Corey Webster (basketball)
Corey Webster is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League. A three-time NBL champion with the Breakers, Webster has had stints playing in Europe and spent the 2015 NBA preseason with the New Orleans Pelicans.
High school and college
Webster attended Westlake Boys High School in Auckland, New Zealand. In 2007, he moved to the United States to attend college at Lambuth University, where he played basketball for the Eagles during the 2007–08 season, averaging 11.5 points per game as a freshman.Professional career
Early years and success (2008–2011)
In 2008, Webster returned to Auckland and joined the New Zealand Breakers as a development player, spending two seasons in that role before joining the full-time roster in 2010 on a three-year contract. During this time, he also spent the off-seasons with the Harbour Heat of the New Zealand NBL.In his first full contracted season with the Breakers in 2010–11, Webster helped the team win their first championship. He went on to play for the Wellington Saints during the 2011 New Zealand NBL season where he won his second championship in a matter of months.
Drug ban (2011–2012)
In November 2011, Webster was released by the Breakers due to a drug violation which forced him to sit out the 2011–12 season. He consequently missed out on the Breakers back-to-back championship run that season.Forgiveness and building stardom (2012–2015)
Despite his mishaps, Webster was forgiven by the Breakers as the club brought him back on a three-year deal in August 2012. He went on to be a part of the Breakers' three-peat in 2012–13. His return to the Breakers line-up was mirrored with his return to the Wellington Saints squad for the 2013 New Zealand NBL season.The 2013–14 NBL season saw Webster become a scoring threat off the bench behind Daryl Corletto, as averaged 8.5 points per game. However, the Breakers missed the playoffs that season for the first time since 2010. During the 2014 New Zealand NBL season, Webster further showed his scoring prowess, as he averaged a career-high 25.8 points and earned league MVP honours. He went on to lead the Saints to their eighth NZNBL Championship.
The 2014–15 NBL season saw the Breakers return to the top of the table thanks to the backcourt pairing of Webster and Cedric Jackson. With an increase in output from Webster, going from 8.5 points to 15.3 points, he was in the running for Most Improved Player and helped lead the Breakers back to the Grand Final series where they defeated the Cairns Taipans 2–0.
2015 off-season
On 23 March 2015, Webster signed with Mega Leks for the rest of the 2014–15 KLS season. On 1 June 2015, he earned an invitation to an Indiana Pacers NBA training camp held between 16–18 June.On 15 June 2015, Webster re-signed with the New Zealand Breakers on a three-year deal. In early September, he returned to the United States for an NBA workout with the New Orleans Pelicans. Later that month, he signed with the Pelicans for training camp and preseason. He appeared in three NBA preseason games for the team, but his performances weren't good enough to earn him a spot on the regular season roster, as he was waived by the Pelicans on 15 October 2015.
Post-NBA attempt (2015–2017)
Following his release from the Pelicans, Webster returned to New Zealand and re-joined the Breakers for the rest of the 2015–16 NBL season. He helped bring the Breakers out of a 1–3 start to the season, and on 22 November, he scored a career-high 39 points in an 80–69 win over Melbourne United. The Breakers finished the regular season in fourth place with a 16–12 win/loss record and defeated first-seeded Melbourne United 2–0 in the semi-finals to return to the Grand Final. There they faced the Perth Wildcats where they were defeated 2–1, earning runners-up honors for the first time in club history. In 28 games played during the 2015–16 season, Webster averaged 19.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game, and earned All-NBL second team honours.On 21 March 2016, Webster signed with Koroivos of Greece for the rest of the 2015–16 Greek Basket League season. He managed just two games for the club before returning to Auckland and signing with the Super City Rangers for the rest of the 2016 New Zealand NBL season on 19 April.
Coming into the 2016–17 NBL season, Webster had multiple niggling injuries. He played through them, but combined with Kirk Penney returning to the Breakers and taking over the starting shooting guard role, Webster's production and effectiveness in 2016–17 saw a decline. In addition, an off-field assault charge in late November resulted in him missing a game and caused a stir within the Breakers camp. Heading into Round 11, the Breakers sat in seventh spot on the ladder with a 7–9 record and looked to turn their season around with a grand final rematch against the Perth Wildcats in Auckland on 15 December. However, a day before the scheduled rematch, Webster was placed on injury waiver by the Breakers for the "medium to long term". In 15 games played in 2016–17, Webster averaged 11.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. On 5 January 2017, he announced his decision to undergo hip surgery, but after his injuries improved with rehab and time away from the daily grind of the basketball season, Webster never had the procedure. The Breakers went on to miss the playoffs in 2016–17 with a 14–14 record.
2017 off-season
On 2 March 2017, Webster signed with the Wellington Saints for the 2017 New Zealand NBL season, returning to the team for a third stint. Later that month, after the Breakers severed ties with Webster, he signed a two-year deal with the Perth Wildcats. After leading the Saints to championship glory and winning the league MVP award, Webster ventured to the United States to trial with the Dallas Mavericks. After turning heads at their free agent mini-camp in late June, Webster agreed to terms with the Mavericks to join the team's roster for the 2017 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Then on 13 July 2017, the Wildcats agreed to a request from Webster to release him from his contract with the club, effective immediately. Webster expressed the desire to break his contract to pursue his career overseas.Israel (2017–2018)
On 1 August 2017, Webster signed with Ironi Nahariya of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. On 2 March 2018, Webster won the Three-Point Shootout during the 2018 Israeli All-Star Event. On 3 May 2018, Webster parted ways with Nahariya. In 23 games played during the 2017–18 season, Webster averaged 15.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.2 steals per game.Return to the Breakers (2018–2019)
On 24 May 2018, Webster returned to the New Zealand Breakers, signing a three-year deal with the club. The following month, he joined the Guizhou Shenghang Snow Leopards of the Chinese NBL. The Breakers' 5–8 record to start the 2018–19 season coincided with Webster's form slump. After scoring 31 points in a defeat to Melbourne United on 16 November, he managed just 21 points at 4.2 a game over the ensuing month, while shooting 20 percent from the floor and 19 from beyond the arc.In December 2019, Webster was bought out of his contract in order to sign in China.