James Hunter

James Paton Hunter (born 19 June 1991) is an Australian-New Zealand basketball player for the Sutherland Sharks of the NBL1 East.

Early life Hunter was born in Nowra, New South Wales, but spent much of his childhood living with his grandmother in Taumarunui, New Zealand. He subsequently obtained a New Zealand passport as a teenager.

Between 2009 and 2011, Hunter also played in the Waratah League for the Sydney Comets.

College career Hunter's first college stint in the United States was at Gillette College. and played just 18 games in two seasons. For the 2014–15 season, he transferred to South Dakota and averaged 5.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 32 games. In eight games, he averaged 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

For the 2015–16 season, Hunter played in Spain for Grupo INEC Zamora of the Liga EBA.

Hunter returned to Australia in 2016 and joined the Ballarat Miners of the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL). He was awarded SEABL Player of the Week for Round 19. In 15 games for the Miners, he averaged 11.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

Hunter joined the Southland Sharks for the 2017 New Zealand NBL season. In 18 games, he averaged 7.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

On 11 July 2017, Hunter signed with the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) for the 2017–18 season. On 8 January 2018, he was released by the Breakers. He appeared in two games for the Breakers, totalling five points. He later returned to the Southland Sharks for the 2018 New Zealand NBL season.

Hunter joined the Knox Raiders of the NBL1 for the 2019 season.

Between 2020 and 2021, Hunter played for the Sydney Comets in the Waratah League.

In March 2022, Hunter signed with the Maitland Mustangs of the NBL1 East for the 2022 NBL1 season. He was named team MVP. In December 2022, he re-signed with the Mustangs for the 2023 season. He played a fourth season with the Mustangs in 2025.

In January 2026, Hunter signed with the Sutherland Sharks for the 2026 NBL1 East season. He was active but did not play in the Sharks' 2026 NBL1 East Grand Final appearance.

National team career Hunter played for New Zealand in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup.

Personal Hunter is the son of musicians Todd Hunter and Johanna Pigott. He also has an older brother, Harry, and a younger brother, Joey. His grandmother is Fijian.