Jarrod Kenny

Professional career

From 2002 to 2008, Kenny split time between playing for the Harbour Heat and earning his physiotherapy degree at the Auckland University of Technology.

In December 2008, Kenny signed with the Hawke's Bay Hawks for the 2009 New Zealand NBL season. From 2010 to 2013, he was part of the New Zealand Breakers practice squad and developed his all-round game to become one of the NZNBL's leading point guards, helping the Hawks to the 2011 final and the 2012 regular-season title. In December 2013, he re-signed with the Hawks on a two-year deal.

On 29 December 2014, Kenny signed with Licher BasketBären of the German ProB for the rest of the 2014–15 season. He left the club in late March and returned to New Zealand for the start of the 2015 New Zealand NBL season.

On 1 September 2015, Kenny signed with the Perth Wildcats for the 2015–16 NBL season. After averaging 6.8 points and 3.0 rebounds over the first six games for the Wildcats as a starter in place of the injured Damian Martin, Kenny signed with the Nelson Giants on 2 November for the 2016 New Zealand NBL season. Four days later, he scored a season-high 12 points in the Wildcats' 85–77 win over the Townsville Crocodiles. Kenny served as a solid back-up to Martin all season, and helped the Wildcats claim their seventh NBL championship with a 2–1 Grand Final series win over the New Zealand Breakers. He appeared in all 34 games for the Wildcats in 2015–16, averaging 4.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, earning the club's Coaches' Award at the end-of-season MVP Ball.

Following a stand-down period after the Perth Wildcats' win, Kenny joined the Nelson Giants on 23 March 2016. He appeared in 14 games for the Giants in 2016, averaging 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

On 11 May 2016, Kenny re-signed with the Wildcats on a three-year deal. On 20 September 2016, he signed with the Hawke's Bay Hawks for the 2017 season, returning to the franchise after an injury-plagued season with Nelson in 2016.

On 25 October 2016, Kenny was ruled out for three to five weeks with a groin strain. He returned to action on 17 November 2016 against the Sydney Kings and recorded a career-high five assists. Kenny's minutes decreased in 2016–17, with Damian Martin having a better run with injury and import Bryce Cotton coming in late in the season as a key backcourt scorer. Kenny nonetheless remained a crucial figure as the Wildcats won through their second straight grand final—their sixth in the last eight seasons. Kenny's hard-nosed defensive aptitude, team-first mindset and likening for the big moment have made him a firm favourite of coach Trevor Gleeson. The Wildcats went on to win the 2016–17 championship, as Kenny collected his second consecutive NBL title. In 30 games, he averaged 4.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

On 1 April 2017, Kenny recorded 22 points and 15 assists for the Hawke's Bay Hawks in their 102–91 loss to the Wellington Saints. With the Hawks in 2017, Kenny averaged career-best numbers with 12.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists over 15 games.

National team career

Kenny began playing for the New Zealand Junior Tall Blacks in 2002 and went on to represent the New Zealand university national team at the 2007 World University Championships in Bangkok. He made his senior team debut in 2009 at the FIBA Oceania Championship, going on to represent the Tall Blacks at the 2011 FIBA Oceania Championship, 2012 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship, 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup and 2015 FIBA Oceania Championship. He was ruled out of the Tall Blacks' 2016 Olympic campaign due to injury.

Personal life

Kenny is the son of Danny and Liz Kenny. His wife, Ailbhe Madden, is Irish.