BIO: Jordan Ngatai was born in Wellington (NZ) and raised in Porirua, New Zealand, Ngatai graduated from Mana College before attending Sierra College in the United States for one year.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Jordan Ngatai made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

Ngatai would begin his NBL career as a development player, joining a New Zealand team regrouping after a dismal season, where the team missed out on the NBL playoffs despite having won the previous three seasons in a row. The Breakers chose to replace 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.

Ngatai would appear in only 7 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. Ngatai would continue to see limited playing opportunities with the Breakers, appearing in only two games and scoring a total of two points during the regular 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.

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.

In his first year as part of the full roster, Ngatai appear in only three games, scoring a total of two points, while New Zealand finished in fifth place (14–14).

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 finished the regular season 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.

This season, Ngatai become a regular part of the Breakers rotation, managing career highs in minutes and games played during one season, averaging 2.8 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.3 assists across 17 games.

2018/19
In 2018, a new regime was brought about at the Breakers organisation. In February, a consortium headed by former NBA player Matt Walsh became the majority shareholders via a newly formed company called Breakers Basketball Ltd, thus ending the 13-year Liz and Paul Blackwell ownership team.

Next came the exodus of four of the franchise’s most long-serving figures during the off-season. Paul Henare’s 15 years as player and coach came to an end, New Zealand’s all-time leading scorer Kirk Penney retired, and Alex Pledger (to Melbourne), Mika Vukona (to Brisbane), and Robert Loe (to Cairns) all signed deals elsewhere.

Thomas Abercrombie would step into the role of captain with Vukona’s exit, and former player Kevin Braswell signed up to be the team’s new head coach. Braswell was tasked with remaking the Breakers squad, which included bringing back Tai Wesley (via Melbourne) and Corey Webster (via Europe) on a three-year deal. Jarrad Weeks (via Cairns) and Majok Majok (via Melbourne) were also added to the local roster, while Patrick Richard, Armani Moore, and Shawn Long signed as import players.

Jordan Ngatai remained with New Zealand after being elevated from development player to the full-time roster two seasons earlier. He entered his fifth season with the Breakers after being part of New Zealand’s bronze medal-winning team at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. During the preseason, the Breakers travelled to the United States to face the Phoenix Suns, where Ngatai (0 points and 1 rebound) played four minutes as New Zealand pushed the NBA side before falling 91-86 behind Webster (27 points and 7 assists) and Wesley (15 points and 7 rebounds), while Deandre Ayton (21 points and 15 rebounds) led Phoenix.

Ngatai (1.1 points across 15 games) saw his role decrease after receiving more opportunities the previous season. He averaged less than four minutes when used and did not suffer a documented injury during the season, with his limited appearances resulting from his place deep in Braswell’s rotation.

One of his better opportunities came against Perth on November 25, where Ngatai (3 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal) played eight minutes and made his only field-goal attempt, a three-pointer, but New Zealand fell 91-86. Wesley (16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks) and Moore (16 points) led the Breakers, while Nick Kay (22 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists) led Perth.

Ngatai (2 points and 1 rebound) played three minutes against Melbourne on February 1 and made one of his two field-goal attempts, but United defeated New Zealand 107-87 behind Chris Goulding (24 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block), while Moore (17 points) and Long (15 points and 5 rebounds) led the Breakers.

Ngatai’s best game of the season came against Illawarra in Wellington on February 14, where Ngatai (10 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist) played a season-high 14 minutes, made 5-of-5 from the free-throw line and helped New Zealand record the highest score in a 40-minute NBL game at the time with a 130-96 victory. Long (21 points and 8 rebounds) and Weeks (19 points) led the Breakers, while Daniel Grida (17 points) was Illawarra’s leading scorer.

Long (18.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks) led New Zealand in scoring and earned All-NBL Second Team honours and the Breakers Club MVP award, while Wesley (14.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists), Richard (11 points and 3.6 rebounds), Webster (10.4 points), Weeks (10.1 points), Abercrombie (8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds), Delany (8 points), Ili (7.9 points), and Moore (7.1 points and 4.3 rebounds) were the team’s other key contributors. Weeks finished runner-up for both Best Sixth Man and Most Improved Player.

Ngatai did not exit the Breakers following the season and remained with New Zealand for 2019/20. He would eventually leave the club after six seasons when Ngatai (to Cairns) signed with the Taipans in 2020 seeking greater playing opportunities.

Ngatai did not play when New Zealand closed the season in Brisbane on February 16, where Long (23 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks) and Wesley (17 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists) led the Breakers, while Lamar Patterson (23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists) carried Brisbane to an 84-78 victory that secured the Bullets’ first playoff appearance since 2008 as New Zealand finished sixth with a 12-16 record.

2019/20
New Zealand entered the 2019/20 season under new coach and Director of Basketball Dan Shamir after finishing sixth at 12-16 the previous year. Shea Ili (to Melbourne), Shawn Long (to Melbourne) and Tai Wesley (to South East Melbourne) were among those who departed, while Jordan Ngatai returned for his sixth season with the Breakers, having originally joined the club as a development player in 2014 before being elevated to the full-time roster in 2016.

His first appearance came against Illawarra on October 24, where the reserve forward (0 points and 1 rebound) played three minutes in New Zealand’s 103-72 victory at Spark Arena. Henry (21 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals) and Hopson (17 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists) led the Breakers, while Brooks (19 points) was Illawarra’s leading scorer.

Ngatai (1.2 points across 22 games) remained in a limited role under Shamir and no injury was reported during the season, with six games in which he did not appear.

Ngatai’s season-high scoring performance came against Adelaide on January 31, where Ngatai (8 points, 1 rebound, and 2 steals) made three of his four shots and produced a steal before a powerful dunk as New Zealand defeated the 36ers 113-89 at Spark Arena. Abercrombie (31 points and 3 assists) made seven three-pointers and Delany (21 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks) recorded a double-double, while Daniel Johnson (24 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists) led Adelaide. The win was New Zealand’s eighth in 11 games and kept its playoff hopes alive.

Hopson (18.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists across 21 games), Henry (13.2 points and 3.4 assists across 26 games), Abercrombie (11.8 points and 4.3 rebounds across 28 games), Delany (11.8 points and 5.7 rebounds across 20 games), Ashley (10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds across 28 games), Loe (9.3 points and 4 rebounds across 20 games), Hampton (8.8 points and 3.8 rebounds across 15 games), Weeks (5.6 points across 25 games), Webster (19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists across 11 games) and Rice Jr (25 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals across 3 games) were New Zealand’s major contributors. After falling to 4-10, the Breakers won 11 of their final 14 games.

Ngatai’s best game came in New Zealand’s final regular-season game against South East Melbourne in Christchurch on February 14, where Ngatai (5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 3 blocks) played 13 minutes in a 92-83 victory. Hopson (23 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals) and Abercrombie (18 points and 5 rebounds) led New Zealand, while John Roberson (15 points and 8 assists) led the Phoenix. The game proved to be Ngatai’s final appearance for the Breakers before he left the club after six seasons (to Cairns) on a two-year deal, with New Zealand finishing sixth at 15-13 and missing the playoffs on points percentage.

CAIRNS TAIPANS
2020/21
After finishing third with a 16-12 record and falling one win short of the Grand Final the previous season, Cairns entered NBL21 looking to build on its breakthrough year under coach Mike Kelly. The NBL reducing the import limit from three to two saw DJ Newbill depart (to Japan), while Scott Machado and Cameron Oliver returned and Nathan Jawai re-signed on a two-year deal. NBA prospect Mojave King was also added through the Next Stars program.

After six seasons with the New Zealand Breakers, Jordan Ngatai signed with Cairns on a two-year deal, with the second season a club option, giving him his first NBL contract outside New Zealand and an opportunity to earn a larger role. Ngatai had spent the offseason helping the Otago Nuggets win the 2020 NZNBL championship before joining Cairns. “Jordan is a talented, tough, team-first player. He’s got an ability to shoot the three, attack the rim with ferocity and defend multiple positions,” said Kelly.

Cairns opened the season against Sydney at the Cairns Pop-Up Arena on January 16, where Ngatai (1 point) came from the bench as the Taipans recovered from six points down entering the fourth quarter to win 87-86. Machado (17 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1 steal) and Mirko Djeric (15 points and 4 rebounds) led Cairns, while Casper Ware (18 points) was Sydney’s leading scorer.

Ngatai (6.7 points across 36 games) went on to produce the best NBL season of his career, starting 23 games and making a career-high 59 three-pointers. After playing limited minutes early in the season, Ngatai made his first start against his former team when Djeric was sidelined with a hamstring injury, while the season-ending injury suffered by Kouat Noi later opened additional minutes and a larger role. Ngatai appeared in all 36 games and did not miss a game through injury.

Ngatai first reached his season-high against Illawarra in the opening game of the NBL Cup at John Cain Arena on February 20, making five three-pointers and finishing with 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal. Machado (31 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) and Djeric (16 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists) provided support, while Tyler Harvey (24 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals) led Illawarra. Cairns recovered from 12 points down midway through the third quarter and outscored the Hawks 56-38 across the final 15 minutes to win 101-95.

Ngatai’s best game of the season came against Melbourne United at John Cain Arena on April 2, where he matched his season-high with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block while making four of his six three-point attempts. Oliver (19 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, and 1 block) led Cairns and Jawai (13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) provided support, while Jock Landale (20 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists) led Melbourne to a 95-85 win. With Noi and Majok Deng both sidelined, Ngatai’s increased role saw him produce the best stretch of basketball of his NBL career.

Cairns’ season was heavily disrupted by injuries and departures. Oliver (17.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks) led the team in scoring and rebounding before being waived on compassionate grounds after 24 games when complications with his wife’s pregnancy required him to return to the United States, with Venky Jois (6.4 points and 5.1 rebounds, via Pirot) signed as his replacement. Machado (15.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 7 assists) missed only one game after suffering a heavy cork above his knee, while Deng (12 points and 4.5 rebounds) missed 16 games after suffering a partial tear of his left MCL and Noi (10.1 points and 4.4 rebounds) missed the final 18 games after suffering a PCL tear. Tad Dufelmeier Jr (6 points) was elevated from training player as an injury replacement and Hyrum Harris (via Illawarra) was later added as a nominated injury replacement.

Djeric (8.6 points) made a career-high 66 three-pointers, Jawai (8.3 points and 3.8 rebounds) played all 36 games and recorded four 20-point games for the first time since his rookie NBL season, while King (6.2 points) and Fabijan Krslovic (5.1 points and 3.4 rebounds) were also regular contributors.

Cairns closed its season against New Zealand at the Energy Events Centre in Rotorua on June 2, where Ngatai (6 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal) hobbled from the court with a suspected leg injury during the final minutes. Machado (21 points, 4 rebounds, 11 assists, and 1 steal) and Jawai (14 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) led Cairns, while Tai Webster (23 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) led New Zealand to an 84-78 win as the Taipans finished ninth with an 8-28 record.

2021/22
After finishing ninth with an 8-28 record and missing the playoffs, Cairns replaced Mike Kelly with former Sydney coach Adam Forde and lost leading scorer Cameron Oliver (to Houston), Fabijan Krslovic (to Tasmania) and Mojave King (to Adelaide). Forde retained captain Scott Machado, Majok Deng, Kouat Noi, Nathan Jawai, Mirko Djeric and Jarrod Kenny, while adding Tahjere McCall (via Orléans), Stephen Zimmerman (via Nymburk), Keanu Pinder (via Adelaide) and rookie Bul Kuol (via Detroit Mercy).

Cairns exercised the club option on the second season of Jordan Ngatai’s two-year deal, keeping him with the Taipans after he had joined from New Zealand in search of a larger role.

A right-foot injury suffered at training two days before the season opener kept him in Cairns while the Taipans travelled to Perth. After Cairns lost 90-67, Ngatai (3 points across 23 games) returned to the active roster for the December 11 home opener but remained unused against Tasmania and Adelaide before first taking the court on December 31. He later remained an unused substitute against Brisbane on February 24 and Sydney on March 13, with no further injury announced, meaning the right-foot injury accounted for one of the five games in which he did not play and the other four were spent on the bench. Ngatai made four starts during February but otherwise worked from the bench.

Ngatai’s best scoring game came at the Cairns Convention Centre on January 29, where he finished with 12 points and 1 steal as Illawarra defeated Cairns 94-75. McCall (19 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 blocks) and Pinder (15 points, 12 rebounds, and 1 block) led the Taipans, while Harvey (24 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal) was Illawarra’s leading scorer.

Ngatai’s best game came at the Cairns Convention Centre on February 14, where he made two three-pointers and finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Deng (21 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Pinder (16 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block) supported him, but Wetzell (23 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 steals, and 1 block) led New Zealand to an 84-83 win.

Marshall Nelson (via Perth Redbacks) was added as an injury replacement for Machado in December and released in March, while unpaid training player Ben Ayre was elevated to the active roster in April as Cairns continued to manage injuries throughout the roster.

Cairns never fielded its full-strength roster, with McCall (16.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2 steals across 22 games) leading the team in scoring, assists and steals and sharing the club MVP award with Machado (10.2 points, 3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists across 18 games). Deng (14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds across 28 games) finished second in scoring, while Zimmerman (11.4 points and 9.6 rebounds across 16 games) led Cairns in rebounding before a right-knee injury ended his season. Pinder (10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds across 28 games) was named the NBL’s Most Improved Player, Kuol (10.4 points and 2.7 rebounds across 28 games) made an Australian rookie-record 64 three-pointers and was named Rookie of the Year, while Noi (8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds across 16 games), Ayre (6.6 points and 3.8 assists across 8 games) and Jawai (5.9 points and 2.7 rebounds across 19 games) were the other main contributors.

After two seasons with Cairns, Ngatai (to Wellington) was not offered another contract and returned to the Saints, making 2021/22 his final NBL season.

Ngatai’s final NBL appearance came at the Cairns Convention Centre on April 23, where he finished with 2 points and 1 rebound as McCall (42 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block) and Deng (30 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) led Cairns to a 112-98 win over Brisbane, while Franks (30 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) led the Bullets. The victory completed Cairns’ first 4-0 Sunshine Stoush sweep, produced the highest team score of NBL22 and saw the Taipans finish ninth with a 9-19 record.

Jordan Ngatai played eight seasons in the NBL, playing for both the New Zealand Breakers and the Cairns Taipans. He averaged 3.1 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 124 NBL games.