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Kirk Penney

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Kirk Penney
Penney with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2005
Personal information
Born (1980-11-23) 23 November 1980 (age 44)
Auckland, New Zealand
Listed height196 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Listed weight98 kg (216 lb)
Career information
High schoolWestlake Boys
(Auckland, New Zealand)
CollegeWisconsin (1999–2003)
NBA draft2003: undrafted
Playing career1998–2018; 2022
PositionShooting guard / small forward
Number6, 20
Career history
1998–2000North Harbour Kings
2003Miami Heat
2003–2004Gran Canaria
2004Asheville Altitude
2004–2005Los Angeles Clippers
2005Asheville Altitude
2005–2006Maccabi Tel Aviv
2006–2007Žalgiris Kaunas
2007ALBA Berlin
2007–2010New Zealand Breakers
2010Sioux Falls Skyforce
2010–2011New Zealand Breakers
2011–2012Baloncesto Fuenlabrada
2012–2013TED Ankara Kolejliler
2013–2014Trabzonspor
2015Baloncesto Sevilla
2015–2016Illawarra Hawks
2016–2018New Zealand Breakers
2022Auckland Tuatara
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Representing  New Zealand
Men's Basketball
Oceanian Championship
Gold medal – first place 2009 Oceania National team

Kirk Samuel Penney (born 23 November 1980) is a New Zealand former professional basketball player. He is the all-time leading scorer for New Zealand's national team and he ranks 12th all-time in points scored at the FIBA World Cup. In 2024, he was inducted in the FIBA Hall of Fame.

Penney played four years of college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers between 1999 and 2003, where he was twice named first-team all-conference and as an all-American. He became the second New Zealander in the NBA when he appeared briefly for the Miami Heat in 2003 and the Los Angeles Clippers in 2005. He went on to play professionally in Spain, the NBA Development League, Israel, Lithuania, Germany and Turkey. He also played six seasons for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He was named the NBL MVP in 2009, named to the All-NBL First Team four times, led the NBL in scoring three times and won an NBL championship with the Breakers in 2011.

Penney represented New Zealand at the Sydney and Athens Olympics and averaged 16.9 points at the World Championships in Indianapolis in 2002 and 24.7 points at the World Championships in Turkey in 2010.

Early life

[edit]

Born in the Auckland suburb of Milford, Penney attended Westlake Boys High School and played junior basketball for the North Harbour Basketball Association, joining their New Zealand NBL team, the North Harbour Kings, in 1998 as a 17-year-old. He earned NZNBL Rookie of the Year honours that year and helped the Kings reach the grand final.[1] He also played for the Kings in 1999 and 2000.[2][3]

College career

[edit]

As a freshman playing for the Wisconsin Badgers during the 1999–2000 season, Penney had a minimal role under coach Dick Bennett, but still helped his team reach the NCAA Final Four while averaging 3.7 points and 1.4 rebounds in 34 games. As a sophomore in 2000–01, he averaged 11.2 points per game and was the second-leading scorer on the team.[4]

As a junior in 2001–02 playing for coach Bo Ryan, Penney was the team's leading scorer. He averaged 15.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 45.4 percent from the field and teamed with point guard Devin Harris to guide the Badgers to a share of the Big Ten title. Penney subsequently earned first-team All-Big Ten honours in 2001–02.[4]

As a senior in 2002–03, Penney was again the team's leading scorer. He averaged 16.2 points and was second on the team with 6.0 rebounds per game, as Wisconsin won the Big Ten regular-season title outright. For his senior-year efforts, Penney earned first-team All-Big Ten honours again and was named an honorable mention All-American. His 217 career three-point field goals made ranks third in programme history.[4][5]

Professional career

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NBA and Europe (2003–2007)

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Penney was not drafted in the star-studded 2003 NBA draft but joined the Minnesota Timberwolves in July that year for the Orlando Pro Summer League where he led the league in three-point shooting. On 1 September 2003, he signed with the Timberwolves, but did not make the team's final roster as he was waived on 23 October prior to the start of the 2003–04 NBA season. On 3 November, he signed with the Miami Heat and made his NBA debut that same day, scoring three points in 14 minutes of action against the Dallas Mavericks. Penney became the second New Zealander (after Sean Marks) to play in the NBA. The following day, he made his second appearance for the Heat, but record no stats in just four minutes of action against the San Antonio Spurs.[6] On 7 November, he was waived by the Heat after the team signed Tyrone Hill instead.[7]

Following his release from the Heat, Penney moved to Spain and signed with Gran Canaria for the rest of the 2003–04 season. In 24 Liga ACB games for Canaria, he averaged 10.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.

In July 2004, Penney joined the Minnesota Timberwolves for the Minnesota Summer League in Minneapolis, and the Chicago Bulls for the Rocky Mountain Revenue in Salt Lake City. On 4 November 2004, he was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2004 NBA Development League Draft by the Asheville Altitude. He had an impressive start to the 2004–05 season and earned himself an NBA call-up. On 26 December 2004, he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. He appeared in four games for the Clippers and scored just two points.[8] He was waived by the Clippers on 3 January 2005 and returned to the Asheville Altitude to play out the season and help the team win the 2005 NBA D-League championship.

On 5 August 2005, Penney signed a two-year deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.[9] He was used sparingly as a shooter off the bench and helped Maccabi qualify for the Euroleague Final Four, eventually losing to CSKA Moscow in the final. Maccabi did, however, win the 2006 Premier League championship. In 19 Euroleague games for Maccabi in 2005–06, Penney averaged 3.3 points per game.[10]

In October 2006, Penney signed with Žalgiris Kaunas as an injury replacement for Marcelinho Machado.[11] After Žalgiris won the Lithuanian Basketball League Cup, Penney parted ways with Žalgiris. On 16 February 2007, he signed with ALBA Berlin of Germany for the rest of the 2006–07 season.[12]

New Zealand Breakers (2007–2010)

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In June 2007, Penney signed with the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League.[13] In 31 games in 2007–08, he averaged 24.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.[14] He was named to the All-NBL First Team.[citation needed]

In the 2008–09 NBL season, Penney was named the NBL Most Valuable Player, becoming the first New Zealander to be honoured with the award.[15][16] He led the league in scoring and earned All-NBL First Team for the second straight year.[citation needed] In 31 games, he averaged 24.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.[14]

On 21 January 2010, Penney scored 49 points and made nine 3-pointers in a 103–89 win over the Adelaide 36ers.[17] He was named to the All-NBL First Team for the third straight year in the 2009–10 NBL season.[citation needed] In 19 games, he averaged 23.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.[14]

Skyforce and Spurs (2010)

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Following the conclusion of the 2009–10 NBL season, Penney returned to the United States, and on 24 March 2010, he was acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League.[18] In just his second game for the Skyforce, he scored a game-high 31 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the field, adding four rebounds, three assists and a steal in 43 minutes of game time in a 113–104 win over the Springfield Armor.[19] In the Skyforce's final game of the regular season, he scored 40 points in a win over the Bakersfield Jam.[20] The Skyforce made it to the first round of the playoffs where they lost to the Tulsa 66ers 2–1 in the best-of-three series. In seven total games for the Skyforce, he averaged 22.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game.[21]

On 28 September 2010, Penney signed with the San Antonio Spurs.[22] However, he was later waived by the Spurs on 11 October after appearing in one preseason game and scoring 9 points.[23][24]

First NBL Championship (2010–11)

[edit]

On 26 October 2010, Penney returned to the New Zealand Breakers for the rest of the 2010–11 NBL season.[25] He helped the Breakers win their first NBL championship with a 2–1 grand final series win over the Cairns Taipans.[26][27] In 29 games, he averaged 20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.[28] He was subsequently named to the All-NBL First Team for the fourth time.[citation needed]

Return to Europe (2011–2015)

[edit]

On 29 July 2011, Penney signed with Baloncesto Fuenlabrada of Spain for the 2011–12 season.[29] During the 2011–12 ACB season, Penney was the fifth leading points scorer with 14.4 points per game.[30]

In July 2012, Penney signed with TED Ankara Kolejliler of Turkey for the 2012–13 season.[31] During the 2012–13 TBL season, Penney was the league's third leading points scorer with 18.3 points per game, hitting over 46% of his three-point shots.

In August 2013, Penney signed with Trabzonspor for the 2013–14 season.[32]

In mid-2014, Penney returned to the University of Wisconsin to finish off his degree.[33] On 26 January 2015, he signed with Baloncesto Sevilla of the Spanish Liga ACB.[34] In 16 games for Sevilla, he averaged 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

Illawarra Hawks (2015–2016)

[edit]

On 27 July 2015, Penney signed with the Illawarra Hawks for the 2015–16 NBL season.[35] In just the third game of the season on 14 October, he scored a season-high 36 points in a 96–75 win over his former team, the New Zealand Breakers.[36] He didn't miss a game for the Hawks over the team's first 22 contests before a hamstring injury suffered on 17 January 2016 against the Breakers[37] forced him to miss four straight games. He returned to action on 6 February, scoring 28 points in a 104–97 overtime win over the Townsville Crocodiles.[38] He helped the Hawks finish the regular season in third place with a 17–11 win–loss record, booking themselves a semi-final clash with the second-seeded Perth Wildcats. After losing Game 1 in Perth, the Hawks took Game 2 at home to save the series, but went on to lose the deciding Game 3 in Perth, bowing out of the playoffs with a 2–1 defeat. In 27 games for the Hawks in 2015–16, Penney averaged 20.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.

Return to the Breakers (2016–2018)

[edit]

On 12 April 2016, Penney signed a three-year deal with the New Zealand Breakers.[39][40] On 7 October 2016, he played in his first game for the Breakers since 2011, scoring nine points in a 76–71 season-opening win over Melbourne United.[41] On 29 October 2016, he scored 27 points in a 119–93 win over the Adelaide 36ers.[42] On 6 November 2016, he scored 30 points in an 86–70 win over the Brisbane Bullets.[43] He appeared in all 28 games for the Breakers in 2016–17, averaging 17.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

The Breakers started the 2017–18 season with a 9–1 record, before dropping to 9–3 with two Round 8 defeats. In the second defeat of Round 8, Penney was held scoreless for the first time in his 174-game NBL career.[44] On 15 December 2017, against the Adelaide 36ers in Auckland, Penney played his 150th game for the Breakers.[45] The Breakers finished the regular season in fourth place with a 15–13 record. On 22 February 2018, with finals only a week away, Penney announced his decision to retire at the end of the 2017–18 season.[46][47] His final game came in the Breakers season-ending loss to Melbourne United in Game 2 of their semi-finals series; in the 88–86 overtime loss, Penney had 17 points off the bench.[48] In 22 games in 2017–18, he averaged 10.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

Auckland Tuatara (2022)

[edit]

In August 2022, Penney came out of retirement to play for the Auckland Tuatara of the New Zealand NBL in their final regular season game of the 2022 season.[49][50]

Career statistics

[edit]
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

[edit]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2003–04 Miami 2 0 9.0 .167 .333 .000 .5 .5 .5 .0 1.5
2004–05 L.A. Clippers 4 0 3.0 .333 .000 .000 .4 .3 .0 .0 .5
Career 6 0 5.0 .222 .250 .000 .3 .3 .2 .0 .8

Euroleague

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2005–06 Maccabi Tel Aviv 19 0 7.3 .588 .478 .714 .8 .1 .2 .0 3.3 2.4
2006–07 Žalgiris 13 2 18.5 .514 .452 .500 2.0 .8 .2 .0 7.4 5.2

National team career

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Penney debuted for the New Zealand national basketball team in 1999 at the age of 18, going on to represent the Tall Blacks at two Olympic Games (in 2000 and 2004) and four world championships (2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014).

Penney was part of the Tall Blacks' memorable 2002 World Championships campaign as they surprisingly finished fourth. Penney averaged 16.9 points per game and hit 45.5% of his three-point shots.[51]

Penney led New Zealand to victory in the 2009 FIBA Oceania Championship, beating Australia 177–162 on aggregate, after the two-match tie was drawn 1–1.[52] Penney was influential in both games, with 23 points and 4 assists in Game 1, and a 24 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists in Game 2, thus winning the Al Ramsay Shield.

In the 2010 World Championships in Turkey, Penney was the second leading scorer with 24.7 points per game. New Zealand also went through to the elimination rounds with a 3–2 record.[51]

Penney participated for New Zealand at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain and averaged 10.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in six games.[53]

In May 2016, Penney retired from international basketball after a career spanning 15 years (1999–2014).[54]

In May 2022, Penney was inducted into the Basketball New Zealand Hall of Fame.[55] In April 2024, he was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame.[56]

Coaching and administrative career

[edit]

In August 2019, Penney was appointed as director of player development and coaching staff consultant at the University of Virginia.[57][58][59] His first taste of coaching came under Tony Bennett at Virginia.[60] Penney did not continue with the program following the 2019–20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving him stuck in New Zealand after the borders closed.[61]

In November 2023, Penney joined the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team as special assistant to the head coach.[62] In April 2024, it was announced that Penney would continue in the special assistant role.[63]

Personal life

[edit]

Penney is the brother of Rodd Penney, who is also a professional sportsman, and has played rugby union in New Zealand, England and Italy.[64]

Penney and his wife, Audra, have four children.[65] Audra (née Jeffers) is a former Badgers volleyball player and 2008 team captain.[60] She is from Hartland, Wisconsin.[61] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Penney and his family were unable to return to the United States for three years. They returned to Wisconsin in 2023.[60][61]

Awards and achievements

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Individual achievements

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  • 1998 New Zealand NBL Rookie of the Year
  • 1999 New Zealand NBL Outstanding Kiwi Guard
  • 2001–02 First Team All-Big Ten
  • 2002–03 First Team All-Big Ten
  • 2002–03 Honorable Mention All-American
  • 2006–07 Baltic Basketball League All-Star
  • 2007–08 All-NBL First Team
  • 2008–09 All-NBL First Team
  • 2008–09 Australian NBL MVP
  • 2009–10 All-NBL First Team
  • 2010–11 All-NBL First Team
  • 2011 Stanković Cup MVP[66]
  • 2012–13 TBL All-Star
  • 2012–13 TBL Three-Point Shootout champion
  • 2013–14 TBL All-Star
  • 2013–14 TBL Three-Point Shootout champion
  • 2015–16 All-NBL Second Team

Team achievements

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New Zealand national team

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ NBL returns to Final Four finals format
  2. ^ "Penney Goes to the US". plug.co.nz. 15 April 1999. Archived from the original on 9 October 1999.
  3. ^ Basketball: NBA hopeful keen to play in Tall Blacks series
  4. ^ a b c All-Bo Ryan starting 5: Kirk Penney
  5. ^ "Kirk Penney Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  6. ^ Kirk Penney 2003–04 Game Log
  7. ^ HEAT Signs Tyrone Hill, Asks Waivers on Kirk Penney
  8. ^ Kirk Penney 2004–05 Game Log
  9. ^ Kirk Penney signed for two years
  10. ^ Kirk Penney Europe Stats
  11. ^ Zalgiris sign "Tall Black" Penney
  12. ^ Kirk Penney verstärkt die Albatrosse (in German)
  13. ^ "Breakers sign Tall Black Penney". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 June 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  14. ^ a b c "Player statistics for Kirk Penney – NBL". SportsTG. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  15. ^ Penney becomes first NZer to win Aussie basketball league MVP
  16. ^ "Penney wins Andrew Gaze Trophy". NBL.com.au. 9 March 2009. Archived from the original on 13 March 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  17. ^ "Basketball: Penney one shy of 50 as Breakers strike back". NZ Herald. 21 January 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  18. ^ 09-10 Transactions Archived 2 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ Kirk Penney explodes for 31 points in D-League
  20. ^ Kirk Penney drops 40 points in NBA D-League
  21. ^ Kirk Penney D-League Stats
  22. ^ Spurs Add Kirk Penney To Training Camp Roster
  23. ^ Spurs Waive Kirk Penney
  24. ^ Tall Black Kirk Penney released by NBA side
  25. ^ "Basketball: Penney returns to Breakers". nzherald.co.nz. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  26. ^ "Breakers seal maiden NBL title". ABC.net.au. 29 April 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  27. ^ Hinton, Marc (2 May 2011). "Breakers secure first ANBL championship". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  28. ^ Player statistics for Kirk Penney
  29. ^ "Fuenlabrada tabs scoring machine Kirk Penney". Sportando.com. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  30. ^ Hinton, Marc (27 May 2012). "Kirk Penney yearns to be a Breaker again". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  31. ^ Hinton, Marc (26 July 2012). "Kirk Penney signs to play in Turkish capital". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  32. ^ Hinton, Marc (7 August 2013). "Tall Blacks star Penney on move in Turkey". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  33. ^ Kirk Penney in demand as education comes first
  34. ^ "Kirk Penney moves to Sevilla". Sportando.com. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  35. ^ ILLAWARRA HAWKS SECURE ANOTHER FORMER NBL MVP, KIRK PENNEY Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  36. ^ PENNEY TORCHES NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS WITH 36 POINTS Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  37. ^ Penney a long shot for Wildcats showdown
  38. ^ Hawks book finals spot in overtime thriller
  39. ^ KIRK RETURNS HOME ON THREE YEAR DEAL
  40. ^ Family, fun fuel Kirk Penney to take up three-year deal with NZ Breakers
  41. ^ GRITTY BREAKERS SMOTHER UNITED
  42. ^ Kirk Penney, Corey Webster combine for 49 as Breakers overwhelm Adelaide
  43. ^ PENNEY STAYS HOT IN BULLETS BEATDOWN Archived 6 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  44. ^ Breakers coach backs his slumping star Kirk Penney to refind his mojo
  45. ^ Mid-season purgatory for NZ Breakers as they get dumped late by storming Adelaide
  46. ^ Breakers legend Kirk Penney announces retirement, shooting for 'fairytale' finish
  47. ^ Kirk Penney Calls Time on Legendary NBL Career
  48. ^ Boone the OT Hero as Melbourne Sweep Breakers
  49. ^ Labuschagne, Reece (5 August 2022). "Basketball: Kiwi legend Kirk Penney to suit up for Auckland Tuatara in NBL". newshub.co.nz. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  50. ^ "GAME RECAP: SAINTS BEAT TUATARA FOR FIFTH STRAIGHT WIN". nznbl.basketball. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  51. ^ a b "Kirk Penney – 2010 FIBA World Championship". FIBA.com. Retrieved 27 July 2015.[dead link‍]
  52. ^ "New Zealand wins 2009 Oceania Championship". Interbasket.net. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  53. ^ 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup – Kirk Penney
  54. ^ Tall Blacks setback − Kirk Penney calls time on his international career
  55. ^ "BBNZ AWARDS CELEBRATES 2021 WITH 29 AWARDS RECOGNISED". nz.basketball. 7 May 2022. Archived from the original on 8 May 2022.
  56. ^ "FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2024 headlined by Reggie Miller and Predrag Stojakovic". fiba.basketball. 30 April 2024. Archived from the original on 30 April 2024.
  57. ^ Hinton, Marc (14 August 2019). "NCAA national champs Virginia add Kiwi basketball legend Kirk Penney to staff". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  58. ^ "University of Virginia hires Kirk Penney |Basketball New Zealand". nz.basketball. 14 August 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  59. ^ "Kirk Penney Joins Men's Basketball Staff". Virginia Cavaliers Official Athletic Site. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  60. ^ a b c Lucas, Mike (1 December 2023). "Wisconsin-Marquette basketball rivalry special to Badger assistant". The Cap Times. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  61. ^ a b c Temple, Jesse (22 February 2024). "Meet the former player helping Wisconsin basketball have its best offensive season in 30 years". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  62. ^ "Gard adds Penney to Wisconsin men's basketball staff". Wisconsin Badgers. 6 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  63. ^ "Penney remains in role as Special Assistant to the Head Coach". Wisconsin Badgers. 26 April 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  64. ^ Nagy, Boti (9 November 2010). "Wedding bells take toll on Breakers". AdelaideNow.com.au. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  65. ^ "Kirk Penney | Men's Basketball Coach". Wisconsin Badgers. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  66. ^ Tall Blacks defeat Russia, win Stankovic Cup
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