Adrian "A. J." Majstrovich (born 9 February 1980) is a New Zealand-Australian former professional basketball player. He spent the majority of his 20-year career playing in the Australian NBL, New Zealand NBL and

State Basketball League NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball L ...

(SBL). He achieved the most success in New Zealand, winning two championships and earning the Rookie of the Year in 2003 and league MVP in 2004.

Early life and career

Majstrovich was born in

Tūrangi Tūrangi is a small town on the west bank of the Tongariro River, 50 kilometres south-west of Taupō on the North Island Volcanic Plateau of New Zealand. It was built to accommodate the workers associated with the Tongariro Power Scheme, Tongar ...

, New Zealand, to Croatian parents, and was raised in

Carnarvon, Western Australia Carnarvon ( ) is a coastal town situated approximately north of Perth, in Western Australia. It lies at the mouth of the Gascoyne River on the Indian Ocean. The Shark Bay World Heritage Site, world heritage area lies to the south of the town an ...

, on his grandparents'

banana plantation A banana plantation is a commercial agricultural facility found in tropical climates where bananas are grown. Geographic distribution Banana plants may grow with varying degrees of success in diverse climatic conditions, but commercial banana pl ...

.Basketball: Family feel for 'local' Aussie
/ref> He later moved to

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, where he attended

Morley Senior High School Morley Senior High School is an Independent Public high school located in Noranda, a northern suburb of Perth, Western Australia. The school provides an education to approximately 1,400 students from Year 7 to Year 12. History By the end of ...

. In 1996, he made his SBL debut for the

East Perth Eagles East Perth Eagles is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of East Perth District Basketball Association (EPDBA), the major administrative baske ...

.Majstrovich shines for Suns
/ref> In 1997, he moved to

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

to attend the

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

(AIS) and play for the program's SEABL team. He also represented Australia at Under 20 level from 1996 to 1999, making him ineligible for the Tall Blacks.

Professional career

Early ANBL years (1998–2001)

In 1998, Majstrovich joined the

Perth Wildcats The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Perth Arena, ...

and made his Australian NBL debut. In 2000, he became an NBL champion, when the Wildcats defeated the

Victoria Giants The Victoria Titans (known in its final two seasons as the Victoria Giants), were an Australian professional basketball team that competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). The club was based in Melbourne, Victoria. History The Titans ...

in the NBL Grand Final series. During the 1999 NBL off-season, he played for the

. During the

2000–01 NBL season The 2000–01 NBL season was the 23rd season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 11 teams contested the league. Regular season The 2000–01 regular season took place over 24 rounds between 20 October 2000 and 31 March 2 ...

, he joined the

Brisbane Bullets The Brisbane Bullets are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL) based in Brisbane, Queensland. They competed from 1979 to 2008, and returned to the league in 2016. Brisbane were one of ten NBL ...

and played four games.Player statistics for Adrian Majstrovich – NBL
/ref> Following the NBL season, he played for the Launceston Tigers in the

SEABL The South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) was a semi-professional basketball league in Australia comprising both a men's and women's competition. The SEABL began in 1981 and operated for 38 seasons until it was disbanded in 2018. The ...

First overseas stint (2001–2003)

Between 2001 and 2003, he played one season in Germany for TUS Jena and one season in Austria for UBC St.Pölten.

Return to ANBL and first stint in NZNBL (2003–2008)

In 2003, Majstrovich made his debut in the New Zealand NBL for the

Hawke's Bay Hawks The Hawke's Bay Hawks are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Napier. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Pettigrew Green Arena. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as th ...

. He was named Rookie of the Year in his first season before going on to earn the MVP award in 2004.BASKETBALL: Majstrovich to see more of Kiwi life
/ref> After returning to the Perth Wildcats for the 2004–05 season, Majstrovich returned to New Zealand in 2005 and played a third season for the Hawke's Bay Hawks, before joining the

New Zealand Breakers The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Bank of New Zealand, BNZ Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers are the only non-Australian side currently competing in Austral ...

for the

2005–06 NBL season The 2005–06 NBL season was the 28th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 11 teams contested the league. Regular season The 2005–06 regular season took place over 23 rounds between 2 September 2005 to 5 February ...

. However, his debut season with the Breakers was cut short by a season-ending leg injury. After a championship-winning season with the Hawks in 2006, Majstrovich joined the

Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in the state's capital of Adela ...

for the 2006–07 NBL season. In 2007, he joined the

Wellington Saints The Wellington Saints are a New Zealand professional men's basketball team based in Wellington. The Saints compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at TSB Bank Arena. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as ...

. In 2008, he joined the

Auckland Stars The Auckland Stars were a New Zealand basketball team based in Auckland. The Stars competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at ASB Stadium. Team history The Auckland Stars, then known as Auckland Metro, were ...

Romania (2008)

Following his season with the Auckland Stars, Majstrovich moved to Romania to play for

Tab Baldwin Thomas Anthony "Tab" Baldwin (born 16 May 1958) is an American-New Zealand basketball coach who currently serves as the head of the Gilas Pilipinas Youth national basketball programme and head coach for the Ateneo Blue Eagles of the University ...

at U-Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca. His stint ended in December 2008 after appearing in three

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

games and two

EuroChallenge FIBA EuroChallenge (called the FIBA Europe League in 2003–05, and FIBA EuroCup in 2005–08) was the 3rd-tier continental club basketball competition in Europe, from 2003 to 2015. It was organized and run by FIBA Europe. It is not to be confus ...

games.

SBL and NZNBL (2009–2016)

In 2009, Majstrovich returned to Perth and joined the

Kalamunda Eastern Suns Kalamunda Eastern Suns is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Kalamunda & Districts Basketball Association (KDBA), the major administrative ...

of the State Basketball League. He continued on with the Suns in 2010. In 2011 and 2012, he played for the

Perth Redbacks Perth Redbacks is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Perth Basketball Association (PBA), the major administrative basketball organisation ...

, and in 2013, he played for the Perry Lakes Hawks. For the 2014 season, Majstrovich initially joined the

Nelson Giants The Nelson Giants are a New Zealand professional men's basketball team based in Nelson, New Zealand, Nelson. The Giants compete in the National Basketball League (New Zealand), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the T ...

in New Zealand,Welcome back, Majstrovich
/ref> but a foot injury ruled him for the duration of the campaign.Injury-plagued Majstrovich out
/ref> In June 2014, he moved to Kalgoorlie and joined the

Goldfields Giants Goldfields Giants is an NBL1 West club based in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is owned by the Goldfields Basketball Association (GBA), the major administrative basketball ...

for the rest of the 2014 SBL season. In 2015, Majstrovich returned to New Zealand and helped the Southland Sharks win the NBL championship. In 2016, Majstrovich played one final season in the SBL, this time with the Stirling Senators.Senators look to make noise despite tough preparation
/ref>

Personal

Majstrovich is the son of Maja and Ozren, and has an older brother named Ivan. Majstrovich is married to wife Jaime. In 2009, Majstrovich returned to Perth to study for a career as a civil draughtsman.

References

External links

Basketball New Zealand profileANBL statsSBL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Majstrovich, Adrian 1980 births Living people Adelaide 36ers players Auckland Stars players Brisbane Bullets players Forwards (basketball) Hawke's Bay Hawks players New Zealand Breakers players New Zealand expatriate basketball people in Romania New Zealand men's basketball players New Zealand people of Croatian descent People from Tūrangi Perth Wildcats players Southland Sharks players U-BT Cluj-Napoca players Wellington Saints players Sportspeople from Waikato 21st-century New Zealand sportsmen