Hot Pepper: Guard named NZNBL MVP

Perth Wildcats guard Elijah Pepper has been rewarded for an outstanding New Zealand National Basketball League season by winning the competition's 2026 MVP award.

Pepper collected the League's highest individual honour after leading the competition in scoring and guiding the Wellington Saints to the Grand Final.

Across 18 regular-season appearances, the 24-year-old averaged a league-high 28.7 points, along with 5.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.9 steals per game, earning scoring champion honours.

He shot an impressive 52 per cent from the field, 37 per cent from three-point range and 84 per cent at the free-throw line, combining high-volume scoring with outstanding efficiency, to help the Saints finish the regular season with a 15-5 record.

His 28.7 points per game were more than three points clear of the competition's next-leading scorer and represented the highest scoring average since 2019.

The Wildcats sharpshooter also ranked third in steals and second in three-pointers made per game, connecting on 63 attempts from beyond the arc at an average of 3.5 per contest.

Pepper's influence was central to a Saints offence that led the League at 100.4 points per game and outscored its opponents by more than 10 points per outing during the regular season.

He carried that form into the playoffs, playing a major role in Wellington's run to the Grand Final.

The MVP recognition completes an outstanding awards haul for Pepper, who was also named to the 2026 All-Star Five and received the Keith Carr Trophy as the League's Most Outstanding Guard.

The 2026 NXNBL MVP was determined through regular-season voting involving the League's head coaches and selected media representatives.

Among the other winners, New Zealand veteran Reuben Te Rangi was named in the League's All-Star Five, alongside NBL26 Breaker, Taylor Britt. Britt was also named the Most Outstanding New Zealand Guard.

Pepper's Saints now play the Southland Sharks in the Grand Final at ILT Stadium Southland, tipping off at 3pm AEST.