Mika Vukona doesn't muck about.

Less than a week after the confetti was cleaned up following Wellington's win in the national basketball league finals series, the Fico Finance Nelson Giants have secured their marquee player for the coming three seasons.

Vukona missed the Giants' semifinal match against Waikato with a knee ligament tear but he's well on the way to recovery and was keen to commit to Nelson until the end of 2013.

His signing is a huge boost for Nelson's prospects in the Bartercard NBL. The 1.95m forward contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds a game and was the Giants' emotional touchstone.

"What Mika brings rubs off on everyone else," head coach Chris Tupu said.

"I don't think there is a player in the league who plays with the kind of hustle he does."

Vukona is still developing his skills, which makes his three-year commitment to Nelson more crucial. Long considered one of the best defenders and rebounders in the sport, his offensive game is now catching up rapidly. He made 49 per cent of his field goal attempts this season, converting 17 three-pointers.

"He's always been a good shooter but he's still getting to that place where he's confident to look for his chances to score. He's just going to keep getting better in that part of the game," Tupu said.

Vukona, who has also signed a two-year contract with the New Zealand Breakers (with the option of a third year), now has his immediate playing future secured. The Breakers' season meshes with the New Zealand national league, meaning he can play in both leagues, then focus on his career with the Tall Blacks.

"Being a professional sportsperson usually means that you have to face a lot of moving and changes in your situation," Vukona said. "Being locked in with the Giants and with the Breakers means that Ness [his wife, Vanessa], Gia and I have some stability in our lives."

Waikato had begun sniffing round the international forward but Vukona said they were just first-time inquiries and "nothing concrete" had been discussed.

"It's a no-brainer for me to stay in Nelson. It's always where I would choose to play in the New Zealand NBL and I hope the rest of the group feels the same way.

"I'm not just looking at this team going all the way to a title, we should aim for a couple, or three."

Vukona has been second-guessing the choice to sit out the semifinal loss to Waikato, particularly after Australian forward Tony Ronaldson suffered a similar injury playing Nelson, yet managed to make a contribution in the three-game finals series.

"I was pissed off, still am," he said. "But it would have been a short-term gain. At the moment, I'm resting it, doing some pool work, focusing on improving my balance and stability but I will always wonder, `what if'?"

Tupu has not gone through the same mental wrangle, knowing that Vukona's long-term future is more important than his recent past.

"He's proven at New Zealand level, he's proven at Aussie level, he's proven at international level," Tupu said. "He's still a young man in the game and his upside is tremendous. It would have been stupid to put that at risk.

"Having Mika commit to the Giants as our marquee player is the perfect building block and will probably be the catalyst for our other key contributors to get back on board."

With one of his top performers in place, Tupu will now hope to secure the likes of Phill Jones, Mike Fitchett, Darryl Jones, Tony Rampton and Josh Bloxham.

"We came up short in the semifinal but this group played some pretty good basketball through the season. Put Mika and a fit DJ [Darryl Jones] in there and we were a match for any team in the league.

"We'll change one major thing and fill the second import slot next season but the priority now is to build on Mika's signing and lock in the other guys who formed the core group this year."

Vukona is travelling north with Nelson team-mate Bloxham on Friday to join the Breakers in pre-season training but he also has to get the knee right in time for the Tall Blacks' world championship campaign.

"I'm hoping and praying," he said. "It's coming right but I have to be patient and that's probably not my strong point."