In an ideal world, the Breakers would have followed their (long overdue) ownership change by barging their way into the finals. Bit much to ask for a championship straight up... but imagine how vindicating it would have been?
The past offseason ushered in a new era for the NZ Breakers with fresh ownership and a promised return to their Aotearoa identity. That switch came as a blessed relief after several years of mediocrity packaged as global ambition
It’s a relief to see the New Zealand Breakers, now that they’re back under local ownership and doing things very differently, sneak their way through preseason as an underrated force, waiting to let their actions on the court supply the hype.
Kiwi basketball has been on a roll lately. On top of another classic NBL season, on top of the Breakers returning to local ownership (and local values), on top of whatever Steven Adams is getting up to at any given moment…
The Tall Ferns recently got back from an Asia Cup jaunt in which they were pretty impressive on the way to a fifth-placed finish. Now it’s the turn of the Tall Blacks to do the same thing.
The Tall Ferns travelled to China for the latest Asia Cup with one major objective: don’t come last... or second to last. As long as they avoided those fates then, no matter what else happened, they’d progress in World Cup qualification.
A little over a year ago, the only basketball team from Aotearoa to ever make the semi-finals of a FIBA World Cup event at any age grade, men or women, were the Tall Blacks of 2002. Now it’s happened twice in twelve months.
While most of the kiwi basketball focus is rightfully on the FIBA Men’s U19 World Cup, not to mention the latter stages of the NBL season, it just so happens that we’re only the start of a busy spell of international hoops which also includes both men’s and women’s Asia Cups.
These are heady times for basketball in Aotearoa. You only have to tune into any random NBL game to witness the calibre of our emerging young talent and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Steven Adams has signed an extension with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets were desperate to get this deal done with both general manager Raphael Stone and also head coach Ime Udoka having made it very clear that this was an offseason priority.
It’s pretty wild to think where we are now, compared to 15 months ago when the Memphis Grizzlies traded Steven Adams to Houston. Back then there were fears that Adams might be damaged goods with that ongoing knee injury.
It’s been a difficult experience trying to track Steven Adams this season, hasn’t it? A real lesson in the art of patience. At first he was in and out of the side, stuck on a minutes restriction and sitting out of every few games entirely.
The shadows have lifted, the dark clouds have cleared, and the New Zealand Breakers have been sold. News came through on 20 March that a local ownership group had bought out Matt Walsh and mates.
Let us talk about the New Zealand Breakers, who recently wrapped up their latest NBL campaign. It was a season that began with scepticism based on a roster full of project players and the rookie foreign head coach hired to whip them into shape.
It has been a mission of patience tracking the revival of Steven Adams and his NBA career. Finally recovered from his long term knee injury and looking resplendent in red for the Houston Rockets... progress has been slow
There were plenty of reasons to discount the New Zealand Breakers heading into NBL25. Yet they were 2-0 when they flew to the USA and then they returned and they kept winning.
The moment is near. Steven Adams is on the verge of making his NBA return after 21 long and boring months without his basketballing presence.
It may have snuck under the radar but the Tall Ferns were in Mexico last week playing some games. They had a Pre-Qualifying Tournament for the next FIBA World Cup. Very similar to the format they went through with Olympic Qualifiers earlier in the year...
Last season the Breakers gave fewer minutes to NZers than ever before (a record that they’re going to crush again in NBL25) and yet it was still the most prosperous season we’ve ever witnessed for kiwi players in that league.
These are glorious times for basketball in Aotearoa. Already established as the fastest growing sport in the country, we recently saw the New Zealand team finish fourth at the FIBA Men’s U17 World Championships, with Oscar Goodman crowned as part of the tournament’s All Star Five…