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Elijah Pepper
American college basketball player (born 2001) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Elijah Ron Pepper (born May 8, 2001) is an Australian-American professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the UC Davis Aggies and won the Big West Player of the Year in 2024.
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Early life and high school
Elijah Ron Pepper was born on May 8, 2001,[1] in Australia, in the Victorian city of Shepparton,[2] before relocating to the United States as a young child.[3] He attended Selah High School in Selah, Washington. As a freshman, he averaged 21.3 points per game. Pepper increased his scoring to 29 points per game as a sophomore, leading the team to a 2A state title appearance. As a junior, he averaged 24.2 points per game and earned league MVP honors. Pepper was hampered by a knee injury as a senior but averaged 24.1 points per game and a 2A title game appearance. He committed to play college basketball at UC Davis.[4]
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College career
Pepper became a starter for UC Davis as a freshman and averaged 8.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.[4] As a sophomore, he averaged 14.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Pepper averaged 15.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a junior.[5] As a senior, he averaged 22.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, earning First Team All-Big West honors.[6] Pepper entered the 2023 NBA draft before returning for his fifth season of eligibility.[7] On December 21, 2023, he scored 21 points in a win against UC Merced to surpass Audwin Thomas's mark as UC Davis all-time leading scorer.[8] Pepper was named Big West Player of the Year in 2024.[9]
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Professional career
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On April 19, 2024, Pepper signed with the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) for the 2024–25 season.[10] Injuries to fellow guards Bryce Cotton and Tai Webster opened the door for increased minutes, starting in seven of his 31 appearances.[11] He scored a season-high 18 points against the Sydney Kings in just his second NBL appearance on September 27.[11][12] He finished the season with averages of 7.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.[12]
Pepper joined the Warwick Senators of the NBL1 West for the 2025 season.[13][14] On April 5, 2025, he scored 50 points with nine 3-pointers in the Senators' 117–79 season-opening win over the Lakeside Lightning.[15][16] On April 12, he scored 51 points with nine 3-pointers in a 134–109 win over the Rockingham Flames.[17][18][19][20] On April 17, he scored 48 points with 10 3-pointers in a 102–98 win over the Joondalup Wolves.[21][22][23] On April 26, he scored 50 points in a 119–83 win over the Perth Redbacks.[24][25][26] On May 3, he recorded a triple-double with 35 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in a 104–87 win over the Mandurah Magic.[27][28] On July 18, he scored 37 of his 44 points in the first half of the Senators' 125–96 win over the Perry Lakes Hawks.[29][30] The next day, he scored 59 points in a 130–79 win over the South West Slammers, setting a new NBL1 scoring record.[31][32][33][34][35] He earned All-NBL1 West First Team honours[36] and was the league's leading scorer.[37] He led the Senators to the NBL1 West Grand Final with a team-high 33 points in a 99–97 win over the Flames in the preliminary final.[38][39] In the grand final, Pepper scored a game-high 33 points in an 81–78 loss to the Geraldton Buccaneers.[40]
On March 31, 2025, the Wildcats picked up the second-year team option on Pepper's contract for the 2025–26 NBL season.[12]
National team career
In February 2025, Pepper was named in the Australian Boomers squad for two FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.[41] In April 2025, he was named in the Boomers squad for a trans-Tasman series against New Zealand in May.[42]
Personal life
Pepper's father, Ryan, and uncle, Jason, both played college basketball in the United States before competing at the state league level in Australia.[43] Ryan, a native of Yakima, Washington,[44] played at Central Washington University and then competed professionally in Australia.[45][46] After a brief career with the Hobart Chargers in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL), Ryan played for the Shepperton Gators in the Big V between 1999 and 2002. While there he met his wife, Danielle, who worked for the company that owned Shepparton's gym.[47][48] Jason played in the SEABL between 1996 and 2005.[49][50]
Elijah Pepper is the oldest of four children; he has two younger brothers and a younger sister.[2]
Pepper holds an Australian passport[10] and is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia.[45]
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References
External links
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