Basketball: Australian NBL evergreen joins Hawke’s Bay Hawks

Kyle Adnam joins the Big Barrel Hawke's Bay Hawks this week, ahead of their first game in the 2026 Sal's NBL in Taradale on Saturday.

One of the most experienced Australian NBL basketballers in New Zealand or Australia has been added to the Hawke’s Bay Hawks’ roster for the new Sal’s NBL season starting this weekend.

Kyle Adnam, a 32-year-old guard who started his Australian NBL career with the Adelaide 36ers 13 years ago, played his 250th game in the league in October, with the Cairns Taipans.

Among a succession of clubs, he’s also had seasons with the Nelson Giants and the Wellington Saints.

Adnam is expected in town on Thursday, in a move highlighting the connections of new Hawks coach Will Lopez, who himself arrived a fortnight ago in Napier after ending a season as the Taipans lead assistant coach.

The Hawks open the season against the Tauranga Whai at the Rodney Green Arenas in Taradale at 4pm on Saturday. They’ll be going for a fourth win in a row over the Whai, since the Tauranga side marked their NBL debut by hammering Hawke’s Bay’s finest by 19 points in Tauranga two years ago.

Adnam joins Alonzo Burton, Kobe Kara, Isaac Allan, Keanu Rasmussen, Clifton Bush III, Balin Casson, Dan Grida, Tommy Fergusson, Jacob Murphy, Ezrah Eagle and Chase Jeter among the Hawks’ signings to date.

Rasmussen comes direct from his own season with Adelaide and the five-match Australian NBL finals series, which ended with his side beaten 3-2 by the Sydney Kings.

American import Jeter is yet to arrive and was not expected in time for the season opener, Hawks general manager Jarrod Kenny said.

Lopez said Adnam was a big addition.

“I’ve had Kyle in my programme for two years and I know exactly what he brings,” the coach said.

“He reads the game at an elite level, he makes the right decisions in big moments and he sets a standard in everything he does.

“When you have a player like that, it lifts the whole group.

“I’m really excited to be able to bring him here.”

For Adnam, it’s a chance to reunite with Lopez. “When this came up, it was a pretty easy call. I know what he [Lopez] builds and I know what this group is capable of. I can’t wait to get to Hawke’s Bay and get to work.”

With the 2026 season marking 50 years since the first Hawks team debuted and 20 years since the club’s only NBL title, the Hawks have been clear in their intention to build a roster capable of taking shape with “genuine championship ambition”, Kenny said. The Hawks general manager, a former Tall Black, had more than 20 seasons in the New Zealand and Australian NBLs – more than half with the Hawke’s Bay side.

Last season, the Hawks won seven games and lost 13 in finishing second-to-last of the 11 teams that finished the campaign, after the early demise of failed franchise the Indian Panthers.

Doug Laing is a Hawke’s Bay Today reporter based in Napier, with 53 years in journalism, including more than 40 covering events and issues in Hawke’s Bay.