NICKNAME/S: The Chief, Pledgehammer

BIO: Alex Pledger was born in Blenheim (New Zealand).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Alex Pledger made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 22 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

Having achieved their first-ever playoff appearance the season prior, coach Andrej Lemanis returned with the majority of Breakers roster intact, losing only Phill Jones (to Cairns) and Tim Behrendorff (to Wollongong). Having played with one import last season, Rick Rickert, the Breakers added Dave Thomas (via Cairns) to add veteran leadership to the club but prior to the season starting, he was forced to retire from playing in the NBL due to injury. Former NBA talent Awvee Storey was then signed as his replacement and development player Thomas Abercrombie was elevated to the full squad.

New Zealand struggled through the first half of the season, mainly due to missing their leading scorer Kirk Penney (23.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists) due to a back injury that saw him sidelined for nine games. In addition to this, Storey (7.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists) fell well short of expectations and was released after nine games with the club stating ‘things weren’t working out’. John Rillie (4.3 points and 1.6 rebounds), who had been released by Townsville the season prior, signed with the club as a interim replacement and appeared in 12 games.

New Zealand was then boosted by the midseason addition of import Kevin Braswell (9.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.3 steals), who played in the Breakers final seven games, winning the last six in a row.

New Zealand’s late-season surge proved to be in vain, as the Breakers missed the playoffs during one of the closest NBL seasons of all-time. Despite New Zealand being only two games behind league leaders Perth, they would miss the playoffs and finish in fifth place (15-13).

Pledger would see limited playing opportunities in his first year with the Breakers, appearing in only 9 games, averaging 1.7 points and 1.4 rebounds.

2010/11
A key to the Breakers’ success this season were the return of both Kevin Braswell and Mika Vukona. Braswell initially decided to play the 2010/11 season with Turkish team Aliağa Belediyesi SK but before the season could start, left the team to play a second season with the New Zealand Breakers. Vukona, who had won a championship with the South Dragons in 2009, returned to the team and replaced Paul Henare as team captain. Another key move saw declining import Rick Rickert replaced with former Utah State University standout Gary Wilkinson.

The season began with Kirk Penney missing the start of the season while he attempted to earn a NBA contract. Failing to do that, he re-joined the Breakers after the season’s first month. Despite missing Penney, the Breakers won their first five games of the season before losing to the Wildcat’s in Perth (114–74).

Kirk Penney (20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists) would finish as the team’s leading scorer, with the Breakers finishing the regular season on top of the ladder (22–6). Wilkinson (15.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists), CJ Bruton (11.0 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists), Thomas Abercrombie (10.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) and Vukona (8.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists) rounded out New Zealand’s starting lineup, while Braswell (10.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists) add a spark from the bench, a role that would see him selected the NBL’s Best Sixth Man at the end of the year.

This season was also notable for the impact of 22-year-old Corey Webster (4.0 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.9 assists), who was elevated into the Breakers’ full-time roster this season and started to steal time away from legendary point guard CJ Bruton this season. Bruton played seven minutes less than the season prior, a testament to New Zealand much improved, much deeper roster.

New Zealand met fourth seed Perth in the semifinals and lost the opening game to the Wildcat’s at home. The Breakers returned to New Zealand for games two and three and recovered by winning both games, qualifying for their first-ever NBL Grand Final.

There, the Breakers met Cairns in the championship series and coasting to a easy win in game one (85–67) after leading by as much as 31 in the third quarter. The team’s then fought out a gripping game two in Cairns, which saw the game tied at the end of regulation (60-60) and at the end of the first overtime (73–73), before Cairns prevailed (85–81), sending the series to a third and deciding game.

With the final game played back on New Zealand soil, the Breakers recorded a comfortable win (71–53) and became the first team non-Australian team to win a NBL championship.

Thomas Abercrombie collected Grand Final MVP honours and while Bruton etched his name into Breakers folklore after he nailed two three-pointers in the fourth quarter to seal the game against the Cairns Taipans, winning his fourth NBL title.

Pledger’s development saw him become a regular part of the Breakers’ rotation, backing up starting centre Wilkinson and averaging 6.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks across 34 games.

2011/12
After winning their first NBL championship, the Breakers suffered two major losses, the first being leading scorer Kirk Penney’s decision to play in Europe and a off-season achilles injury to Kevin Braswell that saw him still unable to play at the beginning of the 2011/12 season. Coach Andrej Lemanis would replace him with Cedric Jackson and then finalised their roster by adding Daryl Corletto, who the Melbourne Tigers had just released to make room for NBA star Patty Mills.

Jackson (12.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 2.2 steals) would lead the league in both assists and steals and ensure the Breakers didn’t skip a beat as the defending champs. Gary Wilkinson (16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and Thomas Abercrombie (15.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) both boosting their offensive output in the absence of Penney, propelling New Zealand to a first-place finish (21-7) for the second consecutive season.

New Zealand would meet Townsville in the semifinals where they would lose the opening contest (82-99) behind big games from Crocodiles stars Peter Crawford (26 points) and Eddie Gill (21 points and 4 steals).

The Breakers re-grouped with CJ Bruton (18 points) top scoring in a game two win (94-83) that saw five New Zealand players all score in double figures. Bruton (20 points) continued to lead the way offensively in game three (97-80), winning the series for New Zealand and propelling them into the Grand Final.

New Zealand would go on to face Perth, winning the opening game in a overtime victory at home (104–98). Bruton (20 points and 3 assists) and Jackson (25 points and 8 assists) led the way in scoring, while Pledger added 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assists, and 2 steals.

Despite Wilkinson (28 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists) delivering his best game of the season, the Wildcats would rebound from the loss and claim a narrow victory in their second meeting (87-86). Jesse Wagstaff (15 points) and Kevin Lisch (15 points and 5 rebounds) led the way for Perth, while six other Wildcats players also scored in double figures. This set up a third game back in Auckland, where the Wildcat’s built up a slight lead in the second quarter through some brilliant play from Matthew Knight (17 points and 6 rebounds), who had 11 points in the quarter. With centre Luke Nevill (4 points and 3 rebounds in 9 mins) getting into foul trouble and the Breakers defence all but neutralising Shawn Redhage (18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists), the Breakers clinched back-to-back titles with a six-point victory (79–73) in front of 9,000 fans.

After Perth levelled the score with seven minutes to go, Abercrombie (12 points and 4 rebounds) pulled in a offensive rebound and set up Bruton (16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals), who nailed a three-point dagger to extend the lead to seven with less than two minutes to play. Gary Wilkinson (23 points) led all scorers, while Alex Pledger (13 points on 4-of-6 shooting) made huge contributions from the bench. The Breakers became the first side to win consecutive titles since Sydney in 2002-2005, a championship team that Bruton was also a part of. Bruton finished 4-of-7 from downtown and was awarded the Larry Sengstock Medal for the Most Valuable Player of the series.

This season, Lemanis was recognised as Coach of the Year, Jackson and Abercrombie were selected to the All-NBL First Team, and Wilkinson gained All-NBL Second Team recognition as well. Pledger improved on his production for the third season in a row, lifting his numbers to 8.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks across 34 games.

2012/13
In 2012, the Breakers looked to become the second team in league history to record a three-peat. While Cedric Jackson, Leon Henry, Thomas Abercrombie, Dillon Boucher, Mika Vukona, CJ Bruton, and Daryl Corletto all re-signed, a major decision made this off-season was to not re-sign leading scorer Gary Wilkinson (to Europe) in favour of elevating promising Kiwi centre Alex Pledger into the starting lineup. Import forward Will Hudson (via Gold Coast) signed as his replacement, while Corey Webster, who had sat out the previous season due to a 12-month suspension for the use of banned substances.

The Breakers recorded a number of historic moments this season, beginning with Jackson recording his first career triple-double with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against the Melbourne Tigers (November 30, 2012). It was only the second triple-double recorded since the NBL went to 40-minute games at the start of the 2009/10 season.

By February, the Breakers extended their longest winning streak record to 11, a record that by mid-March had been extended to fifteen straight games.

New Zealand (24-4) finished on top of the ladder for a second consecutive season with Jackson (14.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 2.8 steals) leading the league in assists and steals for the second straight season. Jackson was a obvious choice for the league’s Most Valuable Player and was also selected to the All-NBL First Team for the second consecutive season. Mika Vukona and Thomas Abercrombie were selected to the All-NBL Second and Third team’s, respectively, and Andrej Lemanis was voted the Coach of the Year.

New Zealand faced Sydney in the semifinals and swiftly eliminated them in two games. Abercrombie (15 points and 3 rebounds) and Jackson (11 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) leading the Breakers in game one (81-64) and Bruton (21 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Pledger (18 points and 12 rebounds) taking charge in game two (99-88).

New Zealand progressed to the Grand Final series, where they would face off against Perth in a Grand Final re-match of the previous year. The Wildcats entered the series shorthanded, having lost starting guard Damian Martin to a Achilles injury prior to the playoffs. Brad Robbins came out of retirement to cover the loss, but with the team missing Martin, the Breakers defeated Perth easily in two straight games. Game one (79-67) saw Corletto (19 points on 7-10 shooting) catch fire and in game two (70-66), the Breakers were led by Bruton (16 points) and Jackson (14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals). Jackson was subsequently named Grand Final MVP as the team delivered a historic three-peat win.

In his first season as a starter, Pledger appeared in 31 games and averaged 10.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 0.4 assists. This included his career high 22-point scoring night against Melbourne.

2013/14
After winning three consecutive championships with New Zealand, Lemanis was named head coach of the Australian men’s national basketball team. His departure saw assistant Dean Vickerman elevated to head coach and tasked with extending the Breakers championship streak.

Vickerman was taking over a Breakers squad that had lost star import Cedric Jackson (Europe) and Dillon Boucher through retirement and, as a result, started the season poorly, losing three out of their first four games. The poor start led to Vickerman sending out a SOS to former Breakers favourite and two-time champion Gary Wilkinson (15.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists), who joined the team in late October. Then in December, perhaps motivated by the team’s sluggish start, veteran CJ Bruton (6.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists) let it be known he would retire at the end of the season just prior to playing the 500th game of his career. By January, the Breakers made a second move and brought in Casey Frank (5.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) to replace Pledger (10.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks), who had multiple stints on the sidelines and only managed to appear in 13 games.

American guard Kerron Johnson (12.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.1 steals), who had signed as a replacement for Jackson, struggled to fill the large void left at the point guard spot, and Thomas Abercrombie (15.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists) had to shoulder the load for much of the season, finding himself with a lack of space due to Johnson’s lacklustre range. After not being able to put more than two consecutive wins together all year, they ended their season in seventh place (11–17).

The positives for the season came in the form of career-high scoring efforts from young guard duo Corey Webster (8.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) and Reuben Te Rangi (5.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists) whose improving play showed promise for the Breakers future.

On 21 March 2014, Bruton played his final NBL game in front of a huge Breakers’ crowd at Vector Arena in a loss to Cairns (83-95). With his family and friends in attendance, he recorded 11 points, 3 assists and 1 rebound in what was his 516th NBL game.

2014/15
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.

The Breakers kickstarted the season with back-to-back wins over Perth and Adelaide before suffering back-to-back losses to Cairns and Melbourne. In what was a highly competitive season, New Zealand was able to reel off multiple five game winning streaks behind the offensive talent of both Jackson (14.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.2 steals) and Corey Webster (15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists), who moved into the starting lineup and become one of the league’s premier scorers.

Pledger would average 5.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 0.5 assists as the Breakers battled all season long for top spot alongside Perth and Cairns, eventually finishing in second place (19–9).

in the semifinals, New Zealand would face third-placed Adelaide, who had won their final ten regular season games and entered the playoffs as the hottest team in the competition. Despite the 36ers’ hot form, the Breakers made light work of them in game one (111–82), with Webster (24 points) delivering a career-high scoring effort at Vector Arena. Game two then moved to Adelaide, where they again had the upper hand the entire game, defeating the 36ers (94–83) and moving on to the Grand Final.

There, they met the Cairns Taipans, who had become the first regional centre team to win the minor premiership since the Geelong Cats did so in 1984. Despite Cairns having home-court advantage, New Zealand easily claimed game one (86–71), with Jackson (22 points) top scoring. Game two shifted to Auckland, where after a tight contest the entire game, Taipans guard Scottie Wilbekin tied the game behind two free throws with 1.2 seconds left in regulation. Coming out of a timeout, Ibekwe caught a inbounds pass, turned and hit a game-winning fade-away shot to lift the Breakers over the Taipans (83–81) and clinch New Zealand’s fourth title in five seasons.

Jackson (15 points) claimed his third championship and second Grand Final MVP award, becoming the first player in NBL history to win three NBL championships from his first three 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.

New Zealand were handed a shock loss to Adelaide in their season opener (71-90). Without Webster, Abercrombie and Pledger, the Breakers had limited scoring options, the highest scorer being Cedric Jackson (14 points). At half-time, the score was 51–26 in the 36ers favour, which saw the team’s 26 points become the second lowest first-half score and second biggest halftime deficit in team history.

With a dwindling record (1-3), New Zealand were boosted by the addition of Corey Webster (19.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists), who returned after failing to secure a roster spot with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. In order to add Webster to the roster, forward Duane Bailey was released and Everard Bartlett, who had been signed as an injury replacement, was retained for the rest of the season. The Breakers rode a roller-coaster for the remainder of their games, winning nine of their next eleven games and reclaiming their roles as title favourites by Round 10 (10-5), only to losing five of their next six games (11-10) and were pushed out of the top four by Adelaide (11–9) and by Round 15. In January, New Zealand reeled off a five game losing streak (0-5), the team’s worst losing streak since the 2008/09 season and then finished the season on a five game winning streak, edging out the 36ers to finish fourth (16–12) and claim the final playoff berth.

New Zealand went on to sweep 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.

Webster (19.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists) went on to be named in the All-NBL Second Team, while Pledger would shrug off early season injury concerns and average 6.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists across 31 games for the season.

2016/17
Following the Breakers’ 2016 grand final loss, chief executive Richard Clarke and coach Dean Vickerman parted ways with the organisation, with Paul Henare stepping up from assistant to take the reins as head coach, while Dillon Boucher took control of the front office as general manager.

Joining Dean Vickerman in departure was Cedric Jackson and Tai Wesley, both of whom moved across the Tasman and joined Melbourne United. While retaining Thomas Abercrombie, Corey Webster, Alex Pledger and Mika Vukona, the Breakers acquired the services of club legend Kirk Penney. With two vacant import spots, the Breakers signed Ben Woodside and Akil Mitchell. A strong New Zealand contingent also stepped up from development player roles this season, with Finn Delany, Shea Ili and Jordan Ngatai all being elevated onto the full-time roster.

An injury filled pre-season saw Shea Ili (back), Penney (calf) and Webster (hip and back) suffer injuries that would see them miss multiple games during the first half of the season. Even when Webster did return mid-season, he was never fully recovered and his production dropped from 19.6 ppg to 11.7 ppg as he battled to shake off a prolonged hip injury. After 20 games New Zealand had a total of eight wins and the ‘injury bug’ only got worse. Abercrombie (11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and Woodside (8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.3 steals) both spent time missed games due to injury and then in January, during a loss to Cairns (81-94), Mitchell (9.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists) suffered a poke to the eye from Taipans centre Nnanna Egwu which caused his left eyeball to come out of its socket. He was rushed to hospital and although his vision was restored that night, he returned to the US to seek further specialist advice.

Webster made a valiant second return to the court before the end of the season, but under medical advisement, it was felt his injuries were too serious and he was shut down for the remainder of the season. New Zealand added import forward Paul Carter (9.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists) and shortly replaced a underperforming Woodside with David Stockton, the son of NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton. Stockton (8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists) lasted only 10 games before he too succumbed to injury and was replaced by another import, Kevin Dillard.

The combo of Dillard (18.1 points, 4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.6 steals) and Penney (17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) helped salvage the remainder of the Breakers’ season. The duo propelled New Zealand to a four game winning streak and revived the Breakers playoff hopes, but after back-to-back losses in round 17, they dropped to fifth place (14–14) and their playoff hopes were shattered.

Despite winning their last two games of the season, they fell short of a playoff spot, finishing in fifth place (14–14). Pledger finished the season with averages of 8.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game.

2017/18
After a injury decimated season, New Zealand looked to rebuild in Paul Henare’s second year as coach. Kevin Dillard, who joined the team for the last nine games, was retained and it was hoped that the on court success witnessed during the last month of the season would be able to be extended across NBL18. The major move of the off-season saw the Breakers cut ties with Corey Webster after multiple situations where the two parties no longer saw eye to eye. This led to Webster first signing a two-year deal with Perth, then after turning the heads of some European team’s whilst playing in the 2017 NBA Summer League, requested a release prior to the NBL season starting. The remainder of the roster was retained and with league expanding the number of import a team can sign from two to three, added backcourt duo DJ Newbill and Édgar Sosa.

New Zealand then started the season in hot form, going 6–1 after five rounds thanks to the selflessness of Newbill (13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.3 steals) and Sosa (15.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. Back-up guard Shea Ili (9.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists) also posted impressive numbers, becoming a vital piece of the team’s second unit and claimed the NBL’s Most Improved Player at the end of the season.

With a win over the Perth Wildcats on 9 November, the Breakers moved to a 7–1 record, tying their best start in franchise history. They went on to defeat Perth again three days later, moving them to a 8–1 record. They moved to 9–1 with a win over Brisbane on 19 November, as they headed into the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification break atop the NBL ladder and on a nine-game winning streak.

After returning from the FIBA break, the Breakers lost four out of their first five games and dropped to 10–5 following Round 10. With Dillard (18.1 points, 4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.6 steals) injured, they chose to bring in NBA player Rakeem Christmas (7.6 points and 5.7 rebounds) in early January to bolster their squad.

Despite finishing the regular season with back-to-back losses, New Zealand finished in fourth place (15–13) and went on to face Melbourne and former coach Dean Vickerman in the semifinals. United handed the Breakers back-to-back defeats in the semifinals, following a overtime loss in Game 2 (88–86). Club legend Kirk Penney played (10.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assists) his final NBL game in the game two loss, finishing with a 17-point effort.

Pledger finished the season with averages of 6.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1 block per game.

MELBOURNE UNITED
2018/19
After finishing first with a 20-8 record and defeating Adelaide 3-2 in the 2018 Grand Final series, Melbourne entered the season looking to defend its championship. Casey Prather (to BC Khimki), Tai Wesley (to New Zealand), David Andersen (to Illawarra), Majok Majok (to New Zealand) and Kyle Adnam (to Sydney) departed, while captain Chris Goulding (two-year deal), David Barlow (one-year deal), Josh Boone (one-year deal) and Casper Ware (one-year deal) returned. DJ Kennedy (via Turkey), Mitch McCarron (via Cairns) and Daniel Trist (via Spain) were also added as Dean Vickerman reshaped the championship roster.

On May 18, Alex Pledger (via New Zealand) signed with Melbourne after mutually parting ways with the New Zealand Breakers and being released from the final year of his contract. He had spent almost a decade with the Breakers and had been part of all four of the club’s championships, with the move reuniting him with former Breakers coach Vickerman. “He’s a high-level defender, has a solid post game and certainly creates a presence on the offensive boards as well,” Vickerman said.

During the preseason, Melbourne travelled to North America for two NBLxNBA games. The new centre (19 points and 13 rebounds) led United against Philadelphia before the 76ers won 104-84, then finished with 9 points and 5 rebounds against Toronto as the Raptors defeated Melbourne 120-82, with Goulding (17 points) and Ware (17 points) leading United in scoring.

Melbourne opened the NBL season in Wollongong on October 12 and survived four overtimes to defeat Illawarra 123-122. The new centre (3 points and 2 rebounds) played 8:38 off the bench, while Boone (24 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks) and Goulding (23 points and 3 assists) led United and Todd Blanchfield (26 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block) led the Hawks.

Pledger (6.4 points and 4.4 rebounds across 33 games) provided size, rebounding and rim protection behind Boone and appeared in 27 of Melbourne’s 28 regular-season games before playing in all six playoff games. His only absence came against Cairns on November 11 because of illness, with a virus also affecting him in the days that followed, and he did not miss a game through injury during the season. Melbourne began the season 3-2 before going 6-1 through November and remaining among the league leaders.

Pledger’s best game came against Brisbane on December 10, where Pledger (13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) shot 6-of-9 from the field in a 90-74 loss at Melbourne Arena. Ware (22 points and 4 assists) led United in scoring, while Lamar Patterson (17 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 steal) and Cameron Gliddon (17 points and 3 rebounds) led Brisbane.

He matched his season-high against Adelaide on December 26, with Pledger (13 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks) providing a strong contribution from the bench as Melbourne fell 103-101. Ware (26 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal) and Goulding (16 points and 3 assists) led United, while Ramone Moore (18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) and Jacob Wiley (18 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks) led Adelaide.

Pledger (10 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks) delivered another strong defensive game against Illawarra on January 23 as Melbourne defeated the Hawks 113-89. Ware (25 points and 4 assists) and Kennedy (17 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) led United, while Blanchfield (22 points and 1 steal) was Illawarra’s leading scorer.

Ware (18.8 points and 4.5 assists) led Melbourne in scoring, while Goulding (14.4 points), Kennedy (12.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals), McCarron (11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds), Barlow (11.1 points and 4.6 rebounds) and Boone (10.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) formed the main rotation around him. Melbourne added Venky Jois (via Germany) (1.7 points across 11 games) in late January to provide additional frontcourt depth. Ware finished second in MVP voting with 77 votes, six behind Sydney’s Andrew Bogut, and was named to the All-NBL First Team, while Vickerman became the third coach in league history to win consecutive Coach of the Year awards as Melbourne finished second with an 18-10 record.

Melbourne opened the semifinals against Sydney with a 95-73 win at Melbourne Arena. Pledger (5 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal) provided reserve minutes behind Boone, while Ware (22 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists) and Kennedy (20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block) led United. Brad Newley (17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal), Kevin Lisch (13 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals) and Jerome Randle (13 points) led Sydney, while league MVP Bogut (7 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks) was held quiet offensively.

Game two moved to Qudos Bank Arena, where Pledger (2 points, 1 rebound, and 1 block) played 7:46 as Melbourne completed the semifinal sweep with a 90-76 victory. Ware (30 points and 5 rebounds) and Goulding (23 points, 3 assists, and 1 steal) led United, while Lisch (13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists), Adnam (13 points and 1 steal) and Bogut (10 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks) led Sydney.

Perth opened the Grand Final series with an 81-71 victory at RAC Arena. Pledger (9 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block) provided one of his strongest playoff performances, while Ware (19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) and Goulding (15 points and 1 steal) led Melbourne. Terrico White (19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals), Angus Brandt (14 points and 7 rebounds) and Bryce Cotton (10 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals) led Perth.

Melbourne responded in game two with a 92-74 victory at Melbourne Arena to level the series. Pledger (8 points and 7 rebounds) helped United control the interior, while Goulding (14 points), Ware (14 points), McCarron (13 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Kennedy (12 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) contributed to the balanced win. Cotton (19 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists) and White (17 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Perth.

The series returned to Perth for game three, where Pledger (3 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 block) played 13:58 as the Wildcats defeated Melbourne 96-67. Kennedy (13 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal) and Barlow (13 points and 5 rebounds) were United’s leading scorers, while White (31 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists) made seven three-pointers and Cotton (16 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block) controlled the game for Perth.

In game four, Pledger (5 points and 2 rebounds) played 13:27 as Melbourne’s attempt to defend its championship ended with a 97-84 loss. Ware (18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block), Goulding (15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) and Barlow (15 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals) led United, while Cotton (28 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals), White (20 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Nick Kay (12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) led Perth, with White named Grand Final MVP after averaging 21.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists across the four games.

2019/20
Melbourne entered the 2019/20 season after finishing second with an 18-10 record and losing the Grand Final series to Perth 3-1. Casper Ware (to Sydney), Josh Boone (to Illawarra), Daniel Trist (to South East Melbourne) and Craig Moller (to Sydney) departed, while coach Dean Vickerman added Melo Trimble (via Cairns), Shawn Long (via New Zealand), Shea Ili (via New Zealand), Jo Lual-Acuil Jr (via Israel) and development player Jack Purchase (via Melbourne Tigers). David Barlow and Tohi Smith-Milner returned, while Casey Prather (via Patras) signed a two-year deal to begin his second stint with United.

Pledger re-signed with Melbourne on April 30 on a one-year deal, returning for his second season with United.

Melbourne opened the season against expansion side South East Melbourne on October 3, where Pledger (2 points and 4 rebounds) played six minutes off the bench. Goulding (27 points and 3 steals) and Long (26 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocks) led United, while Mitchell Creek (28 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists) carried the Phoenix to a 91-88 win in the inaugural Throwdown.

Pledger (3.2 points across 17 games) remained a reserve centre behind Long and Lual-Acuil Jr, appearing in 14 regular-season games and all three semifinals without making a start. It would ultimately be his final NBL season. United lost four of its first five games amid reports of internal problems and pressure on Vickerman, before recovering behind a six-game winning streak to sit third at 7-4 by late November.

Pledger’s best game came against Perth at RAC Arena on October 5, where he made all six of his field-goal attempts and finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block. Trimble (25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists) and McCarron (17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) also contributed, while Bryce Cotton (21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Perth to a 94-93 win.

Following Melbourne’s November 16 game against South East Melbourne, Pledger underwent surgery on November 18 to repair a right ankle injury and was ruled out for six-to-eight weeks. He missed United’s next eight games before returning against Brisbane on December 29, where Pledger (2 points and 2 rebounds) played three minutes in a 102-96 loss. Long (25 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals) and Goulding (16 points) led Melbourne, while Lamar Patterson (35 points and 6 rebounds) was Brisbane’s best. No further injury was reported after his return, although his minutes remained limited behind Long and Lual-Acuil Jr.

Prather (9.3 points and 3.2 rebounds across 6 games) had already missed Melbourne’s opening seven games after undergoing a knee clean-out and, after returning for six appearances, suffered a right hamstring tear which ended his season. United signed former NBA forward Stanton Kidd (8.9 points and 3.7 rebounds across 14 games; via Utah Jazz) as his injury replacement.

Trimble (19.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals across 31 games) led United in scoring, alongside Long (18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds across 31 games) and captain Goulding (17 points across 30 games). McCarron (8.7 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists across 31 games), Barlow (7.2 points and 3.9 rebounds across 29 games), Ili (6.4 points across 29 games) and Lual-Acuil Jr (5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds across 31 games) formed the remainder of Melbourne’s main rotation. Long was named United’s MVP, Ili won Best Defensive Player and Ili and McCarron shared the Coaches Award as Melbourne recovered to finish fourth with a 15-13 record.

Melbourne opened its semifinal series against Sydney at Qudos Bank Arena, where Pledger (0 points in 1:11) saw limited action as Trimble (34 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals) and Long (23 points and 10 rebounds) led United. Jae’Sean Tate (23 points and 5 rebounds), Brad Newley (17 points and 5 rebounds) and Xavier Cooks (13 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) led Sydney, which finished the game on a 24-2 run to erase Melbourne’s 16-point fourth-quarter lead and win 86-80.

Game two moved to Melbourne Arena, where Pledger (8 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 block) played 10 minutes and made all three of his field-goal attempts as United responded with a 125-80 victory. Long (26 points and 11 rebounds), Trimble (21 points and 2 steals) and Kidd (18 points and 4 rebounds) led Melbourne, while Tate (18 points and 6 rebounds) and Didi Louzada (10 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals) led Sydney. United outscored the Kings 32-7 in the second quarter and produced a 38-0 run, with the 45-point victory the largest winning margin in an NBL game since the league moved to 40-minute games.

The series returned to Qudos Bank Arena for game three, where Pledger (0 points in 1:42) made what proved to be his final NBL appearance. Goulding (19 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals), McCarron (18 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks) and Long (17 points and 9 rebounds) led Melbourne, while Tate (20 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists), Ware (15 points and 4 rebounds) and Cooks (14 points and 9 rebounds) led Sydney to an 89-87 win and a 2-1 series victory.
Alex Pledger played eleven seasons across three NBL teams. This included the New Zealand Breakers, and Melbourne United. He averaged 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 287 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 29th in total blocks