Anthony Lamb
October 29, 2024
Dererk Pardon
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 1/10/96
- Place of Birth: Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
- Position: CTR
- Height (CM): 203
- Weight (KG): 107
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Northwestern (2015-2019)
- NBL DEBUT: 18/09/22
- AGE AT DEBUT: 25
- LAST NBL GAME: 15/03/23
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 26
- NBL History: New Zealand 2023
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Dererk Pardon was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio (USA) where he attended Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Dererk Pardon made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 25 years of age. He scored 23 points in his first game.
After finishing the previous season at the bottom of the ladder with a 5-23 record, New Zealand returned to regular home games for the first time in two years following the departure of head coach Dan Shamir and the promotion of assistant Mody Maor. The Breakers lost six of their top eight scorers, with Yanni Wetzell, Hugo Besson, Peyton Siva (to Illawarra), Finn Delany, Ousmane Dieng and Chasson Randle departing, leaving Thomas Abercrombie, Robert Loe and William McDowell-White as the main returning members of the rotation.
Maor added Tom Vodanovich (via Sydney), Izayah Le’Afa (via South East Melbourne) and Cameron Gliddon (via South East Melbourne), while Jarrell Brantley and Barry Brown Jr joined as imports and French prospect Rayan Rupert was added through the NBL Next Stars program. Abercrombie suffered a torn retina during the preseason and missed the opening month.
Dererk Pardon became the first of New Zealand’s three imports to sign, joining the Breakers on a one-year deal after playing for Hapoel Be’er Sheva in Israel. “Dererk was our number one target heading into the off-season,” Maor said. “We believe he fits perfectly in the team we are trying to build both as a person and as a player.”
New Zealand opened the season against Melbourne at John Cain Arena on October 2, where Pardon (23 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks) and Brown Jr (23 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists) led the Breakers, with Le’Afa (13 points and 3 assists) providing further support, but Xavier Rathan-Mayes (33 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) and Chris Goulding (24 points) carried United to a 101-97 overtime victory.
Pardon (11.8 points and 8.2 rebounds across 35 games) started at centre and became a foundational part of Maor’s team, serving as a pick-and-roll partner for McDowell-White and Le’Afa while providing screening, offensive rebounding and rim protection for the league’s best defence.
New Zealand matched its total number of wins from the previous season within four rounds before defeating Adelaide 99-70 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on October 28. Pardon (6 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) contributed as Brantley (22 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block) and Brown Jr (22 points and 4 assists) led the Breakers, who forced 18 turnovers and made 15 three-pointers, while Kai Sotto (16 points and 7 rebounds) was Adelaide’s leading scorer.
Two nights later, Pardon (15 points, 14 rebounds, and 1 block) controlled the paint as New Zealand defeated Tasmania 94-62 at Spark Arena, recording its largest victory of the season and biggest win at the venue. Brown Jr (24 points) and McDowell-White (13 points and 7 assists) helped the Breakers move above Sydney into first place, while Milton Doyle (22 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals) led the JackJumpers.
Pardon continued his strong form against Tasmania at MyState Bank Arena on November 18, finishing with 19 points and 10 rebounds as Le’Afa (17 points and 3 steals) and Brown Jr (16 points and 4 assists) helped New Zealand win 84-76, while Rashard Kelly (17 points and 8 rebounds) was Tasmania’s best.
Two days later, Pardon (19 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks) recorded his third double-double in four games as New Zealand defeated Adelaide 89-83 at Spark Arena. Brown Jr (22 points and 3 assists) and Brantley (17 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 steals) supported him, while Antonius Cleveland (17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals) and Kyrin Galloway (13 points and 7 rebounds) led the 36ers.
Pardon’s best scoring game came against Perth at RAC Arena on January 10, where he made 13 of 15 field goals and finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. Brown Jr (16 points and 3 assists) and Brantley (13 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals) provided support, but TaShawn Thomas (23 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Corey Webster (19 points) led the Wildcats to a 93-90 victory.
Nine days later, Pardon collected a season-high 17 rebounds and finished with 19 points, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks against Illawarra at Spark Arena. Brantley (16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals) and Abercrombie (13 points and 2 steals) also contributed, but Tyler Harvey (25 points and 3 steals) made the game-winning three-pointer as time expired to give the Hawks a 78-76 victory.
Pardon (17 points and 9 rebounds) helped New Zealand respond against Brisbane at Nissan Arena on January 26, with Brantley (22 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) and Brown Jr (14 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals) leading a 99-71 victory, while Tyler Johnson (20 points and 5 rebounds) was Brisbane’s leading scorer.
The Breakers secured second place by overcoming a 16-point halftime deficit against Illawarra at the WIN Entertainment Centre on February 2. New Zealand outscored the Hawks 29-9 during the third quarter before winning 91-81, with Pardon (7 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block), Brown Jr (22 points) and Brantley (20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) contributing, while Harvey (22 points and 5 assists) led Illawarra.
Brown Jr (19.6 points and 1.2 steals across 27 games) and Brantley (16.3 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals across 35 games) carried much of New Zealand’s offence, with McDowell-White (10.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.8 assists across 33 games) and Le’Afa (10.1 points across 34 games) providing further support. Rupert (5.9 points across 28 games) returned after missing two months with a broken wrist, while Loe (5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds across 30 games) and Abercrombie (5.6 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals across 27 games) supplied experience and defence.
Pardon and Brown Jr were selected to the All-NBL Second Team, with Pardon finishing runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year and Brown Jr winning the NBL Best Sixth Man award. Brantley was named the Breakers’ club MVP as New Zealand finished second with an 18-10 record, returning to the playoffs for the first time in five years.
Tasmania defeated Cairns 87-79 in the play-in tournament to set up a best-of-three semifinal series against New Zealand.
New Zealand opened the semifinals at Spark Arena with an 88-68 victory, where Pardon (15 points, 9 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) controlled the paint as McDowell-White (13 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal) and Brown Jr (11 points) helped the Breakers take control with a 49-31 second half, while Kelly (12 points and 4 rebounds) and Doyle (10 points, 4 assists, and 2 steals) led Tasmania.
Game two moved to MyState Bank Arena, where Pardon (15 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 steals), Brown Jr (19 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals) and Brantley (17 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks) led New Zealand, but Doyle (23 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals) and Jack McVeigh (16 points) carried Tasmania to an 89-78 victory and levelled the series.
The deciding game returned to Spark Arena, where Pardon (15 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block) delivered his third consecutive double-double of the series as Brown Jr (32 points and 3 steals) and Brantley (14 points and 7 rebounds) led New Zealand to a 92-77 victory. McVeigh (22 points and 7 rebounds) and Kelly (16 points and 4 rebounds) were Tasmania’s best as the Breakers reached their first Championship Series since 2016.
The Championship Series opened at Qudos Bank Arena, where Pardon (9 points, 2 assists, and 1 block) contributed as McDowell-White (19 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 steals), Brown Jr (19 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Brantley (16 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals) led New Zealand to a 95-87 victory. Justin Simon (18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks) and Jordan Hunter (15 points and 4 rebounds) led Sydney, while Derrick Walton Jr and Xavier Cooks both suffered leg injuries during the game.
Game two moved to Spark Arena, where Pardon (6 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks) protected the rim as Brown Jr (21 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Brantley (20 points and 6 rebounds) led New Zealand. Kouat Noi (20 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals), Dejan Vasiljevic (16 points and 4 rebounds) and Simon (12 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 steals) carried Sydney to an 81-74 victory despite Walton Jr lasting only 4:50 because of his leg injury and Cooks sitting out the second half.
Sydney regained the series lead at Qudos Bank Arena, defeating New Zealand 91-68 in front of an NBL record crowd of 18,049. Pardon (5 points and 5 rebounds), McDowell-White (11 points and 6 rebounds) and Brantley (10 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals) led the Breakers, while Vasiljevic (15 points and 4 rebounds), Tim Soares (14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks), Simon (13 points, 6 assists, and 2 blocks) and Walton Jr (12 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists) led Sydney.
New Zealand forced a deciding game with an 80-70 victory at Spark Arena, where Pardon (4 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block) helped the Breakers control the paint as Brantley (23 points and 5 rebounds), Brown Jr (20 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and McDowell-White (19 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists) led the offence. Abercrombie also recorded 6 steals, while Walton Jr (18 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Angus Glover (12 points and 2 steals) led Sydney.
The deciding game returned to Qudos Bank Arena, where New Zealand led by 11 points during the first quarter before Sydney completed a late 14-0 run and won 77-69 in front of another NBL record crowd of 18,124. Brown Jr (22 points and 4 rebounds), Brantley (16 points and 4 rebounds) and McDowell-White (12 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) led the Breakers, while Walton Jr (21 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists), Cooks (19 points and 11 rebounds) and Glover (12 points and 9 rebounds) delivered Sydney its second consecutive championship. Walton Jr was named Grand Final MVP, with the five-game series drawing 67,811 fans, while Pardon finished with 9 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal.
2022/23
Dererk Pardon earned All-NBL Second Team honours for the 2022/23 season.
Dererk Pardon played one season in the NBL. He averaged 11.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 36 NBL games.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 26 | New Zealand | 18-10 (2) | 36 | 983 | 424 | 290 | 29 | 107 | 183 | 26 | 38 | 46 | 84 | 155 | 244 | 64% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 114 | 163 | 70% | 66% | 64% | 28 | Totals | 36 | 983 | 424 | 290 | 29 | 107 | 183 | 26 | 38 | 46 | 84 | 155 | 244 | 63.5% | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 114 | 163 | 69.9% | 67% | 64% | 28 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 26 | New Zealand | 18-10 (2) | 36 | 27.3 | 11.8 | 8.1 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 5.1 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 6.8 | 64% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 3.2 | 4.5 | 70% | 66% | 64% | 28 | Total | 36 | 27.3 | 11.8 | 8.1 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 5.1 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 6.8 | 63.5% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0% | 3.2 | 4.5 | 69.9% | 67% | 64% | 28 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 28 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
|---|
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Italy - Reggiana (2019–2020) | Germany - Medi Bayreuth (2020–2021) | Israel - Hapoel Be'er Sheva (2021–2022) | Japan - Altiri Chiba (2023–2026)
Pardon joined Reggiana for the 2019–20 Lega Basket Serie A season in Italy, and after signing on July 17, 2019 he averaged 6.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game before departing in March 2020 following a hand injury.
Spent time playing in Israel, Germany and Italy.
He moved to Medi Bayreuth for the 2020–21 Basketball Bundesliga season in Germany after signing on June 30, 2020, and in league play he averaged 11.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks across 34 games.
Pardon then joined Hapoel Beer Sheva for the 2021–22 Israeli Premier League season in Israel, signing on July 4, 2021 and averaging 14.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.
After his next stint outside the scope of this section, he returned to international club basketball by signing with Altiri Chiba on June 28, 2023 for the 2023–24 Japanese B.League 2 season, where he helped the club win the B2 championship and gain promotion while averaging 13.9 points and 9.3 rebounds across 58 games.
Pardon remained with Altiri Chiba for the 2024–25 season in Japan and averaged 13.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists over 60 games as the club reached the B1 promotion finals.
He continued with Altiri Chiba into the 2025–26 B.League season, averaging 12.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists across 53 games.
COLLEGE
Dererk Pardon played four seasons at Northwestern from 2015–16 to 2018–19, developing into one of the most efficient big men in program history and finishing his Wildcats career as the school’s all-time leader in field goal percentage at 60.3 percent.
Pardon opened his Northwestern career in 2015–16 planning to redshirt, but injuries forced him into action in late December, and he immediately announced himself in Big Ten play by exploding for a career-high 28 points and 12 rebounds in just his second collegiate game, an 81–72 win over Nebraska on December 30, 2015.
During the 2016–17 season, Pardon started all 28 games he appeared in and became one of the league’s most reliable interior finishers, leading the Big Ten in conference-only field goal percentage at .617 while also ranking near the top of the league in rebounding and rim protection at 8.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in all games.
That sophomore season produced multiple signature moments, including a massive 19-point, 22-rebound performance in a 73–61 win over Nebraska on January 26, 2017, with the 22 boards recorded as the most by a Northwestern player in more than five decades and the sixth-most in school history.
Pardon also delivered the defining play of Northwestern’s breakthrough year on March 1, 2017, scoring at the buzzer off a full-court inbounds pass to beat Michigan 67–65, a result widely linked with pushing the Wildcats over the line toward the program’s first-ever NCAA tournament berth.
In the 2017 NCAA tournament, Pardon posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds as Northwestern won its first March Madness game, defeating Vanderbilt in the opening round, before the Wildcats fell 79–73 to Gonzaga in the second round, where Pardon added six points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes.
As a junior in 2017–18, Pardon delivered his most efficient full season, setting a Northwestern single-season field goal percentage record at .619 while starting all 32 games, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition from the media, and leading the team at 7.1 rebounds per game and 56 total blocked shots.
That 2017–18 campaign included a string of two-way stat lines that highlighted his growth into a focal point, including a 20-point, eight-rebound, four-assist game at Purdue, a 17-point, 15-rebound effort against Nebraska, and a 13-point, 12-rebound, six-block double-double versus Minnesota.
In his senior season of 2018–19, Pardon became a consistent double-double threat, recording multiple big rebounding nights including 18 rebounds against American and posting one of the best scoring games of his college career with 24 points and 10 rebounds against Indiana on December 1, where he matched a career-high with 11 field goals made.
Across that 2018–19 season, he continued stacking high-impact games in Big Ten play, producing repeat 20-point performances against Michigan, adding 21 points and two blocks versus Wisconsin, and finishing the year with 17 points in the Big Ten tournament against Illinois as he closed his Northwestern career as both an elite finisher and a reliable rim protector.
By the time he left Evanston, Pardon had appeared in 125 games for Northwestern and was also credited as the program’s second-highest shot blocker, with his resume built around efficiency inside, major rebounding nights, and a central role in the team that broke through for Northwestern’s first NCAA tournament appearance and win.
AWARDS
- 1x All-NBL Second Team
Related
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