New Zealand Breakers

History

Early years

In March 2003, a New Zealand basketball team was confirmed to be entering the Australian National Basketball League in the 2003–04 season. Three Waikato businessmen, Michael Redman, Dallas Fisher and Keith Ward, were persuaded to start the Breakers franchise.

A driving force behind establishing the Breakers was inaugural coach Jeff Green. Green stepped down as coach two months into the season and was replaced by assistant coach Frank Arsego. The Breakers finished their first season in tenth place with a 12–21 record.

After finishing the 2004–05 season in last place, the Breakers replaced Arsego with Andrej Lemanis for the 2005–06 season. In 2005, Liz and Paul Blackwell took over ownership of the Breakers.

With the addition of Kirk Penney for the 2007–08 season, the Breakers made their first playoff appearance. The Breakers returned to the playoffs in 2008–09 behind Penney and C. J. Bruton. Penney was sidelined for nine games with a back injury in 2009–10, with a mid-season slump leading to the Breakers missing the playoffs.

Championship era (2010–2016)

The 2010–11 season saw the Breakers earn their first minor premiership with a first-place finish and a 22–6 record. They went on to reach their inaugural NBL grand final with a 2–1 semi-final victory over the Perth Wildcats. In the grand final series, the Breakers defeated the Cairns Taipans 2–1 to win their maiden NBL championship. They became the first New Zealand side to win a major Australian championship. The team was led by Penney, Bruton, Mika Vukona, Gary Wilkinson, Paul Henare and grand final MVP Thomas Abercrombie.

The 2011–12 season saw the Breakers claim the minor premiership with a 21–7 record and reach the NBL grand final series, where they defeated the Perth Wildcats 2–1 to win their second championship. The team was led by Wilkinson, Abercrombie, Vukona, Daryl Corletto, Cedric Jackson and grand final MVP C. J. Bruton.

The 2012 off-season saw the departure of Gary Wilkinson and the elevation of Alex Pledger to the starting line-up, while guard Corey Webster returned to the squad after a 12-month suspension for the use of banned substances. The 2012–13 season saw the Breakers win the minor premiership behind a 15-game winning streak. They went on to reach the NBL grand final series, where they defeated the Wildcats 2–0 to win their third straight championship behind grand final MVP Cedric Jackson. The Breakers became just the second team to win a three-peat of championships after the Sydney Kings in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

The 2013 off-season saw the departure of long-time coach Andrej Lemanis.

After missing the playoffs in 2013–14, the Breakers brought back Cedric Jackson for the 2014–15 season. They finished the regular season in second place with a 19–9 record and defeated the Adelaide 36ers 2–0 in the semi-finals to return to the NBL grand final. In the grand final series, the Breakers defeated the Cairns Taipans 86–71 in game one and 83–81 in game two. Ekene Ibekwe hit the game-winning buzzer beater in game two to lift the Breakers to their fourth championship in five seasons. Jackson was named grand final MVP for the second time.

The Breakers returned to the NBL grand final series for the fifth time in six years in 2015–16, where they lost 2–1 to the Perth Wildcats. Following the 2015–16 season, chief executive Richard Clarke and coach Dean Vickerman parted ways with the organisation, with Paul Henare becoming head coach and Dillon Boucher becoming general manager.

Post championship era and new ownership (2016–2020)

After missing the playoffs in 2016–17, the Breakers had a 9–1 record early in the 2017–18 season, setting their best start in franchise history. They went on to finish the regular season in fourth place with a 15–13 record and lost to Melbourne United in the semi-finals. Kirk Penney retired following the season.

In 2018, a consortium headed by former NBA player Matt Walsh became the majority shareholders via a newly formed company called Breakers Basketball Ltd. Under head coach Kevin Braswell, the Breakers missed the playoffs in 2018–19 with a sixth-place finish and a 12–16 record.

The 2019–20 season saw the appointment of new coach Dan Shamir and the acquisition of R. J. Hampton as part of the NBL Next Stars program. The Breakers subsequently had record home crowds and engagement. Despite winning 11 of their last 14 games to finish the season, the team missed the playoffs on points differential.

COVID-affected years (2020–2022)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020–21 season start date was delayed until January 2021. As a result of the pandemic, the Breakers were forced to commit to being based in Australia for the majority of the season. They hosted a number of games as the 'home' team in Tasmania and only returned to play their last seven games in New Zealand in late May. A number of players missed large portions of the season due to injury and personal issues, including Robert Loe (20 games), Thomas Abercrombie (9), Corey Webster (8) and Tai Webster (7). The team also had a mid-season import change, with Lamar Patterson being replaced by Levi Randolph. They finished the season in eighth place with a 12–24 record.

As a result of the pandemic, the Breakers played their entire 2021–22 season in Australia, basing themselves in Tasmania. The team faced a COVID outbreak on the eve of the season, which they had to play through en route to a 0–6 start. With a 5–23 record, the Breakers had their worst season in their 19-year history.

Return to the grand final (2022–2023)

With the departure of Dan Shamir, assistant coach Mody Maor was elevated to head coach for the 2022–23 season and helped the Breakers become championship contenders. The Breakers finished the regular season in second place with an 18–10 record, as they clinched their first playoff appearance in five years. They went on to reach their first grand final series since 2016. In game one against the Sydney Kings, the Breakers won 95–87. After losing games two and three, the Breakers tied the series with an 80–70 win at home in game four in front of their biggest ever crowd of 9,742. They went on to lose the deciding game five 77–69, as the Kings claimed the championship.

2023–present

The Breakers started the 2023–24 season with a 3–7 record. They went on to finish sixth with a 13–15 record and lost in the play-in game.

Thomas Abercrombie retired following the 2023–24 season, ending his NBL career with 429 games and finishing as the Breakers' most-capped player. Head coach Mody Maor parted ways with the Breakers during the off-season to pursue a coaching opportunity in Asia.

The Breakers started the 2024–25 season with a 6–2 record following a 34-point win over Melbourne United on the road. The Breakers entered the FIBA break in second place with a 7–3 record and subsequently signed 7'6" Senegalese import, Tacko Fall. Following the FIBA break, the Breakers suffered six straight losses by an average of 22 points per game. They lost their eighth straight on Christmas day, going down 97–82 to the Tasmania JackJumpers. The Breakers finished the regular season in second-to-last place with a 10–19 record.

In March 2025, the club was acquired by Kiwi-American businessman and attorney Marc Mitchell. Mitchell assumed the role of majority owner and formed a partnership with local figures Leon Grice, Stephen Grice, and Sean Colgan, while former owners Paul and Liz Blackwell returned as shareholders. Thomas Abercrombie joined the ownership group as a special advisor. Following a mass front office personnel cleanout, including chief executive Lisa Edser, the club's first appointment under the new ownership was Dillon Boucher to the role of president of basketball operations.

In November 2025, the Breakers announced they would not wear the Pride insignia during the NBL and WNBL Pride Round (21 January–1 February 2026). The club said the decision was made collectively under the league's voluntary participation policy, citing religious and cultural concerns raised by some players and an "all wear it or none wear it" approach to avoid individuals being singled out for their beliefs. The decision attracted criticism, including from former NRL player Ian Roberts.

Season by season

Honour roll

Current roster

All-time roster

Main article: New Zealand Breakers all-time roster

Notable past players

• NZL Thomas Abercrombie
• USA Derrick Alston
• NZL B. J. Anthony
• NZL Everard Bartlett
• AUS Tim Behrendorff
• FRA Hugo Besson
• NZL Dillon Boucher
• USA Kevin Braswell
• AUS C. J. Bruton
• NZL Pero Cameron
• USA Mike Chappell
• USA Zylan Cheatham
• USA Rakeem Christmas
• AUS Daryl Corletto
• NZL Isaac Davidson
• NZL Finn Delany
• FRA Ousmane Dieng
• AUS Oscar Forman
• NZL Isaac Fotu
• NZL Casey Frank
• USA Orien Greene
• USA R. J. Hampton
• NZL Paul Henare
• NZL Leon Henry
• USA Scotty Hopson
• NGR Ekene Ibekwe
• NZL Shea Ili
• USA Cedric Jackson
• NZL Phill Jones
• NZL Robert Loe
• USA Shawn Long
• LBN Ater Majok
• PAN Akil Mitchell
• NZL Jordan Ngatai
• NZL Aaron Olson
• NZL Kirk Penney
• AUS Ben Pepper
• NZL Alex Pledger
• USA Carlos Powell
• AUS Shawn Redhage
• USA Glen Rice Jr.
• USA Rick Rickert
• AUS Tony Ronaldson
• FRA Rayan Rupert
• NZL Ethan Rusbatch
• DOM Édgar Sosa
• USA David Stockton
• NZL Lindsay Tait
• NZL Reuben Te Rangi
• USA Wayne Turner
• NZL Mika Vukona
• NZL Corey Webster
• NZL Tai Webster
• AUS Jarrad Weeks
• GUM Tai Wesley
• USA Gary Wilkinson

Retired jerseys

In February 2019, former owners Paul and Liz Blackwell were honoured by the Breakers with a banner in the rafters at Spark Arena.

Arena history

• North Shore Events Centre (2003–2018)
• Westpac Centre (2003–2004)
• Queens Wharf Events Centre (2003)
• Mystery Creek Events Centre (2003)
• The Trusts Arena (2004–2006; 2021)
• Spark Arena (2012–present)

References

References

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