Basketball
12 June, 2026
Bruce signs with Taipans
Three-time National Basketball League champion Shaun Bruce will return to where it started, signing a two-year deal with the Cairns Taipans on Tuesday.
The veteran guard first debuted for the Taipans in the 2012-2013 season and has since played 378 NBL games, including with the Brisbane Bullets, Adelaide 36ers, and Sydney Kings.
The 35-year-old guard returns north having spent the past seven seasons with the Sydney Kings, where he won championships in 2022, 2023 and 2026.
In that time, Bruce played the second most games in club history and is the all-time leader in club wins.
The Horsham local will reunite with Taipans head coach Adam Forde, who was an assistant and head coach with the Kings during Bruce’s first two seasons in Sydney.
Speaking on Bruce’s signing, the Taipans coach acknowledged work ethic and leadership as key attributes he expects the veteran guard to bring to the side in NBL27.
“I first got to work with Shaun back in 2019 while at Sydney, and at that time, he had only played seven games as an injury replacement player the season before,” Forde said.
“From that point on, he established himself as a driver of culture, standards and mateship.
“That approach took him from an IRP to now being one of the top players in all-time games played for Sydney.
“That’s a testament to him and what he brings.
“So we will need all of that from him, as well as production on court.”
Since the Kings’ championship win, Bruce has been in strong form for the Logan Thunder in the NBL1 North competition, averaging 20.1 points per game while also averaging a league-high 12.6 assists per game.
Bruce will begin the NBL27 season against his former team, with the Kings hosting the Taipans in round one at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday, September 20.