BIO: Vodanovich was born in Wellington and attended St Patrick’s College. In 2012, he made his debut in the New Zealand NBL when he played 37 seconds for the Wellington Saints against the Southland Sharks on 22 March.

In January 2013, Vodanovich moved to the United States to attend prep school at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. He played for the basketball programme through to the spring break and averaged 18.5 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks per game.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Tom Vodanovich made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 24 years of age. He scored three points in his first game.

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 young talent 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 Tall Blacks star Corey Webster (via Europe) on a three-year deal. Jarrad Weeks (via Cairns) and Majok Majok (via Melbourne) were later added to finalize the team’s local roster, while Patrick Richard, Armani Moore, and Shawn Long signed as import players.

In August 2018, Tom Vodanovich joined the New Zealand Breakers as a development player for the 2018/19 NBL season. He appeared in only one game during his debut NBL season, playing against Cairns on November 18, 2018. Although he did not record any stats in that game, his presence on the team and dedication in training sessions contributed to the overall development of the squad.

In January, New Zealand (8-12) fell to the bottom of the ladder following three consecutive losses, including one to last-placed Cairns. Despite their efforts to regain form, the Breakers ended their season with a 12-16 record, finishing in sixth place and missing the playoffs.

2019/20
In July 2019, Vodanovich signed a one-year deal with the Breakers to join the full-time squad for the 2019/20 NBL season. He appeared in 23 games and averaged 2.0 points and 1.2 rebounds per game, while the Breakers finished in sixth place (15-13).

SYDNEY KINGS
2020/21
Sydney faced a major roster turnover after finishing runners-up to Perth in a Covid induced conclusion to the 2020 Grand Final. The team looked to recover from the loss of both All-NBL First Team forward Jae’Sean Tate and head coach Will Weaver, who both inked contracts with the NBA’s Houston Rockets while veterans Kevin Lisch, Andrew Bogut and Lucas Walker all retired. Kings assistant Adam Forde took up the reigns this season after being with the organisation since 2019 and replaced the outgoing talent with import Jarell Martin, Angus Glover (via Illawarra), and rookie Dejan Vasiljevic (via Miami University). During the preseason, Sydney lost promising forward Xavier Cooks to a foot injury and signed Tom Vodanovich (via New Zealand) as an injury replacement just before their opening game. The team’s injury woes continued when Angus Glover tore his ACL and would miss all but two games for the season.

As the season kicked off, the Kings looked to their young core to step up in the loss of key veterans and struggled early as a result. Losing three of their first four games, the team sat at the bottom of the ladder in seventh place. Mid-season, the league made the decisions to move all teams to Melbourne for a in-season tournament (NBL Cup) created to avoid COVID-related travel issues. It was here Sydney began to find some form, winning as many as they lost during the Cup (4-4) and then once the tournament was over, consecutive wins at home saw Sydney reach the top four by round 12.

Co-captain Casper Ware (17.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists) and Martin (17.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists) became the focal points on offence. Martin’s best game coming against New Zealand, where he finished with 29 points.

Dejan Vasiljevic (15.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) and Jordan Hunter (9.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks) both became major parts of the King’s core rotation, Hunter finishing runner-up in the voting for the Most Improved Player award and Vasiljevic being selected as Rookie of the Year. Xavier Cooks (10.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 blocks) also showed what type of impact he could have during the King’s back end of the season win the league, producing a career high 19 points and 11 rebounds against the Hawks in Round 21.

The Kings’ limitations this season were primarily their perimeter shooting, where they were equal worst in three-point percentage (tied with Illawarra with 33.4%) and inability to win on the road, where they lost 50% of their games away from home. With four rounds to go, Sydney was firmly entrenched inside the top four but a stretch of five losses in seven games that included two by over 20 points ultimately saw them fall short. Sydney ended the season on a three-game winning streak but would finish in fifth place (19-17) and fail to qualify for the playoffs. Vodanovich would appear in 36 games for the Kings, averaging 5.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.4 steals.

2021/22
2021 saw the Kings replace Adam Forde with unproven US coach, Chase Buford. Buford, the son of RC Buford, the mastermind of the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA, would be handed a team with a already impressive core in Xavier Cooks, Jarell Martin and Dejan Vasiljevic and added former NBA talent Jaylen Adams and fellow import RJ Hunter.

The change in leadership and early-season injuries to RJ Hunter (who would only play in one NBL game), Adams (missed a third of the season) and young big man Jordan Hunter, who would miss the entire season, resulted in a sluggish start for the Kings. After a stretch in January where the Kings lost four consecutive games, Adams was able to make his return, the Kings added a former NBA teammate of Kings co-owner Andrew Bogut, Ian Clark and things began to improve.

Vodanovich would average 3.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.4 assists as the Kings then finished the year in spectacular fashion, winning 13 consecutive games to end the regular season.

The Kings faced Brian Goorjian and the Illawarra Hawks in the semifinals, but comfortably defeated them in two straight games. On the other side of the bracket, the Tasmania JackJumpers in their debut NBL season, who were lucky to even be in the playoffs, defeated Melbourne United in three games. Tasmania had finished the season in fifth place and only qualified for the playoffs thanks to points percentage after South East Melbourne beat Perth in the final game of the season.

In the Grand Final series, Sydney continued to show their dominance, defeating Tasmania (95-78) in the opening game of the series. Adams, who had been named NBL MVP the previous week, scored 18 points in the win but suffered a left hamstring injury which would see him miss the remainder of the Grand Final series.

Game two saw JackJumpers fan favourite Josh Adams erupt for 36 points in front of a sell-out Tasmanian crowd, but thanks to 20 point efforts from both captain Xavier Cooks and Jarrell Martin (who shot 80% from the field) as well as Dejan Vasiljevic, who nailed a long range dagger in the closing minutes clinched game two for the Kings, 90-86. The win was Sydney’s 12th straight road game victory – the most away wins ever during a single NBL season.

Dejan Vasiljevic with the ???????????????????????? ????️

???? Watch the #NBLFinals Live on ESPN pic.twitter.com/XDIgoHVKo9

— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) May 8, 2022

The Kings then closed out the series in game three, ending their 17-year championship drought in front of 16,000 fans at Qudos Bank Arena. Xavier Cooks and Jarell Martin would combine for 45 points and 29 rebounds, and the Kings won their 19th win of their final 21 games.

Cooks would be named the MVP of the finals series, averaging 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists over the three games and at 33 years of age, Buford became the fourth-youngest championship-winning coach in league history, with Bob Turner (1983), Ken Richardson (1982) and Jim Ericksen (1981) the only coaches to win it at a younger age (Two of those were player-coaches).

17 years in the making ????????#WeTheKings #NBL22 pic.twitter.com/Wz7uIGjTr6

— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) May 14, 2022

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS
2022/23
With the departure of Dan Shamir, assistant Mody Maor was elevated to head coach, with the Breakers entering their first season where they would play regular home games in two seasons.

The Breakers lost six of their top eight players (Yanni Wetzell, Hugo Besson, Peyton Siva, Finn Delany, Ousmane Dieng and Chasson Randle), and only Robert Loe, William McDowell-White and Abercrombie returning from the previous season.

Tom Vodanovich (via Sydney), Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’Afa and Cameron Gliddon (both via South East Melbourne) were added for defence and perimeter shooting off the bench. At the same time, Dererk Pardon, Jarrell Brantley and Barry Brown Jr were signed as import players. Utilising the NBL Next Star Program, the team also added French NBA prospect Rayan Rupert.

With Abercrombie missing the first month of the season due to suffering a torn retina the Breakers’ season began with a loss to Melbourne, a game which gave little indication to the defensive behemoth they were set to become in NBL23 but four rounds into the season, they already equalled their total number of wins from the previous campaign.

The Breakers started round five with a 99-70 beatdown of the Adelaide 36ers, which included a dominant effort from both Brown Jr (22 points) and Brantley (22 points and four steals) to force the 36ers into 18 turnovers while the Breakers went 15 of 30 from long distance.

Two nights later, New Zealand posted their biggest victory ever at Spark Arena with a 94-62 victory over the Tasmania JackJumpers. The win also resulted in the Breakers overtaking Sydney Kings to sit atop the NBL ladder.

After two seasons living out of suitcases, the Breakers had revived themselves as a contender this season, and the following game saw a top of the table clash against Sydney that more than lived up to the hype. The Kings’ led comfortably for most of the game, but a late run from New Zealand, who outscored them 31-17 in the last 10 minutes behind Barry Brown Jr (22 points), who had settled into a sixth man role, narrowed the gap but failed to complete what would have been a epic fight back. The Breakers fell short 81-77 while also losing Rupert for two months with a broken wrist.

During the final month of the season, New Zealand bounced back and forth with Cairns in a battle for second place but victories over the competition’s bottom two (Brisbane and Illawarra), allowed New Zealand to leapfrog Cairns and finish second overall during the regular season.

Vodanovich came off the bench averaging 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds as the Breakers finished the regular season in second place (18–10), clinching their first playoff appearance in five years. Barry Brown Jr. (19.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals) and Dererk Pardon (11.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks) were both named to the All-NBL second team, Brown Jr also being awarded the league’s Best Sixth Man award. Jarrell Brantley (16.2 points, 6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.5 steals) was later named the Breakers club MVP.

With Tasmania having defeated Cairns (87-79) and advancing through the NBL play-in tournament, the Breakers semi-final opponents were set. New Zealand smashed Tasmania, 88-68, in Game 1 of the Playoffs. It was a wire-to-wire victory for New Zealand, as Mody Maor’s men established a 16-point first half lead. Tasmania got the deficit back to two at halftime before the Breakers exploded with a 49-31 second half. Big man Dererk Pardon imposed his will for New Zealand with 15 points and 9 rebounds, while Will McDowell-White had 13 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Rashard Kelly was the JackJumpers’ leading scorer with 12.

The JackJumpers ‘defended the island’ in game two, defeating the Breakers 89-78. Milton Doyle starred for Tasmania, as he poured in 23 points, with several of those coming during a game defining run across the third and fourth quarters. Jack McVeigh added 16 for the victors. Dererk Pardon recorded a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Breakers, and Jarrell Brantley had 17 points and 9 rebounds.

New Zealand then punched their ticket to the NBL Championship Series with a gritty 92-77 semi-final win over the Ants in game three at home. Brown Jr proved the difference, finishing with 32 points (10/16 and 2/2 from deep) and three steals to guide the Breakers to their first Championship Series for the first time since 2016. Dererk Pardon (15 points, 14 rebounds) was also huge for the Breakers with a monster double-double, while Jarrell Brantley (14 points, seven rebounds) was also a big factor in the win.

On the opposite side of the bracket, Sydney eliminated Cairns to reach the championship series but suffered a surprise home defeat from New Zealand, who had struggled against the Kings all season, claiming game one, 95-87, in front of 13,145 shocked Kings fans. William McDowell-White (19 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists) starred for New Zealand, with Barry Brown Jr (19 points off the bench) and Jarrell Brantley (16 points and 7 rebounds) playing key minutes also. Simon was the Kings’ leading scorer with 18 points and 6 steals as the Kings’ leading scorer, Derek Walton Jr was forced to leave the game in the last quarter with a injured leg.

On the opposite side of the bracket, Sydney eliminated Cairns to reach the championship series but suffered a surprise home defeat from New Zealand, who had struggled against the Kings all season, claiming game one, 95-87, in front of 13,145 shocked Kings fans. William McDowell-White (19 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists) starred for New Zealand with Barry Brown Jr (19 points off the bench) and Jarrell Brantley (16 points and 7 rebounds) playing key minutes also. Simon was the Kings’ leading scorer with 18 points and 6 steals as the Kings leading scorer, Derek Walton Jr was forced to leave the game in the last quarter with a injured leg.

Sydney entered Game two with no Xavier Cooks, and on the Breakers’ home floor at Spark Arena. New Zealand’s case for victory got even stronger when Kings’ leading scorer Derrick Walton Jr managed just four minutes of game time.

With the Kings missing their two best players, the Breakers playing at home, it was expected to be a easy win for New Zealand. Up stepped Justin Simon and the Kings’ backup brigade to snatch the win away from New Zealand, 81-74.

Returning to Sydney, the Kings took a 2-1 lead behind a dominant 91-68 victory over the Breakers in front of the biggest crowd in NBL history. 18,049 fans poured into Qudos Bank Arena, the biggest attendance ever for a NBL game, and watched Walton Jr shake off his injury concerns to notch up 12 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds while Cooks, who had signed a NBA contract to play with the Washington Wizards that same day, added 10 points and 8 rebounds. McDowell-White was New Zealand’s leading scorer with 11 points.

Game four delivered a Breakers win in Auckland (80-70), extending the series to five games. Brantley (23 points), MacDowell-White (19 points) and Brown Jr (20 points) all coming up big in the do-or-die game for New Zealand. Derrick Walton Jr (18 points) and Angus Glover (12 points) finished as Sydney’s leading scorers.

Then in game five, the Breakers were up by 11 points in the first quarter before being pegged back. They then took another heavy lead deep into the fourth quarter, but the Kings put together a 14-0 scoring run to once again snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

The Kings were able to squeeze a few extra fans into Qudos Bank Arena for game five, breaking the record for fan attendance which they had set in their previous home game with 18,124 in attendance. In one of the greatest championship games in history, Sydney put together a 14-0 run in the final quarter to secure the victory (77-69) and win their first back-to-back titles since their 2003-2005 three-peat. Derrick Walton Jr (21 points and 6 assists) was named the Finals MVP while Cooks (19 points and 11 rebounds) efforts were also key to the victory. Brown Jr (22 points off the bench) was top scorer for the Breakers.

67,811 fans attended the Championship Series, the highest Grand Final attendance in NBL history.

Vodanovich delivered his best performance against Brisbane in February, where he scored 10 points and three rebounds in the game that clinched the Breakers’ playoff spot.

Despite having a year remaining on his Breakers contract, Vodanovich requested a release to accept a lucrative opportunity from the Philippines. As a result of that performance, Vodanovich, who has a young family, was offered a contract too good to pass up.

“I am grateful to Mody that the door remains open for me to return,” said Vodanovich upon exiting his deal.

“The experience of playing for the Breakers in the Championship Series last season, against the team I won a championship with the year before, will stay with me forever.”

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS
2023/24
Tom Vodanovich was added to the JackJumpers roster at the start of the new year, the New Zealand born forward after playing with the FiberXers in the Philippines. Vodanovich was added to help cover the absence of Majok Deng through injury.

“With recent injuries, we’ve opted to bring in Tom, who was the best available big and he fits our needs as we prepare for the back end of the season” Head Coach Scott Roth said.

This also led to Tasmania releasing guard Junior Madut in order make room for Vodanovich on the roster.

“Junior is a fantastic young guy who has a really promising future. His attitude and work ethic has been fantastic, however we have decided to bring in a bigger body option to cover injuries” Roth said.

Tom Vodanovich currently plays for the South East Melbourne Phoenix and has played 132 games in his NBL career. He has averaged 3.5 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.3 assists since entering the league in 2018.

CURRENT CONTRACT:

South East Melbourne Phoenix – 1 Year Deal (2024-25)

Dan Boyce (811 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.