BIO: Mojave King was born in Dunedin (New Zealand). King received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 2019. He spent one year there and played for the program’s state league team.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Mojave King made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans at 18 years of age. He scored seven points in his first game.

Mojave King entered the NBL as part of the league’s Next Stars program, signing with the Cairns Taipans to develop his NBA draft prospects. By joining the NBL, King turned down offers from several top NCAA Division I programs, including Arizona, Baylor, Oregon, and Virginia. In his rookie season, King showed flashes of his potential, averaging 6.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists. However, the Taipans struggled throughout the season, finishing in ninth place with an 8-28 record. Despite the team’s poor performance, King gained valuable experience as he transitioned to professional basketball.

CAIRNS TAIPANS
2021/22
After a frustrating season in Cairns, where he felt his playing time was limited and hindered his NBA aspirations, Mojave King moved to the Adelaide 36ers for the 2021/22 season. King joined a 36ers team in flux, with new additions like Mitch McCarron, Kai Sotto, and Hyrum Harris, as well as imports Dusty Hannahs and Todd Withers. Despite the team’s promise, Adelaide struggled early, going winless in the first round before bouncing back in round two. King saw limited opportunities throughout the season, averaging 3.7 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. Injuries to key players like Isaac Humphries and Cam Bairstow further hampered Adelaide’s playoff hopes, with the team finishing in seventh place with a 10-18 record. Though it was a challenging year for King, it marked another step in his professional development.

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS
2024/25
New Zealand reshaped its roster after Anthony Lamb (to Trento), William McDowell-White (to Berlin), Izayah Le’Afa (to Sydney), Justinian Jessup (to Ulm), Finn Delany (to Shizuoka), Mantas Rubstavicius (to Panevezys), Zylan Cheatham (to Nagoya), Mangok Mathiang (to Ningbo), Dan Fotu and Dom Kelman-Poto exited the team, while Thomas Abercrombie and Cameron Gliddon retired. Parker Jackson-Cartwright was the only returning scorer above four points per game, with Max Darling, Dane Pineau, Carlin Davison and Alex McNaught also retained.

Head coach Mody Maor (to Nagasaki) was replaced by Petteri Koponen (via Helsinki), while the rebuilt roster added Mojave King (via Indiana), Matt Mooney (via Trento), Sam Mennenga (via Cairns), Mitch McCarron (via Adelaide), Jonah Bolden (via Sydney), Sean Bairstow (via Richmond), Grant Anticevich (via Gottingen), Freddie Gillespie (via Belgrade), Karim Lopez (via Badalona) and Kaia Isaac (via Canterbury).

The Breakers opened the season at HoopsFest with a 91-87 win over Brisbane, where the new NBA draftee (12 points, 1 assist, and 2 steals) shot 5-of-7 from the field and 2-of-2 from three, scoring on the half-time buzzer as New Zealand built a 26-point lead before holding off Keandre Cook (25 points) and the Bullets.

King (8.5 points across 17 games) made seven starts during his return to the NBL, providing athletic scoring from the wing and taking many of New Zealand’s toughest defensive assignments during an injury-interrupted campaign.

After New Zealand opened the season 2-0, King joined the Breakers for three NBLxNBA games in the United States. King (11 points) contributed against Utah before scoring 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists against Philadelphia and 16 points against Oklahoma City, combining with Mooney to make seven first-half three-pointers as New Zealand entered half-time level with the Thunder.

A quad complaint sidelined King after his first four regular-season appearances, with the Breakers reaching the FIBA break at 7-3 while he remained unavailable. During the break, Gillespie (6.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks across 9 games) was released (to Milan) and Tacko Fall (via Nanjing) joined as his replacement.

King (11 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal) returned against Illawarra on 28 November, but Lachlan Olbrich (21 points) led the Hawks to a 109-71 win that began an eight-game losing streak for New Zealand.

The slide reached eight games on Christmas Day when Tasmania defeated New Zealand 97-82, despite King (12 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) delivering one of his strongest all-around performances of the season, while Jordon Crawford (26 points and 4 assists) and Majok Deng (20 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks) led the JackJumpers.

New Zealand finally returned to the winner’s list with a 92-68 road victory over Cairns on New Year’s Eve, where King (6 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) contributed at both ends of the floor while Tanner Groves (21 points and 8 rebounds) led the Taipans.

Five days later, King (5 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists) suffered a calf strain during a 96-86 loss to Perth, ruling him out for four weeks as injuries again interrupted his momentum.

King returned against Brisbane on 24 January before producing his best game of the season two days later in Adelaide. King (20 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) shot 7-of-12 from the field and made 5-of-8 three-pointers, but Montrezl Harrell (26 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks) and Kendric Davis (23 points, 5 rebounds, 13 assists, and 2 steals) led the 36ers to a 94-78 win that officially eliminated New Zealand from postseason contention.

King (16 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks) remained in strong form against Cairns in New Zealand’s final victory, shooting 6-of-11 from the field as the Breakers defeated the Taipans 99-92, while Sam Waardenburg (16 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Pedro Bradshaw (16 points and 3 steals) led Cairns.

Jackson-Cartwright (18.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.6 steals across 21 games) and Mooney (16.1 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals across 29 games) remained New Zealand’s leading offensive players, while Mennenga (11.7 points and 5.3 rebounds across 29 games), Fall (11.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks across 18 games) and Lopez (9.6 points and 4.7 rebounds across 25 games) provided the other main contributions.

Jackson-Cartwright won the Breakers’ MVP and Members Choice awards, Mennenga’s career-high performance against Tasmania was voted the Fans’ Moment of the Year and King was named the club’s Defensive Player of the Year after taking on the team’s most difficult perimeter matchups.

The Breakers finished ninth with a 10-19 record and missed the postseason.

New Zealand closed the season with an 82-96 home loss to Illawarra, where King (7 points and 1 steal) played 21 minutes, Fall (16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks) led the Breakers and Tyler Harvey (29 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists) led the Hawks.

CAIRNS TAIPANS
2025/26
Mojave King has joined the Cairns Taipans as an injury replacement while Alex Higgins-Titsha recovers from a hand injury

CAIRNS TAIPANS
2025/26
After finishing last with an 8-21 record, Cairns returned with Adam Forde as head coach and rebuilt the roster after Rob Edwards, Tanner Groves, Pedro Bradshaw and Jonah Antonio exited. Jack McVeigh (via Houston), Admiral Schofield (via Lyon), Reyne Smith (via Louisville), Marcus Lee (via Melbourne) and Mawot Mag (via Provo) joined captain Sam Waardenburg, Alex Higgins-Titsha, Kyrin Galloway, Kyle Adnam and Kody Stattmann, while Ashton Hagans (via Xinjiang) was released before the season and replaced by Andrew Andrews (via Vilnius).

Cairns started 2-7 as injuries quickly hit the roster, with Waardenburg sidelined by an ankle injury, McVeigh suffering a wrist injury and Higgins-Titsha requiring surgery on his left wrist. Mojave King returned to Cairns (via New Zealand) on October 29 as Higgins-Titsha’s injury replacement for the remainder of the season.

King (2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) made his second Taipans debut the next night in Brisbane, playing eight minutes as Cairns lost 113-85, with Jack McVeigh (23 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) and Andrew Andrews (11 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, and 1 steal) leading the Taipans while Casey Prather (21 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) was Brisbane’s best.

King (11.2 points and 4.4 rebounds across 22 games) made 20 starts and produced career-best numbers during his return to Far North Queensland, providing athletic scoring from the wing while taking on a larger role within an injury-hit rotation.

His best game came against reigning champion Illawarra on November 7, where King (32 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists) shot 13-of-16 from the field and 6-of-8 from three for the best scoring game of his NBL career, but the Hawks defeated Cairns 107-90, with Jack McVeigh (13 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists) and Admiral Schofield (11 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists) providing support while Will Hickey (19 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists, and 3 blocks) controlled the game for Illawarra.

A glute strain forced King out of the December 13 loss to Tasmania, but he returned to the starting lineup and remained in the rotation for the rest of the season.

King (13 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block) produced his best rebounding game in Brisbane on February 8, helping Cairns defeat the Bullets 81-72 behind Jack McVeigh (22 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block) and Andrew Andrews (12 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, and 1 steal), while Terry Taylor (25 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block) led Brisbane.

Jack McVeigh (21.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4 assists across 29 games) led the Taipans in scoring, won the club MVP and Members’ Choice awards and earned All-NBL Second Team honours, while Andrew Andrews (14.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 7.6 assists across 31 games) directed the offence and was named Players’ Player. Sam Waardenburg (15.5 points and 5.4 rebounds across 8 games) was productive when available, with Reyne Smith (9.9 points across 14 games), Admiral Schofield (8.8 points and 4.3 rebounds across 30 games), Kyrin Galloway (7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds across 33 games), Marcus Lee (6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds across 33 games), Kody Stattmann (6.6 points across 23 games) and Alex Higgins-Titsha (6.3 points and 4.6 rebounds across 9 games) providing the other main contributions. Galloway was named Defensive Player of the Year, Lachlan Barker (4.5 points across 26 games) received the Coaches Award and Jed Richardson (0 points across 2 games) received the Commitment to Community award.

Cairns finished ninth at 9-24 and missed the postseason. King did not play in the final game at Eventfinda Stadium on February 19 as Andrew Andrews (24 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal) and Kody Stattmann (20 points and 5 rebounds) led the Taipans, while Sam Mennenga (32 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists) led New Zealand to a 115-84 win.Mojave King currently plays for the Cairns Taipans and has played 95 games in his NBL career. He has averaged 7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists since entering the league in 2021.