Paora Winitana has won the following NBL awards – Kiwi MVP in 2007, Final MVP in 2006, All Star Five in 2006, Outstanding Kiwi Guard in 2006, Outstanding Guard in 2006, Most Valuable Player in 2006 and Rookie of the Year in 1996. He has won 1 NBL title in 2006 with the Hawks.
In the NBL, he has been associated with the following teams – North Harbour from 1996 to 1998, Hawke’s Bay in 2001, North Harbour from 2001 to 2002, Hawke’s Bay from 2003 to 2008.
In 1996, he was selected as Rookie of the Year and in 2002 he debuted for Tall Blacks and missed many seasons due to his Mormon mission. For religious reasons, he does not play on Sundays and has been established as a bishop in his church. He led the Hawks to the 2006 NBL title and for this season was honored as the MVP, All Star Five, Outstanding Kiwi Guard and Outstanding Guard. Additionally, he was called as MVP of the championship final and in 2007 shared Kiwi MVP honors with Taranaki forward Link Abrams.
| Team |
New Zealand national basketball team
|
| Born | 6 Dec 1976 |
| Nationality |
New Zealand
|
| Team History | |
|
New Zealand national basketball team
|
2002 - present |
In the year 2008, when he was playing for Hawke’s Bay, he participated in 18 games. His free throw percentage was 0.797, field goal percentage was 0.419 and he recorded 337 points, 83 rebounds, 54 assists and 27 steals.
Career Highlights
Paora Winitana has won the Silver medal in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games for Tall Blacks.
