TALL BLACK JORDAN'S BABY JOY: 'I'M A BIG, SOFT TEDDY BEAR'

The basketball star admits his daughter has him wrapped around her little finger

- Carmen Lichi

Pia James Winika Ngatai

Born 12 December 2022

Weight 3.14kg

Length 53cm

As a towering professional basketball player who travels the world competing in major tournaments, not much fazes Jordan Ngatai.

But the 1.96cm Tall Black, nicknamed the Prince of Porirua, admits that when it comes to his firstborn daughter Pia, he's nothing but "a big, soft teddy bear".

And there's no doubt the feeling's mutual. As Woman's Day catches up with Jordan and his partner Paige Reeves at their Napier homebase, where he plays for the Hawke's Bay Hawks, the sleeping tot's deep blue eyes fly open, fixing firmly on her father, a smile on her lips as he tenderly cradles her.

"Some of my teammates see my photos of Pia and tease me a bit," he tells. "They're like, 'Oh, look, he's all staunch at training - and then he gets home and he's a big, soft teddy bear!' It's true, though - Pia's got me wrapped around her little finger already. I'm not even gonna deny it." Now seven months old, Pia is a smiley, crawling explorer.

"She's pretty quick off the mark, so we've always got to keep an eye on her," says Jordan, 30. "We think her blue eyes come from Paige's side and she's got my fair skin from the Irish side of my Irish-Māori family."

"She's like a little mini bestie," adds Paige, 26. "She makes everything so much fun and even though we're both close with our families, having this new addition has really strengthened that bond." Pia's middle names are a nod to the middle name of Paige's father Reuben, as well as the couple's Māori heritage and her birth month.

"Winika means Christmas orchid in te reo," says Jordan, recalling how he learned about the plant at school.

Teaching their beautiful wee girl te reo Māori is a non-negotiable for the couple, with Jordan of Ngāti Toa descent and Paige's Ngāti Whātua ancestry.