Nationality New Zealand Height 1.98 m Listed height 198 cm (6 ft 6 in) Weight 100 kg | Listed weight 95 kg (209 lb) Name Puke Lenden 1999 Auckland Rebels Role Basketball Player Pro career 1998 | |
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Position Small forward, Shooting guard | ||
Puke Lenden (born 4 January 1980) is a New Zealand former professional basketball player.
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Playing career
From 1998 to 2002, Lenden played in the New Zealand NBL for the Hawke's Bay Hawks and the Auckland Rebels, winning his first championship in 1999 with the Rebels. From 2003 to 2005, he played for the Waikato Titans, and from 2006 to 2011, he played for the Waikato Pistons after the club changed its name from Titans to Pistons. Lenden was named the 2008 Finals MVP following the Pistons' 2–0 series defeat of the Wellington Saints; he averaged 9.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in the Finals as a role player. In 2009, the Pistons also won the championship after defeating the Nelson Giants, 2–0.
On 5 June 2014, Lenden signed with the Southland Sharks for the rest of the 2014 New Zealand NBL season. After a successful return to action in 2014, he joined the Super City Rangers for the 2015 season.
Coaching career
In 2012 and 2013, Lenden coached the Waikato Wizards of the Women's Basketball Championship (WBC).
Personal
Lenden's mother, Lesley, lives in Whakatu.