| Auckland Pirates | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| League | National Basketball League | ||
| Founded | March 2011 | ||
| Folded | November 2012 | ||
| History | Auckland Pirates 2011–2012 | ||
| Arena | ASB Stadium | ||
| Location | Auckland, New Zealand | ||
| Team colours | Navy, orange, grey | ||
| Championships | 1 (2012) | ||
| Website | AucklandPirates.co.nz | ||
The Auckland Pirates were a New Zealand basketball team based in Auckland. The Pirates competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at ASB Stadium.
In March 2011, the franchise was unveiled by Basketball Auckland ahead of the 2011 NBL season, marking the return of an Auckland presence to the NBL, a year after the Auckland Stars folded. The inaugural squad included imports Raheim Brown and Kevin Mickens alongside Dillon Boucher, Luke Martin and Brook Ruscoe. [1] The Pirates finished their first season in seventh place with a 5–11 record.
For the 2012 season, the Pirates retained Boucher and Ruscoe, and acquired Lindsay Tait, Alex Pledger, Hayden Allen, Duane Bailey and Ron Dorsey. They subsequently helped the Pirates finish the regular season in second place with a 13–3 record. After defeating the Manawatu Jets in the semi-finals, they faced the Wellington Saints in the final, where they won 89–83 to claim the NBL championship. Pledger was named Finals MVP, [2] while Tait was named Most Outstanding Guard, Most Outstanding Kiwi Guard and All-Star Five for the 2012 season. [3]
On 2 November 2012, the Pirates withdrew from the NBL, with Basketball Auckland revealing their financial model was unsustainable. [4] [5] [6]
The New Zealand Breakers are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Spark Arena. The team was founded in 2003 by three Waikato businessmen, Dallas Fisher, Michael Redman and Keith Ward, and remains the only team in the league to compete from New Zealand. The team was bought by Liz and Paul Blackwell in 2005. The couple owned the team until February 2018, when a consortium headed by former NBA player Matt Walsh became the majority shareholders via a newly-formed company called Breakers Basketball Ltd.
The National Basketball League (NBL) is a men's semi-professional basketball league in New Zealand.
Dillon Matthew Boucher is a New Zealand former professional basketball player. His 13 combined career championships is the most in ANBL/NZNBL history.
The Waikato Pistons were a New Zealand basketball team based in Hamilton. The Pistons competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at Hamilton Boys' High School.
Lindsay Michael Tait is a New Zealand former professional basketball player.
Thomas Iain Abercrombie is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). A product of Westlake Boys High School in Auckland, Abercrombie had a short-lived college basketball stint with Washington State before debuting in the Australian NBL in 2008 with the Breakers. In 2011, he won his first NBL championship and earned Grand Final MVP honours. He went on to win three more championships in 2012, 2013 and 2015. An 11-year, 303-game veteran with the Breakers, Abercrombie is the club's all-time leading scorer with 3,450 points.
The 2010 NBL season was the 29th season of the National Basketball League. Foundation member and nine-time NBL champions the Auckland Stars withdrew from the league in 2010, while the Otago Nuggets returned after a one-year absence and the Southland Sharks joined for the first time.
The 2011 NBL season was the 30th season of the National Basketball League. In 2011, the Auckland Pirates debuted in the league but the Christchurch Cougars did not take part due to the effects of the 2011 Canterbury earthquake. The Harbour Heat also did not compete in the 2011 season, leaving the total number of teams at nine.
Marco Alexander is a New Zealand former basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL).
The Auckland Stars were a New Zealand basketball team based in Auckland. The Stars competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at ASB Stadium.
The 2012 NBL season was the 31st season of the National Basketball League. While the Harbour Heat returned for the 2012 season, the Waikato Pistons dropped out of the league. It marked the first time the league had no Waikato presence since 1983.
The 2007 NBL season was the 26th season of the National Basketball League. The Nelson Giants won the championship in 2007 to claim their third league title.
The 2006 NBL season was the 25th season of the National Basketball League. The Hawke's Bay Hawks won the championship in 2006 to claim their first league title.
The 2013 NBL season was the 32nd season of the National Basketball League. The 2013 season saw the withdrawal of the Auckland Pirates and Harbour Heat, but saw the return of the Waikato Pistons after a one-year hiatus as well as the Super City Rangers, who returned to the league for the first time since 1995.
The 2005 NBL season was the 24th season of the National Basketball League. The Auckland Stars won the championship in 2005 to claim their ninth league title.
The 2004 NBL season was the 23rd season of the National Basketball League. The Auckland Stars won the championship in 2004 to claim their eighth league title.
The 2003 NBL season was the 22nd season of the National Basketball League. 2003 marked the first year a league-wide MVP award winner was named, allowing imports the opportunity to be recognised; in all previous seasons, only a Kiwi MVP was named, an award given to the best New Zealand player. Australian import David Cooper of the Manawatu Jets was subsequently awarded the first league MVP. 2003 also marked the return of Taranaki after a three-year hiatus. The Wellington Saints won the championship over the Waikato Titans in overtime, as the Saints claimed their fifth league title.
The National Basketball League Finals Most Valuable Player is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award currently given to the best performing player over the NBL's annual Final Four weekend. The award has previously been known as Final MVP and Final Four MVP.
Ethan Rusbatch is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Hawke's Bay Hawks of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL). A former captain of the New Zealand under 18 team, Rusbatch began his NZNBL career in 2012 with the Southland Sharks after spending one season in the United States playing college basketball for Lincoln Trail College. As a junior, he represented Canterbury in all age groups, winning national titles in 2009 and 2011. He spent four seasons playing for the Canterbury Rams between 2014 and 2017, before joining the Hawke's Bay Hawks in 2018.
Shea Ili is a New Zealand professional basketball player for Melbourne United of the National Basketball League (NBL). Ili was raised in Mangere Bridge, playing his basketball at Onehunga High School and appearing for Counties Manukau in rep teams before appearing in the New Zealand NBL with the Auckland Pirates in 2012. In 2014, he joined the New Zealand Breakers as a development player. That season, he was a member of the Breakers' championship-winning team. In 2016, he was elevated to the Breakers' full-time roster, and in February 2018, he was named the NBL Most Improved Player for the 2017–18 season.
