Keli Leaupepe
April 23, 2024
Sam Timmins
- Nationality: NZL
- Date of Birth: 23/05/97
- Place of Birth: Dunedin, NZ
- Position: CTR
- Height (CM): 211
- Weight (KG): 120
- Junior Assoc: NZ - Otago
- College: Washington (2016-2020)
- NBL DEBUT: 19/12/21
- AGE AT DEBUT: 24
- LAST NBL GAME: 17/02/24
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 26
- NBL History: New Zealand 2022-23 | Sydney 2024
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Sam Timmins was born in Dunedin, NZ and was following his father’s footsteps as a rugby union player before taking basketball seriously at Middleton Grange High School.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Sam Timmins made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 24 years of age. He scored seven points in his first game.
The New Zealand Breakers entered NBL22 after playing 29 of their 36 games in Australia the previous season and were again unable to stage any home games. Corey Webster (to Egypt) and Tai Webster (to Lithuania) departed, with the Breakers building around William McDowell-White and adding Yanni Wetzell (via South East Melbourne), Peyton Siva (via Berlin), Hugo Besson (via France), Jeremiah Martin (via Cleveland) and Next Star Ousmane Dieng (via France).
Sam Timmins joined New Zealand on a one-year development-player contract with a club option after producing 20.6 points and 14.2 rebounds for the Otago Nuggets during the New Zealand NBL season.
“The Breakers are a New Zealand team playing against Australians, and I’ve always wanted to be part of the organisation,” said Timmins.
Timmins made his NBL debut against Melbourne United at John Cain Arena on December 19 and finished with 7 points and 4 rebounds in 15 minutes. Delany (14 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Wetzell (12 points and 4 rebounds) led New Zealand, while Chris Goulding (21 points) led Melbourne to an 83-60 victory.
Timmins (3.3 points across 15 games) remained a development player and provided frontcourt depth behind Wetzell, Robert Loe and Galloway. He did not suffer a reported injury or illness during the season, with his 13 games outside the playing rotation resulting from his development-player role rather than a medical absence.
His best game came against Illawarra at MyState Bank Arena on March 1, where Wetzell was unavailable with back spasms, Loe was representing the Tall Blacks, McDowell-White was completing concussion protocols and Dieng remained sidelined with a wrist injury. Timmins (9 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals) made four of his eight field-goal attempts as New Zealand lost 102-87, with Besson (20 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Galloway (16 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 block) leading the Breakers, while Jessup (23 points, 3 steals, and 2 blocks) was Illawarra’s best.
Early injuries to Siva and Abercrombie, combined with the club’s COVID-19 outbreak, resulted in Randle (via Orlando) joining as an injury replacement as New Zealand began the season 0-6. Siva (11.8 points, 4.9 assists, and 2 steals) eventually returned, with the Breakers releasing Martin (12.3 points and 3.6 assists) and retaining Randle (7.8 points) for the remainder of the season. Continuing border restrictions also prevented New Zealand from returning to Auckland, leaving the team based primarily in Tasmania.
Wetzell (17.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals) led the Breakers in scoring and rebounding before being released (to Spain) to join Baskonia and was later named club MVP. His departure allowed Timmins to be elevated into Wetzell’s contracted roster position for the remainder of the season. Besson (13.9 points and 3.9 rebounds), Delany (10 points and 5.6 rebounds) and Dieng (8.9 points and 3.2 rebounds) were New Zealand’s other major contributors.
Timmins finished the season against Adelaide at MyState Bank Arena on April 24, recording 6 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal as the Breakers lost 93-60. Randle (14 points, 1 steal, and 1 block) and Bach (14 points and 1 steal) led New Zealand, while Dech (19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals) led Adelaide as the Breakers suffered their tenth consecutive loss and finished tenth with a franchise-worst 5-23 record.
2022/23
After finishing the previous season at the bottom of the ladder with a 5-23 record, New Zealand promoted assistant Mody Maor to replace Dan Shamir as head coach. Yanni Wetzell, Hugo Besson, Peyton Siva (to Illawarra), Finn Delany, Ousmane Dieng and Chasson Randle departed, with Maor adding Tom Vodanovich (via Sydney), Izayah Le’Afa and Cameron Gliddon (both via South East Melbourne), imports Dererk Pardon, Jarrell Brantley and Barry Brown Jr and French Next Star Rayan Rupert.
Sam Timmins re-signed and returned as a development player, providing additional frontcourt depth behind Pardon and Robert Loe.
Timmins (11 games) remained outside New Zealand’s main rotation, appearing in eight regular-season games and three postseason games while making all six of his field-goal attempts.
His best game came against Brisbane at Spark Arena on November 27, where Timmins (4 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 block) made both of his field-goal attempts during 12 minutes as New Zealand defeated the Bullets 116-79. Brantley (29 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) and Le’Afa (21 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals) led the Breakers, while Tanner Krebs (19 points) was Brisbane’s leading scorer.
Timmins (3 points and 1 rebound) also appeared during the semifinal opener against Tasmania at Spark Arena, where Pardon (15 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks) and William McDowell-White (13 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists) led New Zealand to an 88-68 victory, while Rashard Kelly (12 points and 4 rebounds) was Tasmania’s leading scorer.
Game two of the Championship Series moved to Spark Arena, where Timmins (0 points and 1 steal) played the final 32 seconds as Brown Jr (21 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Brantley (20 points and 6 rebounds) led New Zealand, but Kouat Noi (20 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Dejan Vasiljevic (16 points and 4 rebounds) carried Sydney to an 81-74 victory.
Timmins’ final appearance came in game three at Qudos Bank Arena, where Timmins (0 points and 1 block) played two minutes as Sydney defeated New Zealand 91-68 behind Vasiljevic (15 points and 4 rebounds), Tim Soares (14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks) and Derrick Walton Jr (12 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists), while McDowell-White (11 points and 6 rebounds) led the Breakers before Sydney won the series in five games.
SYDNEY KINGS
2023/24
Timmins joined the back-to-back champion Kings (via New Zealand) on a one-year deal as Sydney’s 13th rostered player, providing frontcourt depth behind Jordan Hunter and Jonah Bolden. A calf strain suffered before the NBL Blitz delayed the start of his season and kept him out of the opening rounds.
“Anytime an organisation has won back-to-back championships, you know as a player you’re joining a club that approaches things the right way, which is really exciting,” Timmins said.
Timmins’ best game came against his former team New Zealand on January 14, where Timmins (0 points and 1 assist) played just over a minute as Sydney won 105-76 behind Adams (39 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Valentine (23 points and 5 assists), while Izayah Le’Afa (15 points) led the Breakers.
Timmins (0 points across 3 games) saw only brief court time after returning from injury and did not take the court when Sydney’s season ended with an 83-76 Play-In Qualifier loss to New Zealand.
Sam Timmins played three seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Sydney Kings and the New Zealand Breakers. He averaged 2.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.2 assists in 29 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 27 | Sydney | 13-15 (5) | 3 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 |
| 2022-23 | 25 | New Zealand | 18-10 (2) | 11 | 35 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 100% | 0 | 0 | 0% | 3 | 9 | 33% | 73% | 0% | 4 |
| 2021-22 | 25 | New Zealand | 5-23 (10) | 15 | 127 | 49 | 34 | 4 | 14 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 19 | 21 | 40 | 53% | 0 | 1 | 0% | 21 | 39 | 54% | 42% | 53% | 9 | Totals | 29 | 168 | 64 | 44 | 7 | 18 | 26 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 31 | 27 | 48 | 56.3% | 0 | 1 | 0.0% | 24 | 48 | 50.0% | 46% | 56% | 9 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 27 | Sydney | 13-15 (5) | 3 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0 |
| 2022-23 | 25 | New Zealand | 18-10 (2) | 11 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 100% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0% | 0.3 | 0.8 | 33% | 73% | 0% | 4 |
| 2021-22 | 25 | New Zealand | 5-23 (10) | 15 | 8.4 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 53% | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0% | 1.4 | 2.6 | 54% | 42% | 53% | 9 | Total | 29 | 5.8 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 56.3% | 0.0 | 0.0% | 0.0 | 50.0% | 46% | 56% | 9 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 9 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
|---|
FIBA EXPERIENCE
Timmins was a member of the New Zealand national team that finished in fourth place at the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon.
In 2022, Timmins played for New Zealand during the FIBA World Cup Qualifying window and with the bronze medal winning Tall-Blacks side that competed at the FIBA Asia Cup in Indonesia.
Sam Timmins (3.6 points and 5.4 rebounds across five games) played for New Zealand during the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers through Window 4. Timmins recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds against Guam on July 6, then appeared in both Second Round wins in the Philippines, finishing with 3 rebounds against Iran and 3 points with 6 rebounds against Syria.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- New Zealand - Otago Nuggets (2013), Canterbury Rams (2015), Franklin Bulls (2020, 2024), Otago Nuggets (2021–2023), Southland Sharks (2025–2026) | Estonia - Tallinna Kalev/TLÜ (2020–2021) | Japan - Tryhoop Okayama (2024–2025) | Hong Kong - Chun Lung (2025–2026)
Timmins joined the Otago Nuggets for the 2013 New Zealand NBL season, making his league debut at age 15 and becoming the youngest debutant in Nuggets history.
Sam Timmins debuted in New Zealand’s National Basketball League with the Canterbury Rams in 2015, averaging 5.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.2 assists across 16 games, including a 20-point, nine-rebound performance in his first Rams appearance.
Timmins returned to the New Zealand league in 2020 with the Franklin Bulls during the shortened season, averaging 10.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists across 15 games, while also averaging 1.6 blocks per game.
He signed with Franklin on March 18, 2020, scored 24 points with 12 rebounds in a win over Otago on July 2, and finished the season as the league leader in blocked shots at 1.9 per game.
In December 2020, Timmins signed in Estonia with Tallinna Kalev/TLÜ for the remainder of the season.
He played six games for Tallinna Kalev/TLÜ in the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League and averaged 10.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.2 blocks per game.
Timmins signed with the Otago Nuggets for the 2021 New Zealand season and produced 19.2 points, 13.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game across 17 games, highlighted by 29 points and 25 rebounds against the Manawatu Jets and an 18-point, 18-rebound, 10-assist triple-double against the Canterbury Rams.
His 2021 season was recognised with the league’s Most Improved Player award, the Commissioner’s Cup as Most Outstanding Forward/Centre, the Stan Hill Trophy as Most Outstanding New Zealand Forward/Centre, selection in the All Star Five, and the rebounds-per-game title at 13.9 per game.
In 2022, Timmins was part of Otago’s championship-winning team and averaged 16.8 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists across 17 games as the Nuggets won the title with an 81–73 grand final victory over the Auckland Tuatara.
He returned to Otago again in 2023 and averaged 15.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists across 16 games, while adding 1.4 blocks per game.
Timmins remained with Otago in 2023 and averaged 15.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists across 16 games.
In 2024, he returned to the Franklin Bulls and averaged 15.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 blocks per game.
That 2024 Franklin season also saw him lead the league in blocked shots for a second time, and on July 13 he recorded 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in a win over Otago.
On June 24, 2024, Timmins signed in Japan with Tryhoop Okayama for the 2024–25 season.
He was listed by Tryhoop Okayama on the club’s 2024–25 B3 League roster as a 211-centimetre forward-centre for his first season in Japan.
On January 21, 2025, the Southland Sharks announced Timmins signing for the 2025 Sals NZNBL season under new head coach Jonathan Yim, with the centre due to join after completing his Japanese season with Tryhoop Okayama.
The move brought Timmins back to Invercargill, where he attended Salford Primary School while his father Brendon played rugby for the Southland Stags between 2000 and 2003.
Timmins joined the Sharks midway through the 2025 NZNBL campaign, averaging 14.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.
In October 2025, Timmins joined Hong Kong club Chun Lung before re-signing with Southland for the 2026 campaign.
The Sharks confirmed his 2026 return on January 15, 2026 while he was playing for Chun Lung, with coach Yim citing Timmins influence following his mid-season arrival the previous year.
COLLEGE
Sam Timmins played four seasons for the Washington Huskies from 2016–17 to 2019–20, appearing in 132 games with 61 starts and finishing his career with 376 points, 398 rebounds, and 89 blocks while shooting 56.3% from the field across 1,681 minutes.
Timmins arrived in Seattle early, joining the program in December 2015 and practicing and travelling with the team through the remainder of the 2015–16 season before officially beginning his on-court career the next year.
As a freshman in 2016–17, he played 31 games with 18 starts and averaged 3.2 points and 3.8 rebounds while adding 20 blocks, with his best rebounding nights including 12 boards at No. 3 UCLA and another 12-rebound game against Western Kentucky, plus an 11-point, six-rebound outing at No. 7 Arizona in just his fifth game as a Husky.
He stepped into a full-time starting role as a sophomore in 2017–18, starting all 34 games and posting 4.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, highlighted by a career-high 13 points against Kennesaw State and a string of efficient scoring games that included 10 points on perfect shooting (5-of-5) at USC.
Timmins’ role shifted over his final two seasons, playing all 36 games as a junior in 2018–19 while shooting 62.0% from the field and recording a season-high nine points versus UCLA, then closing his Washington career in 2019–20 by appearing in 31 games and shooting 62.5% from the floor, with a season-high 11 points and six rebounds against Eastern Washington and a perfect-shooting nine-point night (3-of-3) against California.
AWARDS
- NZNBL Most Outstanding NZ Forward/Centre (2021)
- NZNBL Most Improved Player (2021)
- NZNBL Rebound Champion (2021)
- NZNBL All-Star Five (2021)
- NZNBL champion, Otago Nuggets (2022)
Related
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