Shaun Bruce

Shaun Bruce (born 13 January 1991) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL). He is also contracted with the Logan Thunder of the NBL1 North. He began his NBL career in 2012 as a development player with the Cairns Taipans, before earning a full-time roster spot in 2013. In 2016, he moved south to join the Brisbane Bullets. After half a season with the Adelaide 36ers in 2019, he joined the Kings.

Early life and career
Bruce hails from Horsham, Victoria. He grew up playing for the Horsham Hornets.

In 2010, Bruce joined the Ballarat Miners of the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL). In 2011, he won the SEABL East Golden Hands Award, which is calculated by adding a player's assists and steals and subtracting their turnovers. He returned to the Miners in 2012 after having a training stint with the Melbourne Tigers of the National Basketball League.

Cairns Taipans (2012–2016)
Bruce joined the Cairns Taipans as a development player for the 2012–13 NBL season. He subsequently won the inaugural Aron Baynes Award for Most Outstanding Athlete.

Bruce re-joined the Ballarat Miners for the 2013 SEABL season. He missed eight games during the season with a torn quadriceps.

In August 2013, Bruce signed a full-time contract with the Taipans for the 2013–14 season. He appeared in 21 of the team's 28 games in 2013–14, averaging 1.2 points 1.0 rebounds per game.

Bruce played for the Cairns Marlins during the 2014 Queensland Basketball League season, earning All-League Team honours.

Bruce was retained by the Taipans for the 2014–15 season and received a more prominent role. On 31 December 2014, he recorded his first double-digit scoring game of his NBL career with 12 points against the Adelaide 36ers. He helped the Taipans reach the NBL grand final series. He appeared in 31 of the team's 32 games during the season, averaging 3.7 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

Bruce re-joined the Marlins for the 2015 QBL season.

On 19 June 2015, Bruce re-signed with the Taipans for the 2015–16 season. He received more playing time around Christmas due to injuries to teammates Markel Starks and Stephen Weigh. He had 17 points against the Sydney Kings of 2 January. He appeared in all 28 games for the club, averaging 5.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

Bruce joined the Mackay Meteors for the 2016 QBL season. He was named QBL Player of the Week for round six. He appeared in all 18 games for the Meteors in 2016, averaging 20.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He was subsequently named to the QBL All-League Team.

Brisbane Bullets (2016–2018)
On 29 April 2016, Bruce signed a two-year deal with the Brisbane Bullets. He made his debut for the Bullets in their season opener on 6 October 2016, scoring eight points off the bench in a 72–65 win over the Perth Wildcats. He helped the Bullets start the season 2–0 with a 12-point effort off the bench against the Sydney Kings two days later. On 24 November 2016, he had a second 12-point effort in a 101–83 loss to the Adelaide 36ers. On 27 January 2017, he scored a season-high 13 points in an 80–77 loss to Melbourne United. He appeared in all 28 games for the Bullets in 2016–17, averaging 5.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

In the 2017 off-season, Bruce again played for the Mackay Meteors in the QBL. He recorded two triple-doubles   and two Player of the Week awards. He helped the Meteors reach the QBL grand final series, but he injured his ankle in game one and the team lost 2–1 to the Townsville Heat. He was subsequently named the QBL MVP for the 2017 season. In 19 games, he averaged 22.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Bruce missed the start of the 2017–18 NBL season with the ankle injury. On 28 October 2017, he scored a season-high 13 points in an 87–85 win over Melbourne United. In 27 games, he averaged 3.0 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

New Zealand and Malaysia (2018)
Bruce played for the Wellington Saints in the 2018 New Zealand NBL season. In 20 games, he averaged 10.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

In November 2018, Bruce played one game as a stand-in import for the Westports Malaysia Dragons of the ASEAN Basketball League.

Adelaide 36ers and Rockhampton Rockets (2019)
On 16 January 2019, Bruce signed a short-term contract with the Adelaide 36ers as a replacement for injured import Ramone Moore. In seven games, he averaged 2.4 points per game.

Bruce joined the Rockhampton Rockets for the 2019 QBL season. In 20 games, he averaged 22.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 9.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

Sydney Kings and Logan Thunder (2019–present)
On 26 April 2019, Bruce signed with the Sydney Kings for the 2019–20 NBL season. He played a key role off the bench and averaged career highs while stepping up in the absence of the injured Kevin Lisch.

On 15 June 2020, Bruce re-signed with the Kings on a two-year deal. In February 2021, he played his 200th NBL game.

In the 2021 off-season, Bruce played for the Logan Thunder of the NBL1 North.

In the 2021–22 NBL season, Bruce played his 250th NBL game and helped the Kings win the NBL championship.

On 23 May 2022, Bruce re-signed with the Kings on a two-year deal. He helped the Kings win back-to-back championships in 2022–23.

Bruce re-joined the Logan Thunder for the 2023 NBL1 North season and earned All-NBL1 North Second Team honours.

In December 2023, Bruce played his 300th NBL game.

On 12 March 2024, Bruce re-signed with the Kings on a two-year deal. He then re-joined the Thunder for the 2024 NBL1 North season, where he was named to the NBL1 North Second Team for the second straight year.

Personal life
Bruce is the son of Steve and Julie Bruce. His mother was a national-level swimmer, while two of his uncles, Des and Stephen Ryan, played in the Australian Football League (AFL). He also has two older brothers, Aaron and Cameron. Aaron formerly played in the NBL, while Cameron has played many years in the lower level Victorian basketball divisions.

Bruce is close friends with AFL player Jake Lloyd.