From Tulsa to Invercargill; 'basketball has changed my life'
“Basketball has kind of saved me, so I try to reward the game back with being a sponge to the game and giving all I can back to it.”
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Sport can be a vehicle to some unexpected places and the script for some special stories.
Keylan Boone is an example of that.
Boone hails from Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the United States. It’s where the seeds were sown for his love of basketball, which he says has changed his life.
It is basketball that has led him to Invercargill, New Zealand, and now sees him one win away from a championship in the first year of his professional career.
“There used to be a church right across the street from my school called John 3:16, so I remember going there when I was around fourth, fifth grade, I just wanted to go there and play basketball,” Boone told The Tribune.
“I got my brother playing basketball at the same time because of it. Ever since then, it has stuck with me.”
Boone described his introduction to basketball almost two decades ago as a blessing.
“It has definitely changed my reality.”
“Basketball brought me here [to New Zealand], it has brought me around a lot of different cultures and a lot of different people.
“I feel like that is the blessing with it, because we talk about basketball within itself, but we don’t talk about what basketball brings with it and how it changes your reality,” Boone said.
“Basketball has kind of saved me, so I try to reward the game back with being a sponge to the game and giving all I can back to it.”
Naturally, his family back home in the United States is proud of what Boone has done, and is continuing to do, in the world of basketball.
The 24-year-old has three siblings, including a twin brother.
Boone has no doubt his basketball journey has helped bring him closer to his own family, as strange as that might sound when he is currently a long-haul flight away from them.
He has a younger sister who was adopted out when they were young. Boone has only recently connected with her, and he credits his basketball journey to helping make that happen.
Boone now wears a pendant around his neck everywhere he goes, which is a nod to his sister.
“God works in mysterious ways; he helped me get in contact with my sister. My twin brother is going to go see my sister on Sunday, [Saturday in the US], which will be the first time he has for years.
“It’s amazing how basketball can help fix things in the long run. I’ve had a lot of highs and lows in my life, so the fact that I can just stay humble, stick to my roots of basketball, it just shows basketball has changed my life.”
Boone has been a key figure in helping the Southland Sharks go on a nine-game winning streak to get them to the 2025 New Zealand NBL final against the Wellington Saints in Wellington on Sunday.
Even early in the season when the Sharks were struggling, Boone said there was a good feeling within the group.
To win a championship in his first professional contract, alongside a group of players he has grown close to, would mean a lot.
Particularly given how far the Sharks team has come in a short space of time.
“It would mean the world. I couldn’t have told you I would have expected this, but the fact that we are this far now shows the connectedness and unity.
“Self-confidence can get you over a hump… Over time, shots that we missed were going to go in; over time, the calls that we didn’t get, we were going to get them.
“You can see the unity got us over the hump.”
Boone has loved his time in New Zealand, describing it as a beautiful place with great landscapes and ocean views.
“I ask everyone, ‘I wonder if the Sharks will take me back next year?’
“I would love to come back here, I love New Zealand. It’s been a different experience, the people are great here, and I’ve made some new brothers here.”
The answer to that question as to whether the Sharks would want Boone back next year is almost likely a firm ‘absolutely’.
The more relevant question is whether Boone would be available to play in the 2026 NBL season.
The global interest in Boone is likely to have grown on the back of what he has produced in his rookie pro season with the Sharks.
“I’ve been talking to my agent, and he’s been letting me know it is good news. I’m just staying in the right head space, and he is doing a good job in reassuring me the work is paying off,” Boone said.
“I heard a couple of G-League teams [are interested] and a couple of Europe teams, so I’m just excited with what’s next.
“Hopefully, if it is in the States it will be in the States, if it’s in Europe, then I’m excited for Europe. Either or, I’m just excited to be moving my pro career.”
First, he has a title to win with the Southland Sharks on Sunday.
Tip-off is scheduled for 2.40pm.
You're an absolute joy to see on the court, Keylan!!!