Breakers (Basketball)

The New Zealand Breakers are a professional basketball team competing in Australia's National Basketball League. The Breakers joined the NBL for the 2003/04 season, along with the Hunter Pirates, as one of the two expansion clubs. The club is based in the city of Auckland.

They are the first team from outside of Australia to compete in the National Basketball League. As a representative team of the entire country of New Zealand, the Breakers play the majority of their matches at the North Shore Events Centre on Auckland's North Shore. They do however play the odd match in surrounding Auckland at Trusts Stadium in Waitakere, and the Telstra Pacific Centre in Manukau. In past seasons the Breakers have taken NBL games to Christchurch's Westpac Arena, Wellington's Queens Wharf Events Centre and Hamilton's Mystery Creek. From the 2006 season onwards they will play solely at the North Shore Events Centre in Auckland.

Since their inception in 2003/04 they have struggled like many other New Zealand sporting teams competing in Australian competitions.

In their first season of competition they finished with 12 wins and 21 losses, finishing 10th out of 11 teams. The inaugural coach of the Breakers, Jeff Green was fired after a poor 2 wins from the first 10 matches record and an on court brawl between players and coaches that he was involved with. He was succeeded by Frank Arsego.

In the 2004/2005 season things got no better, with the team finishing in 11th and last place in the competition, with 9 wins and 23 losses. Frank Arsego left the club at the end of this season and after much speculation about Tall Blacks coach Tab Baldwin taking his spot, Andrej Lemanis took the vacant coaching position.

In the 2005/2006 season, the Breakers finished the regular season in 9th spot out of 11 teams, with 9 wins and 23 losses. American forward Rich Melzer along with Ben Pepper starred for the team, and were named the players of the year at the Breakers awards.

On 14 July 2006 it was announced that star power forward Rich Melzer had signed a two-year contract with star NBA team San Antonio Spurs. He will leave the New Zealand Breakers and join with them immediately.

On August 16, 2006 the Breakers signed former West Sydney Razorbacks point guard Adam Darragh, who will be the Breakers back-up point guard behind captain Paul Henare.

The following day on August 17 it was announced that the Breakers had signed Ricardo Powell, a power forward to replace Rich Melzer who had signed earlier with the San Antonio Spurs.

On 28 August 2006 the Breakers unveiled a new look for their uniform, the primary colour of their jerseys changing to black, to represent New Zealand as they are the only New Zealand team in the competition.

In 2011 the Breakers won their first NBL championship title, becoming the first New Zealand first-grade team in any sport to win an Australian-based sporting championship.

Click here for the official home of the Breakers