| No. 18 – Brisbane Bullets | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward |
| League | NBL |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1995-10-06)6 October 1995 (age 30) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Listed height | 205 cm (6 ft 9 in) |
| Listed weight | 117 kg (258 lb) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Rosmini College (Auckland, New Zealand) |
| College | Polk State (2014–2015) |
| Playing career | 2012–present |
| Career history | |
| 2012 | Auckland Pirates |
| 2013–2015 | Super City Rangers |
| 2015–2020 | Melbourne United |
| 2016 | Sandringham Sabres |
| 2017 | Canterbury Rams |
| 2017 | Frankston Blues |
| 2018 | Nelson Giants |
| 2019 | Kilsyth Cobras |
| 2020 | Auckland Huskies |
| 2021 | Wellington Saints |
| 2021–2023 | South East Melbourne Phoenix |
| 2022 | Sandringham Sabres |
| 2023–2024 | Wellington Saints |
| 2023–2024 | Adelaide 36ers |
| 2024–present | Brisbane Bullets |
| 2025 | Canterbury Rams |
| 2026– | Wellington Saints |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Medals | |
Tohiraukura Makaere Smith-Milner (born 6 October 1995) is a New Zealand professionalbasketball player for theBrisbane Bullets of the AustralianNational Basketball League (NBL). He is also contracted with theWellington Saints of the New ZealandNational Basketball League (NZNBL). He has previously played in the Australian NBL forMelbourne United,South East Melbourne Phoenix andAdelaide 36ers, and has represented theNew Zealand Tall Blacks. He has played consistently in the New Zealand NBL since 2012.
Smith-Milner was born and raised inAuckland,[1] where he attendedRosmini College and played junior basketball for Waitakere.[2]
Smith-Milner debuted in theNew Zealand NBL in2012 with the championship-winningAuckland Pirates, playing five games. He joined theSuper City Rangers in2013 but did not play, going on to play 10 games for the Rangers in2014 and averaging 12.7 points per game.[3]
After a season in the United States playingcollege basketball forPolk State College in 2014–15,[4] Smith-Milner re-joined the Rangers for the2015 season.[3]
In 2016, Smith-Milner played for theSandringham Sabres in theSEABL. In 2017, he played for both theCanterbury Rams in the New Zealand NBL and theFrankston Blues in the SEABL. He played for theNelson Giants in the New Zealand NBL in 2018 and theKilsyth Cobras in theNBL1 in 2019.[5] He played for theAuckland Huskies in 2020,[6] theWellington Saints in 2021,[7] and the Sandringham Sabres in 2022.[8]
Smith-Milner joined the Wellington Saints in 2023.[9] He re-joined the Saints in 2024.[10]
Smith-Milner joined the Canterbury Rams for the2025 season, returning for the franchise for the first time since 2017.[11]
He is set to re-join the Wellington Saints for the2026 season.[12]
In 2015, Smith-Milner joinedMelbourne United of theAustralian NBL. He spent three seasons as a development player before signing a full-time contract in 2018.[13][14] He spent two seasons with United as a fully contracted player.[15]
On 13 August 2021, Smith-Milner signed a two-year deal with theSouth East Melbourne Phoenix, with the second year being a Club Option.[16]
On 26 August 2023, Smith-Milner signed with theAdelaide 36ers for the2023–24 NBL season.[17]
On 19 April 2024, Smith-Milner signed a two-year deal with theBrisbane Bullets.[18] In November 2024, he played his 150th NBL game.[19] On 21 February 2025, the Bullets exercised the club option in his contract for the 2025–26 season.[20]
Smith-Milner played for theNew Zealand Tall Blacks in the2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon, where he averaged 10.5 points and 4.2 rebounds.[21] The following year, he was a member of the bronze-medal winning Tall Blacks squad at the2018 Commonwealth Games.[5] In 2019, he played in theFIBA Basketball World Cup in China, where he averaged 5.2 points and 2.8 rebounds.[22]
In July 2022, Smith-Milner helped New Zealand win bronze at theFIBA Asia Cup. He was subsequently named to the All-Star Five.[23]
In July 2023, Smith-Milner was named in the Tall Blacks squad for the2023 FIBA World Cup.[24]
In May 2025, Smith-Milner was named in the Tall Blacks squad for a trans-Tasman series againstAustralia.[25] Two months later, he was named in the Tall Blacks squad for the2025 FIBA Asia Cup.[26]
In November 2025, Smith-Milner was named in the Tall Blacks squad for the first window of theFIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.[27]
Smith-Milner and his partner Hana had their first child in November 2024.[19]
