Dontae Russo-Nance

Dontae Russo-Nance (born 20 January 2005) is a New Zealand basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played two seasons in the New Zealand NBL in 2021 and 2022 with the Auckland Huskies/Tuatara, earning the New Zealand NBL Youth Player of the Year Award in 2022. After a season in the United States with Oak Hill Academy, he signed with the Wildcats in May 2023.

Dontae Russo-Nance
No. 1 – Perth Wildcats
PositionGuard
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (2005-01-20) 20 January 2005
Auckland, New Zealand
NationalityNew Zealand
Listed height190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Listed weight90 kg (198 lb)
Career information
High school
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2022Auckland Huskies/Tuatara
2023–presentPerth Wildcats
Career highlights and awards

Early life and career

Russo-Nance was born in Auckland, New Zealand.[1] He attended Saint Kentigern College[2] and played as a junior for Waitakere Basketball, where he won three national championships across different age groups.[1]

In 2019, Russo-Nance played for an Asia Pacific team at the Junior NBA Global Championship in Orlando, Florida. He featured in six games and averaged 15.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists.[1]

In 2021, Russo-Nance debuted in the New Zealand NBL for the Auckland Huskies. He averaged 11.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game as a bench player,[3] earning runner-up for Youth Player of the Year.[1]

In 2022, Russo-Nance continued with the Auckland franchise, now known as the Tuatara. He helped the Tuatara reach the New Zealand NBL grand final, where he scored 11 points in an 81–73 loss to the Otago Nuggets.[4][5] In 18 games, he averaged 15.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and a league-leading 2.9 steals per game.[6][7] He was subsequently named Youth Player of the Year.[8][9]

In August 2022, Russo-Nance was named to the All-Star Five at the Basketball Without Borders Asia camp in Canberra, Australia.[7][10] The following month, he moved to the United States to attend Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, for the 2022–23 school year.[2][11] In February 2023, he competed at the Basketball Without Borders Global camp in Salt Lake City during the 2023 NBA All-Star weekend.[12][13]

Professional career

On 27 May 2023, Russo-Nance signed a three-year deal with the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). The deal will see him spend the 2023–24 season as a development player before being elevated to the main roster for the following two seasons.[14]

Personal life

Russo-Nance has a Māori mother and an African-American father.[11]

References
  1. "NEXT GEN: DONTAE RUSSO-NANCE PINPOINTS LEADERSHIP AS FOCUS FOR 2022 SAL'S NBL SEASON". nznbl.basketball. 7 March 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023.
  2. Hinton, Marc (7 September 2022). "Kiwi hoops phenom Dontae Russo-Nance announces he's heading to renowned US academy". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023.
  3. Williams, Peter (27 July 2021). "2021 NZNBL team review: Auckland Huskies". central.rookieme.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023.
  4. "NUGGETS DOWN TUATARA TO CLAIM 2022 SAL'S NBL TITLE". nznbl.basketball. 13 August 2022. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  5. Egan, Brendon (13 August 2022). "Keith Williams stars as Otago Nuggets triumph in NBL grand final over Tuatara". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022.
  6. "Dontae Russo-Nance". nznbl.basketball. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023.
  7. "Newshub's 2022 Year in Review: Future stars to watch for in 2023". newshub.co.nz. 31 December 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023.
  8. "2022 SAL'S NBL AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED". nznbl.basketball. 9 August 2022. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022.
  9. Egan, Brendon (9 August 2022). "Wellington Saints' star Xavier Cooks earns NBL MVP honours". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 9 August 2022.
  10. "Who were the top ten boys campers at BWB Asia 2022". fiba.basketball. 11 August 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023.
  11. Tyson, Jess (28 September 2022). "One step closer to NBA dream for Ngāti Kahungunu basketballer Dontae Russo-Nance". nzherald.co.nz. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023.
  12. "Kiwi Dontae Russo-Nance picked for global camp at NBA All-Star game". Stuff.co.nz. 10 February 2023. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023.
  13. "KIWI DONTAE RUSSO-NANCE SELECTED FOR BWB GLOBAL CAMP AT NBA ALL-STAR GAME". nz.basketball. 10 February 2023. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023.
  14. "Perth Wildcats Welcome Dontae Russo-Nance". Wildcats.com.au. 27 May 2023. Archived from the original on 27 May 2023.
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