Sam Mennenga
- Nationality: NZL
- Date of Birth: 12/12/01
- Place of Birth: Auckland (New Zealand)
- Position: CTR
- Height (CM): 206
- Weight (KG): 109
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Davidson (2020–2023)
- NBL DEBUT: 30/09/23
- AGE AT DEBUT: 21
- LAST NBL GAME: 5/02/25
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 23
- NBL History: Cairns 2024 | New Zealand 2025-26
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Sam Mennenga was born in Auckland (New Zealand).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Sam Mennenga made his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans at 21 years of age. He scored 17 points in his first game.
Signed a two-year deal with the Cairns Taipans in April 2023.
Sam Mennenga currently plays for the New Zealand Breakers and has played 84 games in his NBL career. He has averaged 12.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists since entering the league in 2023.
CURRENT CONTRACT:
New Zealand Breakers – 2 Year Deal (2026-28)
HIGHLIGHTS:
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 24 | New Zealand | 13-20 (7) | 28 | 227.9 | 498 | 190 | 48 | 126 | 64 | 17 | 12 | 35 | 55 | 191 | 362 | 53% | 23 | 92 | 25% | 93 | 135 | 69% | 58% | 56% | 32 |
| 2024-25 | 23 | New Zealand | 10-19 (9) | 29 | 599.5 | 338 | 155 | 30 | 110 | 45 | 8 | 8 | 45 | 51 | 134 | 267 | 50% | 24 | 82 | 29% | 46 | 71 | 65% | 56% | 55% | 29 |
| 2023-24 | 22 | Cairns | 12-16 (8) | 27 | 459.4 | 185 | 106 | 19 | 26 | 80 | 10 | 1 | 12 | 38 | 66 | 141 | 47% | 24 | 69 | 35% | 29 | 46 | 63% | 57% | 55% | 22 | Totals | 84 | 1287 | 1021 | 451 | 97 | 262 | 189 | 35 | 21 | 92 | 144 | 391 | 770 | 50.8% | 71 | 243 | 29.2% | 168 | 252 | 66.7% | 58% | 55% | 29 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 24 | New Zealand | 13-20 (7) | 28 | 8.1 | 17.8 | 6.8 | 1.7 | 4.5 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 6.8 | 12.9 | 53% | 0.8 | 3.3 | 25% | 3.3 | 4.8 | 69% | 58% | 56% | 32 |
| 2024-25 | 23 | New Zealand | 10-19 (9) | 29 | 20.7 | 11.7 | 5.3 | 1.0 | 3.8 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 4.6 | 9.2 | 50% | 0.8 | 2.8 | 29% | 1.6 | 2.4 | 65% | 56% | 55% | 29 |
| 2023-24 | 22 | Cairns | 12-16 (8) | 27 | 17.0 | 6.9 | 3.9 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 5.2 | 47% | 0.9 | 2.6 | 35% | 1.1 | 1.7 | 63% | 57% | 55% | 22 | Total | 84 | 15.3 | 12.2 | 5.4 | 1.2 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 4.7 | 9.2 | 50.8% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 29.2% | 0.8 | 2.9 | 66.7% | 58% | 55% | 29 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 29 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
|---|
FIBA EXPERIENCE
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Puerto Rico - Atléticos de San Germán (2025) | China - Xinjiang (2026)
Sam Mennenga joined Atléticos de San Germán for the 2025 Baloncesto Superior Nacional season, playing his first season in Puerto Rico.
During the 2025 BSN campaign, Mennenga appeared in 30 games for San Germán and averaged 14.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game, along with 0.6 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.
One of Mennenga’s top performances came in a 106–96 defeat to the Indios de Mayagüez, when he finished with 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 11-for-14 from the field (78%). The Indios roster for that game featured NBL trio Milton Doyle, Tyrell Harrison and Sam Mennenga.
Mennenga spent the 2026 off-season playing for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association.
COLLEGE
Sam Mennenga played college basketball at Davidson College during the 2020–21 season, where he competed from 2020–21 through 2022–23.
Mennenga debuted for Davidson in 2020–21 and appeared in 21 games with 20 starts, totaling 126 points (6.0 points per game) while shooting 49-for-130 from the field (37.7%), 12-for-53 from three (22.6%), and 16-for-31 at the line (51.6%).
In that 2020–21 season, he recorded 104 total rebounds (5.0 per game) with 26 offensive rebounds and 78 defensive rebounds, plus 36 assists, 22 steals, and 9 blocks, and he earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honours on November 30, 2020. Davidson finished the 2020–21 season 13–9 overall (7–4 in Atlantic 10 play), scoring 71.8 points per game while allowing 64.1 points per game.
As a sophomore in 2021–22, Mennenga played 34 games with 33 starts and produced 284 points (8.4 points per game) on 110-for-212 shooting (51.9%), while going 14-for-30 from three (46.7%) and 50-for-80 on free throws (62.5%).
Across those 2021–22 appearances, he totaled 179 rebounds (5.3 per game), 61 assists, 38 steals, and 14 blocks, opened the season with a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double versus Delaware on November 9, 2021, and added another double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds at Fordham on January 22, 2022. He set his season best with 18 points against Richmond in the Atlantic 10 title game on March 13, 2022, shooting 5-for-8 from the floor and going 4-for-4 from three, then closed his season with 15 points and five rebounds versus Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament on March 18, 2022. Davidson went 27–7 overall (15–3 in Atlantic 10 play) and won the Atlantic 10 regular-season title.
In 2022–23, Mennenga started all 32 games and finished with 486 points (15.2 points per game), shooting 183-for-362 from the field (50.6%), 30-for-82 from three (36.6%), and 90-for-146 at the foul line (61.6%).
He totaled 214 rebounds (6.7 per game) with 63 offensive rebounds and 151 defensive rebounds, along with 62 assists, 53 steals, and 14 blocks, served as a team captain, scored 20 points or more eight times, and set a season high with 27 points at La Salle on January 24, 2023 while adding 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks. He was named Third Team All-Atlantic 10 after the season, and Davidson finished 16–16 overall (8–10 in Atlantic 10 play).
AWARDS
- NBL Next Generation Award (2026)
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