Former NBL player Lagerald Vick charged with attempted first-degree murder in US

Tuesday, 14 July 2026

Southland Sharks import Lagerald Vick in action in the NZ NBL against the Hawke’s Bay Hawks in Napier in April 2024.

A former New Zealand NBL player has been charged with attempted first-degree murder in the United States.

Lagerald Vick, who played as an import for the Southland Sharks in the National Basketball League two seasons ago, was arrested at the weekend in Memphis in relation to an alleged incident earlier this month.

The 29-year-old has also been charged with using a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, ESPN reported.

“A man who was hospitalised for a gunshot wound to the back told police that he had gotten into a verbal confrontation with another man at approximately 11pm. He told police he was shot when he turned to run away after seeing the man had a handgun under his armpit.

“According to charging documents, he told police the first name of the alleged shooter and then later identified Vick as the alleged shooter in a photo line-up,” ESPN reported.

Vick, who was charged with two felonies and a misdemeanour in a separate incident earlier this year, had his bail set at US$1.5 million (NZ$2.6m).

The guard, who was a member of the Kansas Jayhawks team which reached the Final Four of the US college men’s basketball tournament in 2018, was released by the Southland Sharks after seven games of the 2024 NBL season after averaging 17 points a game, along with 6.3 rebounds.

After his college career, Vick played professionally in Taiwan, ‌Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela and Uruguay as well as New Zealand.