Tai Wynyard

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Tai Hikuroa Wynyard (born 5 February 1998) is a New Zealand professional basketball player who last played for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He is a 6'10" power forward/center.

Early life and start of career
- Born in Auckland, Wynyard grew up in Henderson and attended Rangitoto College, helping the school win the Auckland premier championship in 2014.
- In 2014 he played for the Super City Rangers in New Zealand’s NBL and appeared for the Breakers as a development player to keep his NCAA eligibility.

College and moves to the United States
- Wynyard signed with the University of Kentucky in 2015 and joined the Wildcats in 2016, redshirting the 2015–16 season.
- He played for Kentucky from 2016–2018, but appeared in only 15 games and logged limited minutes.
- In 2018 he transferred to Santa Clara, but did not play there due to NCAA eligibility rules.

Return to club basketball
- In 2019 he played for the Southland Sharks in New Zealand.
- He joined the Cairns Taipans in the Australian NBL as a development player for the 2019–20 season, making one appearance.
- In 2020 he moved to the Taranaki Mountainairs (Airs) in the New Zealand NBL, where he had a productive stint and re-signed for following seasons.
- He continued with the Mountainairs/Airs through 2022, then joined the Canterbury Rams for the 2023 season.

Overseas and later NBL action
- In 2024 Wynyard signed with the Shanghai Sharks in China’s CBA, appearing in two games.
- Later in 2024 he returned to the Breakers as an injury replacement and played four games in the 2024–25 NBL season.

National team and 3x3
- Wynyard became the youngest Tall Black in 2014 and later played for the Junior Tall Blacks, including the 2017 Under-19 World Cup where he led the team in points and rebounds.
- In 2023 he helped New Zealand win bronze at the 3x3 Asia Cup and earned all-tournament honors.

Family
- He comes from a family of woodchoppers; his father Jason and grandfather Pae were world champions.
- His mother played college basketball in the United States, and his brother Tautoko joined the Canterbury Rams in 2023.
- Wynyard and his partner Kelly had their first child in October 2020.