Kyle Zunic

Kyle Luke Zunic (born 4 March 1999) is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for the Keilor Thunder of the NBL1 South. He played four seasons of college basketball in the United States for the Winthrop Eagles before joining the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 2021.

Early life and career Zunic was born in Sydney, New South Wales, in the southern suburb of Kogarah. His family later moved to Sanctuary Point, where he attended Sanctuary Point Public School. Around 10 and 11 years old, he played rugby league. He started playing basketball in Shellharbour before moving to Wollongong to play representative basketball for the Illawarra Hawks. He played for NSW Country at national tournaments.

Zunic moved to Canberra to attend the Australian Institute of Sport and Lake Ginninderra College. He played for the BA Centre of Excellence in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) in 2016 and 2017, averaging 8.0 points in his first season and 16.3 points in his second season.

As a freshman for the Winthrop Eagles in 2017–18, He missed games with injuries to his ankles and appendix issues.

As a sophomore in 2018–19, Zunic averaged career highs in points (8.6), rebounds (4.3), assists (1.9) and minutes (21.8).

As a junior in 2019–20, Zunic was named to the Big South Conference All-Academic Team and helped the Eagles win the Big South Conference tournament. and helped the Eagles win the Big South Conference tournament for the second year in a row. He played 25 games with a career-high 24 starts and averaged 5.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 19.6 minutes per game. In 12 games to finish the 2021 NBL1 season, he averaged 12.91 points, 6.33 rebounds, 5.08 assists and 1.16 steals per game.

On 6 September 2021, Zunic signed with the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL) as a development player for the 2021–22 season. He made his NBL debut on 3 December 2021, scoring two points in 17½ minutes as a starter in the Wildcats' 85–73 season-opening win over the Adelaide 36ers. He became the first development player in NBL history to earn a start in his debut. In 16 games, he averaged 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.

Zunic joined the Warwick Senators of the NBL1 West for the 2022 season. In 18 games, he averaged 17.78 points, 4.78 rebounds, 4.28 assists and 1.56 steals per game.

On 24 May 2022, Zunic was elevated to the Wildcats' main roster on a two-year deal. He appeared in 14 games during the 2022–23 NBL season, averaging 1.6 points per game.

Zunic joined the Northside Wizards for the 2023 NBL1 North season. In 14 games, he averaged 15.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.43 steals per game.

Zunic missed the first three weeks of the 2023–24 NBL season due to a foot injury. He appeared in 10 games for the Wildcats in 2023–24, scoring eight total points. He earned his second straight Perth Wildcats Coaches Award.

On 21 March 2024, Zunic signed with the Keilor Thunder of the NBL1 South for the 2024 season. In 18 games, he averaged 18.22 points, 6.11 rebounds, 6.11 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

National team career In 2015, Zunic helped the Australian under-16 team win gold at the FIBA Oceania Under-16 Championship in New Zealand. He also competed at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Germany.

In 2019, Zunic helped the Australian University National Team win bronze at the World University Games in Italy.

In February 2022, Zunic was named in the Australian Boomers squad for the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in Japan.

Personal life Zunic is the son of Zoran and Tania Zunic. His brother, Jordan, is a professional golfer.