After leading the Wellington Saints to a 2016 New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) championship, former Utah State basketball star Tai Wesley has done it again. Wesley’s 14 points, five assists and five rebounds during the 108-75 win over the Southland Sharks Saturday afternoon wasn’t just part of another championship victory, it was part of a perfect 20-0 season – the first in league history.
It was the second-straight league title for Wellington, but it was the third-straight for Wesley, who won the 2015 championship with the Southland Sharks before joining the Saints. Wesley was named the Finals MVP in both the 2015 and 2016 seasons. This year he was named the league’s Most Outstanding Forward and earned a spot on the All Star Five, according to the team’s website.
Wesley shared his excitement on social media following the win.
“This one was special!!!! The perfect season, 20-0!!!!!,” Wesley wrote on Instagram. “We made history together and I love these boys!!!”
<blockquote class=”instagram-media” style=”background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% – 2px);” data-instgrm-version=”7″><div style=”padding: 8px;”><div style=”background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 28.125% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;”> </div><p style=”margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;”><a style=”color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;” href=”https://www.instagram.com/p/BVeA4aGDMMZ/” target=”_blank”>This one was special!!!! The perfect season, 20-0!!!!! We made history together and I love these boys!!! #teamnoL’s #wellingtonsaints #timetogohome I’m coming home now @chynawesley and @majors_moments</a>
<p style=”color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;”>A post shared by taiwesley (@taiwesley) on Jun 17, 2017 at 10:20pm PDT
</div></blockquote>
Wesley averaged 18.7 points and 8.2 rebounds during the regular season. He led the league in 2-point field goal percentage.