A PLAYER with NBA G League experience has been added to the New Zealand team that will face Gilas Pilipinas in the group stage of FIBA Asia Cup 2025.
Mojave King, a second-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, is set to make his debut for a Tall Blacks side that is aiming to surpass its third-place finish in the Asia Cup three years ago in Jakarta.
READ Tall Blacks win four, lose one in two pre-Asia Cup tournaments
King is one of three Tall Blacks debutants in a line-up that also has five players who played Gilas during the qualification tournament. They are Tohi Smith-Milner, Jordan Ngatai, Taylor Britt, Flynn Cameron, and Max Darling.
The spotlight inevitably falls on King, a 23-year-old, 6-foot-5 guard whose impressive credentials includes a stint with the NBA G League Ignite where he averaged 8.1 points and 4.7 rebounds during the 2022-23 season.
King also has the distinction as the third New Zealand-born player to be drafted in the NBA after being picked at No. 47 by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2023 draft.
He was later traded to the Indiana Pacers and played for their G League affiliate Indiana Mad Ants where he averaged 3.9 points in 15 games during the 2023-24 season. He also saw action for the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Summer League in 2023.
King recently played in the New Zealand NBL with the Tauranga Whai, where the Dunedin-born player averaged 22.2 points on 38 percent from threes.
He could be back in the NBA G League or even play in the NBA next season after the New Orleans Pelicans acquired him and the No. 23 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft from the Pacers in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick that originally belonged to Toronto.
“We always knew that Mojave was very talented," said Tall Blacks coach Judd Flavell in a recent interview with nz.basketball. "When you look at the Tall Blacks in the past, we’ve had to have a guy that can score, shoot the ball and get hot. And we know Mojave can put on 10-12 points in a short period of time.”
As for the holdovers, Smith-Milner did most of the damage against Gilas during their February window clash when he lit up for 25 points on 5-of-10 shooting from threes, along with nine rebounds, in their 87-70 win.
Ngatai, appointed team captain and the longest tenured player on the Tall Blacks squad with 84 international caps, collected 11 points.
READ Even with no big NBA names, Aussies still formidable in Asia Cup
Britt had 13 rebounds in New Zealand’s defeat to Gilas in the November window while Cameron only had two in that game, although he has been lighting it up for the Tall Blacks during their preparation games by averaging 18.3 points.
Aside from King, also debuting for the Tall Blacks in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 are Dontae Russo-Nance and Jack Andrew. Carlin Davidson, Taine Murray, Ben Gold, and Jordan Hunt round out the squad.
Among the notables who will not be seeing action for the Tall Blacks are Corey Webster, Sam Waardenburg, and former PBA import Tom Vodanovich. All three played against Gilas in the February window.
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