Dontae Russo-Nance

Dontae Russo-Nance
Russo-Nance with the Perth Wildcats in 2026
Pepperdine Waves
PositionGuard
LeagueWest Coast Conference
Personal information
Born (2005-01-20) 20 January 2005
Auckland, New Zealand
Listed height190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Listed weight90 kg (198 lb)
Career information
High school
CollegePepperdine (2026–present)
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2022Auckland Huskies/Tuatara
2023–2026Perth Wildcats
2024Otago Nuggets
2025–2026Manawatu Jets
Career highlights

Dontae Russo-Nance (born 20 January 2005) is a New Zealand college basketball player for the Pepperdine Waves of the West Coast Conference. He debuted in the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) in 2021 and then had a season in the United States with Oak Hill Academy. Between 2023 and 2026, he played three seasons of the professional basketball for the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He made the decision to start his college career in 2026, joining Pepperdine.

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), joining as a development player for the 2023–24 season.[14] A foot injury limited his availability in the middle part of the season and a wrist injury ended his season early.[15] He appeared in three games for the Wildcats in 2023–24, averaging 2.7 points in 2.5 minutes per game.[16]

Russo-Nance joined the Otago Nuggets for the 2024 New Zealand NBL season.[17] In seven games, he averaged 11.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game.[18][19]

He re-joined the Wildcats as a development player for the 2024–25 NBL season, with the plan to be elevated to the full roster in 2025–26.[20] In 10 games for the Wildcats in 2024–25, he averaged 1.1 points in 3.1 minutes per game.[21]

He joined the Manawatu Jets for the 2025 New Zealand NBL season.[22] In 21 games, he averaged 18.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.5 steals per game.[23]

Early in the 2025–26 NBL season, Russo-Nance was moved into the Wildcats' starting five.[24][25] He scored a career-high 12 points in round 21 against the Sydney Kings.[26] In 28 games, he averaged 2.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.[23]

He re-joined the Manawatu Jets for the 2026 New Zealand NBL season,[27] but parted ways with the team on 29 April 2026 after receiving a college opportunity.[28] He appeared in just two games for the Jets to start the season.[23]

College career

On 11 June 2026, Russo-Nance signed with the Pepperdine Waves of the West Coast Conference.[29]

National team

In July 2025, Russo-Nance was named in his first New Zealand Tall Blacks squad ahead of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.[30]

Personal life

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

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "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. 1 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. 1 2 "Newshub's 2022 Year in Review: Future stars to watch for in 2023". Newshub. 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. 1 2 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.
  15. ↑ "NBL24 season review - Dontae Russo-Nance". Wildcats.com.au. 18 April 2024. Archived from the original on 23 August 2024.
  16. ↑ "Dontae Russo-Nance". Wildcats.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024.
  17. ↑ "Welcome to Dunedin, Dontae!". facebook.com/otagonuggetsnbl. 23 December 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  18. ↑ "Dontae Russo-Nance – Statistics". nznbl.basketball. Archived from the original on 23 August 2024.
  19. ↑ "Dontae Russo-Nance – Game Log". nznbl.basketball. Archived from the original on 23 August 2024.
  20. ↑ "Thank you, Corey and Kyle". Wildcats.com.au. 12 April 2024. Archived from the original on 12 April 2024.
  21. ↑ "Dontae Russo-Nance". NBL.com.au. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  22. ↑ "Dontae Russo-Nance signs with The Jets for 2025". Property Brokers Manawatu Jets. 28 November 2024. Archived from the original on 28 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  23. 1 2 3 "Dontae Russo-Nance, Basketball Player, News, Stats - australiabasket". Eurobasket LLC. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  24. ↑ O'Donoghue, Craig (30 September 2025). "Perth Wildcat Jo Lual-Acuil Jr refusing to get caught up in battle with Illawarra Hawks import JaVale McGee". The West Australian. Retrieved 1 October 2025. The Wildcats also moved Dontae Russo-Nance into the starting five and he seized his opportunity by spending almost 20 minutes on the court.
  25. ↑ O'Donoghue, Craig (1 October 2025). "Perth Wildcats to start with Dontae Russo-Nance and bring Ben Henshall off bench again in clash with Illawarra". The West Australian. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  26. ↑ "Perth Wildcats Roster Update: Dontae Russo-Nance". Perth Wildcats. 12 June 2026. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
  27. ↑ "TAKE-OFF STARTS NOW — OUR FIRST 2026 SIGNING IS IN!". facebook.com/jetsbasketballnz. 5 December 2025. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  28. ↑ "Big news from the Jets family". facebook.com/jetsbasketballnz. 29 April 2026. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  29. ↑ "Men's Basketball Signs Dontae Russo-Nance Out of New Zealand". Pepperdine University Athletics. 11 June 2026. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
  30. ↑ "Three debutants named in Flavell's 2025 FIBA Asia Cup squad |Basketball New Zealand". nz.basketball. 16 July 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
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