The long-time Tall Blacks centre has signed on for a fifth season with the Southland Sharks.
Pledger’s ability inside has made him one of the most dominant New Zealanders in the National Basketball League over the past decade.
Most recently he captained the Sharks to the finals in 2019 and was part of their champion 3×3 team this year.
However, after opting out of the 2020 Showdown — which the Sharks did not play in — there is some extra excitement for 2021.
"Outside of the 3×3 last month I really played no basketball this year," Pledger said.
"Southland is always a place I’ve enjoyed going to.
"I love the place and the organisation so it was a no-brainer.
"I’ve never played for Bevo [Sharks’ head coach Rob Beveridge] but I played against a lot of his Perth teams in the Australian NBL and I have a huge amount of respect for him and really like the way his teams play.
"We are still in the early stages of putting the team together, but from what we already have I know we will mesh really well with his style and the way he wants to play."
The side starts on April 26 against the Nelson Giants.
