95-92), where Law (23 points and 5 rebounds) and Sobey (31 points and 4 assists) combined for over half the team’s total score.

Despite strong individual stats, Brisbane hovered around .500, with a record of 8-8. Mid-March saw the release of Orlando Johnson (6.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists) after 15 games, a move that coincided with New Zealand releasing Lamar Patterson, who returned to Brisbane and helped them push for the playoffs. However, Law’s knee injury in his first game back ruled him out for the season. With a 10-8 record and missing Law, the Bullets struggled, losing five of their next seven games, conceding an average of 90 points while scoring just 80. They signed BJ Johnson (10.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists) mid-season to help offset their struggles, leading to an 8-10 finish.

Brisbane’s lowest point was a loss to South East Melbourne (95-66) in Round 19. Without Sobey, Brisbane managed just 66 points, with only Drmic (20 points) and Patterson (11 points) scoring more than six points. Although the Bullets showed flashes of potential, they ultimately finished sixth with an 18-18 record, missing the playoffs.

In his first NBL season, Tanner Krebs averaged over 15 minutes per game, posting 4.9 points and 2.0 rebounds, showing promise as a reliable option off the bench.

2021/22
Following a sixth-place finish, head coach Andrej Lemanis stepped down after five years, and James Duncan, former Sydney Kings assistant, took the helm. The Bullets also saw significant roster changes, re-signing Lamar Patterson while losing Vic Law (to Perth) and BJ Johnson (NBA). Local talents Matt Hodgson (to Perth), Harry Froling (to Illawarra), and Callum Dalton (to Melbourne) also left.

Brisbane re-signed Tyrell Harrison and Jason Cadee on two-year deals and added international depth with Chuanxing Liu (China), Jack Salt (New Zealand), Deng Deng (South Sudan), Next Star Tom Digbeu (France), and Robert Franks (USA).

The Bullets started the season with a narrow loss to Tasmania (74-83) in overtime, setting the tone for a season marked by single-digit losses against top teams. By mid-season, Brisbane was 5-9 and dealing with injuries to Harrison (elbow) and Sobey (knee), who missed 11 and 16 games, respectively.

Franks (18.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists) led the team in scoring in 13 games and was the top vote-getter for the Leroy Loggins MVP Award. He shot 50% from the field and 76% from the line, ranking fifth in points per game. Patterson (16.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.0 steals), Sobey (16.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists), and Cadee (10.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists) also scored in double digits.

Head coach Duncan aimed to strengthen the team’s defense, but Brisbane ultimately finished last in defensive rating (89.3 points per game) and led the league in turnovers (14.6 per game). Despite some bright spots, Brisbane missed the playoffs for a third consecutive year, finishing eighth with a 10-18 record.

Krebs played all 28 games, averaging 4.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists, including a career-high 20-point game against Cairns in the season finale.

2022/23
Following a near-bottom finish, Brisbane added Boomers big man Aron Baynes and veteran guard Tyler Johnson, both former NBA teammates with Phoenix. Devondrick Walker (via NBL1), Harry Froling (via Illawarra), Gorjok Gak (via Europe), and DJ Mitchell (via NBL1) joined the squad, complementing returning players Cadee, Harrison, Krebs, and Sobey.

The Bullets were expected to contend for a top-four finish, but questions lingered about Sobey’s knee recovery and Baynes’ return after a neck injury. Six games in, Brisbane was winless, with Baynes (11.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists) and Sobey (15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists) recording their lowest numbers in recent seasons.

They found some momentum with back-to-back wins over Illawarra, first winning 82-56 with Baynes contributing 17 points and 14 rebounds, and then an 86-61 victory led by Sobey’s career-high 14 first-quarter points and 22 points by halftime. They extended this run with a close win over Tasmania (74-72), but soon after released Walker (9.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists) and dismissed head coach Duncan.

Interim head coach Sam Mackinnon’s tenure lasted three games before assistant Greg Vanderjagt took over, but tensions within the club were apparent. Brisbane finished second last again (8-20), with Sobey and Johnson among the team’s few standout performers. In a season of underperformance, Krebs posted a notable 18-point performance in an overtime win over Perth, before an ankle injury cut his season short. He averaged 8.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists over 16 games.

MELBOURNE UNITED
2023/24
Upon signing with Melbourne, head coach Dean Vickerman expressed his excitement about working with Krebs.

“Tanner is hitting his prime and has shown impressive growth in the league,” Vickerman said. “We’re excited about his shooting and see him as a strong stretch option. He’s got a bit of grit and wants those tough matchups. We think he’s a valuable two-way player.”

Krebs contributed off the bench in United’s first nine games, stepping into the starting five during Ian Clark and Matthew Dellavedova’s absence. He seized the opportunity, scoring 14 points, dishing out four assists, and recording a steal in a strong performance, setting the tone for another United victory.

2024/25
After falling one win short of the championship the previous season, Melbourne entered NBL25 without Jo Lual-Acuil Jr (to Libya), Luke Travers (to Cleveland), Ariel Hukporti (to New York), Brad Newley (retired) and Zac Triplett (to Illawarra). Tanner Krebs returned alongside captain Chris Goulding, Matthew Dellavedova, Shea Ili, Ian Clark, Flynn Cameron, Kyle Bowen and Rob Loe, while coach Dean Vickerman added Jack White (via Memphis), Marcus Lee (via Tasmania), Akech Aliir (via Adelaide) and development player Joel Foxwell.

Melbourne opened the season at HoopsFest with an 88-79 win over defending champion Tasmania, where Matthew Dellavedova (21 points and 7 assists), Ili (14 points and 2 steals) and White (14 points and 7 rebounds) led United, while the returning wing scored 6 points off the bench.

Krebs (5.3 points and 2.1 rebounds across 29 games) played every regular-season game and remained part of Vickerman’s second unit, providing perimeter shooting, size and defensive versatility across the wing positions.

One of his strongest early performances came against New Zealand on 4 November, where Krebs (10 points) was one of Melbourne’s few productive scorers as the Breakers handed United a 113-79 defeat at John Cain Arena.

With Goulding unavailable for Melbourne’s road meeting with New Zealand on 5 December, Krebs (9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) moved into the starting lineup and made three three-pointers as United responded with a 97-70 victory. Loe (25 points), White (16 points and 10 rebounds), Dellavedova (10 points and 7 assists) and Ili (10 points and 6 assists) also contributed as Melbourne held the Breakers to seven points during the third quarter.

Krebs produced another productive scoring game against Adelaide on 4 January, finishing with 13 points and three three-pointers during a 100-81 loss to the 36ers.

His shooting improved late in the regular season, including three three-pointers in Melbourne’s loss to Illawarra and another three from outside in a 115-88 road win over Brisbane. Against the Bullets, his long-range shooting formed part of a second unit that helped United build a 21-point halftime lead.

His best game of the season came in the final regular-season Throwdown against South East Melbourne, where Krebs (16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block) made six of his eight field-goal attempts and four three-pointers in less than 20 minutes. After putting Melbourne ahead with a three-pointer on the opening possession of the fourth quarter, he continued to punish the Phoenix from outside as United pulled away for a 103-93 win.

The performance equalled his career-high for made three-pointers and completed a regular season where he established career-best marks of 1.2 three-pointers per game and 37.2 per cent shooting from outside.

Melbourne closed the regular season with four consecutive wins over Perth, Brisbane, Tasmania and South East Melbourne, finishing second with a 19-10 record and earning direct entry into the semifinals.

Goulding (18.4 points) led United offensively, with White (13.8 points and 9.4 rebounds), Clark (12.7 points), Ili (11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals), Dellavedova (10.9 points and 7.1 assists) and Loe (10.0 points and 5.7 rebounds) forming the main rotation. Goulding was selected to the All-NBL Second Team and received Melbourne’s club MVP award, while Ili won the Damian Martin Trophy as Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Melbourne opened its semifinal series against Perth at John Cain Arena with a 105-93 win. Goulding (41 points) made 10 three-pointers, while Clark (22 points), White (13 points and 10 rebounds) and Lee (10 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks) provided support. Keanu Pinder (24 points and 11 rebounds), Bryce Cotton (22 points and 6 assists) and Kristian Doolittle (22 points and 9 rebounds) led Perth, while Krebs (3 points and 2 steals) played seven minutes off the bench.

Game two moved to Perth, where the Wildcats recovered from a 20-point deficit to win 96-89. Dylan Windler (27 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks), Cotton (18 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Doolittle (17 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists) powered Perth, while Goulding (15 points), Dellavedova (13 points, 8 rebounds, and 12 assists), White (13 points and 6 rebounds) and Clark (13 points) led Melbourne. Krebs added 5 points and 3 rebounds.

The deciding third game returned to Melbourne and required overtime, with Clark (38 points) and Goulding (30 points) leading United to a 113-112 victory alongside White (15 points and 9 rebounds) and Dellavedova (10 points and 11 assists). Doolittle (37 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists), Cotton (33 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) and Pinder (15 points and 5 rebounds) led Perth, while Krebs contributed 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist as Melbourne advanced to a second consecutive Championship Series.

The Championship Series opened in Wollongong, where Melbourne recovered from a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat Illawarra 96-88. Dellavedova (18 points and 7 assists), Goulding (15 points), Lee (14 points and 15 rebounds), Clark (13 points) and Ili (13 points) led United, while Sam Froling (16 points and 7 rebounds), Will Hickey (14 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists), Todd Blanchfield (13 points) and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (11 points) led Illawarra. Krebs added 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist off the bench.

Game two moved to Melbourne, where Illawarra tied the series with a 102-100 win. Clark (31 points) scored 16 points during the fourth quarter, but Tyler Harvey (24 points) answered with the game-winning three-pointer. Froling (23 points and 5 rebounds), Trey Kell III (18 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals) and Swaka Lo Buluk (12 points) led the Hawks, while Goulding (17 points), Dellavedova (14 points and 5 assists) and Krebs (12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) supported Clark.

Game three returned to Wollongong, where Melbourne erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit with a 20-4 run to win 83-77. White (20 points and 5 rebounds), Clark (16 points), Dellavedova (16 points and 11 assists) and Goulding (14 points) led United, while Hyunjung Lee (12 points), Hickey (12 points), Darius Days (11 points) and Kell III (10 points and 8 rebounds) led Illawarra. Krebs finished with 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal.

Illawarra kept the series alive in game four with an 80-71 win at John Cain Arena. Hickey (22 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals), Lachlan Olbrich (13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Harvey (12 points and 4 rebounds) led the Hawks, while Dellavedova (17 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists), Goulding (17 points) and Clark (16 points) were Melbourne’s best. Krebs added 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 block.

The final game returned to Wollongong, where Illawarra defeated Melbourne 114-104 to win the championship. Kell III (26 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists), Hickey (21 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists), Harvey (16 points and 7 rebounds) and Swaka Lo Buluk (16 points) led the Hawks, while Goulding (21 points), Ili (20 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals), White (17 points and 7 rebounds) and Clark (15 points and 4 rebounds) led Melbourne, with Krebs finishing with 3 points in five minutes.

2025/26
Melbourne came into NBL26 after back-to-back Grand Final defeats, keeping Chris Goulding, Shea Ili, Tanner Krebs and Kyle Bowen from its core. Matthew Dellavedova (to Sydney), Flynn Cameron (to Adelaide), Akech Aliir (to South East Melbourne), Rob Loe (to New Zealand), Marcus Lee (to Cairns), Jack White (to Turkey), Ian Clark and Joel Foxwell (to NCAA) exited, while coach Dean Vickerman added Milton Doyle (via Tasmania), Finn Delany (via Japan), Fabijan Krslovic (via Tasmania), Tyson Walker (via Texas Legends), Jesse Edwards (via Iowa Wolves), Tom Wilson (via Melbourne Tigers) and Next Star Dash Daniels (via Centre of Excellence).

Melbourne opened the season in Hobart on September 18, where Krebs (6 points and 2 rebounds) started as United defeated Tasmania 88-84, with Doyle (22 points and 3 assists) and Walker (14 points and 3 steals) leading the scoring, while Bryce Hamilton (24 points) was Tasmania’s best.

Krebs (7.9 points and 3.3 rebounds across 35 games) played every game and produced his best season with Melbourne, lifting his perimeter shooting and remaining part of Vickerman’s wing rotation as United opened the season 9-0.

One of his strongest early performances came against New Zealand on October 19, where Krebs (17 points and 3 rebounds) made five three-pointers as Melbourne defeated the Breakers 104-88, with Goulding (23 points and 3 assists) and Walker (16 points, 4 rebounds, and 9 assists) providing support, while Izaiah Brockington (25 points) led New Zealand.

Krebs’ best scoring game came at RAC Arena on December 4, where Krebs (29 points) scored 25 first-half points and made 12 of 14 shots from the field as Melbourne lost to Perth 96-84, with Edwards (17 points and 9 rebounds) and Doyle (12 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists) the next best United scorers, while Jo Lual-Acuil Jr (18 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks) led Perth.

Krebs delivered another strong game against Illawarra on December 18, finishing with 17 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals as Melbourne defeated the Hawks 97-75, with Walker (21 points and 10 assists) and Delany (18 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists) leading United, while JaVale McGee (18 points and 10 rebounds) and Tyler Harvey (18 points) were Illawarra’s best.

Doyle (16 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists) led Melbourne in scoring, while Walker (14.2 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals) gave United another scoring and defensive point-of-attack option. Edwards (13.3 points and 8.4 rebounds) anchored the interior and won the club MVP award, Goulding (12.8 points) remained the team’s main shooter when healthy, while Delany (11.4 points and 5.5 rebounds) and Ili (7.3 points and 3.1 assists) rounded out the main contributors.

Melbourne’s unbeaten start gave way to a difficult December and January stretch, but United closed the regular season against South East Melbourne on February 19, where Krebs (5 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 steal) helped Melbourne defeat the Phoenix 95-91, with Doyle (25 points) and Walker (23 points and 5 assists) leading the scoring, while Nathan Sobey (29 points and 7 rebounds) was South East Melbourne’s best as United finished fifth with a 20-13 record.

Melbourne hosted Tasmania in the Play-In Qualifier at John Cain Arena, where Krebs (11 points) made three three-pointers as United defeated the JackJumpers 82-68, with Delany (33 points and 6 rebounds) and Doyle (19 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists) leading Melbourne, while Nick Marshall (20 points and 6 rebounds), Josh Bannan (16 points and 5 rebounds) and David Johnson (16 points) led Tasmania.

The Play-In Game moved to RAC Arena, where Perth ended Melbourne’s season 95-77 behind Lual-Acuil Jr (28 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks), Kristian Doolittle (24 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Dylan Windler (18 points and 9 rebounds), while Doyle (13 points), Edwards (12 points and 8 rebounds) and Walker (12 points) led United, and Krebs (5 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist) played 17:38 in the 95-77 loss.

Tanner Krebs currently plays for the Melbourne United and has played 168 games in his NBL career. He has averaged 5.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists since entering the league in 2021.

CURRENT CONTRACT:

Melbourne United – 2 Year Deal (2026-28)