New Zealand men's national basketball team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see New Zealand women's national basketball team.

The New Zealand men's national basketball team (Māori: Te kapa poitūkohu o Aotearoa) represents New Zealand in international basketball competitions. The team is governed by Basketball New Zealand. The team's official nickname is the Tall Blacks (Māori: Pango Tāroaroa).

New Zealand

FIBA ranking	21 (1 March 2024)
Joined FIBA	1951
FIBA zone	FIBA Oceania
National federation	Basketball New Zealand
Coach	Pero Cameron
Nickname(s)	Tall Blacks
Olympic Games
Appearances	2
Medals	None
FIBA World Cup
Appearances	7
Medals	None
FIBA Asia Cup
Appearances	2
Medals	Bronze: (2022)
FIBA Oceania Championship
Appearances	22
Medals	Gold: (1999, 2001, 2009) Silver: (1971, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015)
Home Away
First international
New Zealand 72–64 Singapore (Singapore; 1 September 1962)
Biggest win
New Zealand 136–41 New Caledonia (Wellington, New Zealand; 1 September 1997)
Biggest defeat
New Zealand 59–115 Australia (Christchurch, New Zealand; 4 September 1987)

Over their history, New Zealand have won three FIBA Oceania Championships, made seven appearances at the FIBA World Cup and two at the Olympic Games. Recently Oceania was amalgamated with the Asian FIBA zone and the team has made two appearances at the FIBA Asia Cup. Their best effort resulting in a bronze medal finish in 2022.

Haka

Tu Kaha O Pango Te Kahikatea - Composed and created by Don Hutana and former Tall Black Paora Winitana, is performed before every game. It tells the story of how the Tall Blacks overcome great odds and challenges through their adventures. Drawing from the story of Tāne and how he overcame adversity to gain the three baskets of knowledge.

History

First international test match and tour

The first real test as such, was played against Singapore of which they won, was part of their Asian 1962 tour. The tour included several practice games in Australia and other games against select teams from Malayisa and Thailand.

1970's – A shift in momentum

In 1970 New Zealand was able to host the Czechoslovakia basketball team for a test series as a tag on from their tour of Australia. The Czechs were ranked 6th in the world from a previous Basketball world championships. The TB's lost the series 0-2 but gained some valuabe experience against a powerful european outfit. The Czech's also played against several New Zealand provincal teams on their tour.

• 115–60 L vs. Czechoslovakia
• 118–62 L vs. Czechoslovakia

Booth, Roger (2020). History of NZ Basketball. p. 64.

They used this series to prepare for their assignment in 1971, which was hosting Australia to find the first Oceania Champion. The winner would be given a berth at the 1972 Olympics. However they ended up losing this series 0–3.

New Zealand Games & 1976 Montreal Olympics qualifying

Based in Christchurch right after the 1974 Commonwealth Games, Basketball featured as one of the few sports present at the NZ Games (At the time basketball was not part of the Commonwealth games format). NZ invited Australia, the Philippines and Tahiti. They split the series 2–2, with both wins coming against Tahiti.

In Oct / Nov of 1975 they headed to Australia for the 3 test series decider for the Oceania berth at the 1976 Olympics. They again lost the series 0–3 to Australia, thus failing to qualify.

That first win against The Boomers & 1978 Commonwealth Basketball Championship

The 78 Oceania Championship, a best of 3 series – for a berth at the Basketball World Championships to be held in Manilla, the Philippines. New Zealand hosted the series, after dropping the first game in Auckland they stormed into the second and finally for the first time bet Australia 67–65. This setup a 3rd match in Christchurch but they fell short, losing the series 1–2.

After this series the Tall Blacks headed to the United Kingdom for the newly formed Commonwealth Championship Competition. They played two warm up matches against Scotland and then England. Pool play was held in Coventry against Canada, Wales and Northen Ireland. They ended the tournament with a 2–2 record, losing the final to Canada and picking up the silver medal.

• W 92–57 vs. Northern Ireland
• L 81–99 vs. Canada
• W 94–50 vs. Wales
• L 107–68 vs. Canada

Roll on the 80's

In 79 the Tall Blacks again attempted to beat Australia for the qualifying spot at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. There was to be no winning this time around and to make things worse it was another 0–3 series loss.

1980 – 1982 William Jones Cup

The Tall Blacks were invited to the Cup from 80 through 82. All played in Taiwan and coming away with mixed results at each tournament. A 3rd placing in 80.

• Stan Hill was selected for the 80 and 81 All–Tournament Teams.
• Don Orndoff was selected for the 82 All–Tournament Team.

1983 Kirin Invitational, Taiwan Tournament, and Commonwealth Basketball Championship

The Tall Blacks were invited to Japan and Taiwan. They finished with 4–2 record to win the Kirin event in Japan a first win of an international event. In Taiwan they finished 4th with 6–3 record.

It was New Zealand's shot at hosting the Commonwealth Championships. They invited Gibraltar, Australia, Fiji, Malaysia, England and Hong Kong. Games were spread all over New Zealand with some televised. A New Zealand Mens Junior team also took part. The Tall Blacks unfortunately finished with a 2–3 record, failing to medal.

1986 FIBA World Championship

The Tall Blacks gained a wild card entry and headed to the tournament staged in Spain. Placed in Group D alongside Yugoslavia, Canada, Argentina, The Netherlands and Malaysia. The Tall Blacks finished 21st overall (1–4 record), picking up a single win 77–75 over Malaysia.

1990's

Throughout the 90's The Tall Blacks continued to pick up invites to many tournaments that fell outside of the FIBA Oceania Championships. During this time basketball started to increase in popularity in New Zealand. They made regular trips to Europe, the US, and Asia to compete with their teams in preparation for the ongoing series against Australia to determine the Oceania Champion and entry to the Olympics and World Cups. On trips to the US they played against college teams.

• 1997 Harlem Basketball Tournament, Netherlands
• 1997 Portugal and Madrid Xmas Tournaments, Europe
• 1998 Ningbo Tournament, China
• 1998 Heife Tournament, China
• 1999 William Jones Cup, Taiwan

1997 FIBA Oceania Championship

in 1997 New Caledonia joined the Tall Blacks and Australia in the championship that was held in Palmerston North and Wellington, New Zealand. It was in this tournament that they registered their largest ever win margin and score. Defeating New Caledonia 136–41. However they finished second losing to Australia in pool play and the final.

1999 FIBA Oceania Championship

The qualifying tournament for the FIBA Oceania spot at the 2000 Summer Olympics, Australia was not required to enter this tournament being the upcoming hosts. The tournament winner was decided in a one-off game between the Tall Blacks and Guam. Played in New Zealand and winning 125–43, the Tall Blacks for the first time qualified for the Olympic Games.

2000 William Jones Cup & Slam Downunder

Held in Taiwan and competing alongside South Africa, South Korea, Costa Rica, the Philippines, Malaysia, Japan and Hong Kong. They played 6 games going undefeated, notably taking out South Korea in the Final 78–67.

• Tony Rampton was named the MVP of the Tournament

The Tall Blacks where also invited to the Slam down under tournament - a warm up for the Sydney Olympics joining The Boomers, Canada and Russia.

2000 Sydney Olympic Games

In their first ever appearance at the Summer Games the Tall Blacks were placed in Group A alongside US, Italy, China, Latvija and France. They finished 11th with a 1–6 record, picking up a win against Angola (70–60).

• Sean Marks finished the tournament 2nd in rebounds (7.3 rpg)
• Pero Cameron finished the tournament 2nd in steals (1.7spg)

2001 Goodwill Games

Held in Brisbane, Australia, and placed in Group B playing against Canada, Brazil, and hosts The Boomers. The team beat Canada and Brazil but lost to Australia in group play. In the 5th–8th playoffs they beat Cuba, but then lost to Canada finishing 6th overall with a 3–2 record.

• Kirk Penny lead the team in points with 14.8ppg

2001 FIBA Oceania Championship

The Tab Baldwin coached squad bet Australia in a three-game series 2–1 to qualify for the 2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis, United States. This was their first series win against Australia.

2002 FIBA World Championship

Held in Indianapolis, USA, the Tall Blacks stormed out of Group D into the 2nd round with a 2–1 record. Beating China and Russia but suffering a loss to the USA.

Finding themselves in the 1/4 finals against Puerto Rico, They picked up the win 65–63, before losing the semifinal to Serbia and Montenegro 89–87. Playing for the bronze medal against Germany they lost 117-94 ending with a 4–5 record. To date this has been their best finish at a World Cup / World Championship.

• Tall Blacks Captain Pero Cameron was the only non-NBA player named to the All-Tournament team
• Phil Jones was listed as 9th best scorer at 19.2 ppg
• Mark Dickel was listed as 2nd in assists with 4.6apg

2003 Efes Pills Cup

New Zealand was invited to a "World" Cup style tournament as such in Turkey. Placed in Group A alongside Italy and Serbia. They lost both their group matches and then also dropped their 5th place match against Lativa.

2004 Athens Olympics

Placed in group A and playing Italy, China, Serbia and Montenegro, Argentina and Spain. The Tall Blacks finished with a 1–5 record defeated the then reigning 2002 FIBA World Championship gold medalists, Serbia and Montenegro, 90–87. In the play off for 9th position they lost to The Boomers 98–80 finishing 10th.

• Phil Jones (points) with 21ppg finished 2nd.
• Mark Dickel (assists) with 4.5 apg finished 3rd.
• Dillon Boucher (steals) with 1.8 spg finished 5th.

4 Nations Cup & Gaze Cup

Twin tournaments featuring the same teams held in China and then later in Australia, The Tall Blacks played a series of games coming up against China, The Boomers and Lithuania.

2006 Commonwealth Games Tournament

Held in Melbourne, Australia, the Tall Blacks, joined The Boomers (the hosts), England, South Africa, Scotland, Barbados, Nigeria, and India. Teams were split into 2 groups for pool play.

The TB's came out on top in Pool B with a 3–0 record, moving through to a semi-final against Nigeria. Winning that 90–66, setting up yet another finals battle with The Boomers. Unfortunately they lost the gold medal match 81–76 coming away with a Silver Medal.

2006 FIBA World Championship

Held in Japan, the Tall Blacks were placed in Group B alongside Japan, Spain, Panama, Angola, and Germany. After an 0–3 start, the Tall Blacks closed out the group stage with two straight wins, over Japan and Panama. However, they would fall in the round of 16 to the defending Olympic gold medalists Argentina, 79–62 ending their tournament.

From this Tab Baldwin resigned as the head coach of the Tall Blacks, replaced by then assistant coach Nenad Vučinić.

2007 Stankovic Cup

Shared between Guangzhou and Macao. The Tall Blacks finished with a 2–3 record in 5th place with mixed results. Angola 54–67 (L), NBA G League 84–87 (L), Slovenia 74–72 (W), China 63–93 (L), Venezuela 76–73 (W).

Jack Donoghue Invitational and 2008 Alpos Cup

The Jack Donoghue tournament was held in Canada, playing against Lebanon and Canada coming away with a 2–1 record. The Alpos Cup was held in Slovenia, with the Tall Blacks playing against Iran, Puerto Rico, and Slovenia. They finished with 1–2 record.

FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament

The Tall Blacks entered the 12 team wildcard tournament held in Athens. Placed in Group B with Germany and Cape Verde, the Tall Blacks won their opener against Cape Verde 77–50, but lost their second match 89–71 to Germany.

In the quarterfinals, they had a showdown with the host, Greece, losing 75–48, ending the tournament and finishing 7th overall.

2009 FIBA Oceania Championship

The TB's once again defeated The Boomers winning the Al Ramsey Shield to qualify with a higher seeding for the FIBA 2010 World Championship to be held in Türkiye.

2010 FIBA World Championship

Pitching up in group C (Held in Izmir) playing 5 group games, the TBs made it through to the round of 16 with 3–2 record. Beating Lebanon, Canada and France, but losing to Lietuva and Spain. In the round of 16, The TBs drew Russia but lost this match 78–56 ending with a final ranking of 12th overall and a 3–3 record.

• Kirk Penney finished the tournament 2nd overall with 24.7ppg.

2011 Stanković Cup (Second Edition)

Competing at the 2011 Boris Stanković Cup in China. Playing 3 pool games against China, Russia and Angola. After losing to Russia in the first game 74–71, the Tall Blacks quickly put that behind them, smashing China in their second game 89–69. A third pool game saw them beat Angola 73–70.

Playing Russia in the final the Tall Blacks were led by 30 points performance from Kirk Penney, winning 80–77.

2012 Olympic Qualifying Tournament

Placed in Group D for this tournament, the Tall Blacks headed to Caracas, Venuzuela to play off for one of 3 spots on offer for the 2012 London Olympic Games. Poo play saw a loss to Macedonia 84–62 and a win over Angola 68–64. However, on points differential, the Tall Blacks finished 3rd in the pool and failed to make the next round. They finished the tournament in 10th spot.

2014 FIBA World Cup

Held in Spain, the Tall Blacks were placed in Group C and finished up with a 2–3 statline in pool play. Recording good wins over Ukraine and Finland, after narrowly losing to Türkiye in their opening match. The Tall Blacks other two losses came against the Dominican Republic and the US. They made it through to the final 16, playing against Lietuva, but lost the match 76–71. New Zealand finished in 15th place overall.

2015 Stanković Cup

In 2015 the Tall Blacks attended this tournament as warm up to the 2015 Oceania series against The Boomers and also using it as team preparations to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The Tall Blacks cruised through pool play unbeaten, downing The U23 Chinese 89–82, Mexico 78–67 and Venezuela 72–65. A final was played against Mexico, which the Tall Blacks won 70–66.

2015 FIBA Oceania Tournament

In 2015 the Tall Blacks lost what was the final FIBA Oceania Senior men's series 0–2 to The Boomers. Oceania would then look to merge with their Asian Counterpart, of which in 2017 they would compete for what would be called the FIBA Asia Cup.

2016 Olympic Qualifying Tournament

After losing to The Boomers in the final FIBA Oceania series in 2015, the Tall Blacks found themselves heading to the Philippines for FIBA Qualifying tournament staged at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Tall Blacks were placed in group B alongside France and the Philippines. The Tall Blacks won their opening battle against hosts 89–80, however lost to France in their second match in a low-scoring affair 59–66. In the semi-final crossover with pool A winners Canada, the Tall Blacks lost 72–78 ending their tournament.

• Corey Webster finished second in scoring with 21.7PPG
• Tai Webster finished second in rebounds with 9.7rpg

2017 FIBA Asia Cup Qualification and Tournament

Held in Lebanon and landing in Group C, New Zealand gained top spot after a 2–1 effort in pool play, with wins against Kazakhstan 70–49 and Lebanon 86–82, but a loss to Korea 76–75.

This placed them in 1/4 final with Jordan of whom they overcame 98–70. The semi-final pitted them against eventual champions The Boomers of which they lost 106–79. Placing them in the playoff for bronze which saw them come up against Korea. Sadly for the Tall Blacks this was the end of the line coming up short 71–80 and finishing with a 3–3 record.

• Shea Illi was named to the All-Star Tournament team as PG.

2018 Commonwealth Games Tournament

Held on the Gold Coast, with some games also played in Carins and Townsville, the tournament once again saw the Tall Blacks join hosts The Boomers alongside Canada, Nigeria, England, Scotland, The Cameroon and India. Placed in pool A, the TB's came through to the semi-finals with a 3–1 record. They lost their semi-final to Canada 88–86, sending them to the bronze medal match with Scotland. They then dispatched Scotland 79–69 to pick up a bronze medal.

2019 FIBA World Cup Qualification & Tournament

With Oceania now aligned with Asia, a series of international windows were created for teams to compete for the World Cup spots and rankings. Qualifying matches started in late 2017.

Window 1 & 2 – Nov 2017 / Feb 2018:

• 133-74 W vs. Hong Kong @ Southourn Stadium, Hong Kong.
• 80-86 L vs. Korea @ TSB Bank Arena, Wellington.
• 82-73 W vs. China @ Dongguan Basketball Centre, China.
• 93-84 W vs. Korea at Jamsil Gymnasium, Seoul, South Korea.

Window 3 & 4 – Jun & Jul 2018 / Sept 2018:

• 124–65 W vs. Hong Kong @ Energy Events Centre, Rotorua.
• 67–57 W vs. China @ Spark Arena, Auckland.
• 107–66 W vs. Syria @ Nouhad Nawfal Stadium, Zouk Mikael, Lebanon.
• 63–60 W vs. Lebanon @ Energy Events Centre, Rotorua.

Window 5 – Nov / Dec 2018

• 95–69 W vs. Jordan @ Horncastle Arena, Christchurch.
• 97–74 W vs. Syria @ TSB Bank Arena, Wellington.

The finals tournament was held in China, with the Tall Blacks playing 5 games. Finishing 3rd in Group F with a 1–2 record, placing them into the 17–32 classification round. The Tall Blacks had notable wins over Montenegro 93–83 (group play), Japan 111–81, Türkiye 102–101 (Class round) with group losses coming against Brazil and Greece. A final ranking of 19th was picked up from an overall 3–2 record.

2020 Olympic Qualifying Tournament / Asia Cup Game cancellations

The Tall Blacks initially qualified for the 2020 Olympic Qualifying Tournament through their ranking earned at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Due to ongoing COVID restrictions and budget costs, Basketball New Zealand decided that they would withdraw from the tournament concentrating on future endeavors.

2022 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifying and Tournament

Through 2020–21 many matches were cancelled due to logistical and financial issues of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions regarding people gaining re-entry or leaving New Zealand. Initially the Tall Blacks were placed in Pool C alongside The Boomers, Guam and Hong Kong.

During this time former Tall Blacks Captain Pero Cameron was appointed as Head Coach after former Captain Paul Henare stepped down.

Window 1 Feb 2020 Results:

• 108–98 W vs. The Boomers @ Brisbane (their first W against Australia in over a decade)
• 113–94 W vs. Guam @ Yigo Village, Guam
• 52–81 L vs. The Boomers @ Carins

A return leg vs. The Boomers was slated for Auckland, however the game was moved to Cairns, Australia again due to COVID-19 restrictions. 10 debutants were included in this series (selected from Australian-based players only) containing the likes of current TB's Taine Murray and Jordan Hunt. Mika Vukona who lead the team during this series would play his last game for the Tall Blacks. They never played the series with Hong Kong or a return game with Guam.

The Cup Tournament itself was then moved to 2022 and played in Indonesia. The Tall Blacks came out of Group D with a 3–2 record record, beating India and the Philippines, but losing to Lebanon (72–86). Setting up a playoff tilt against Syria which they won 97–58. After knocking over South Korea in the 1/4 finals (88–78), the Tall Blacks once again faced The Boomers in the semi-finals. A loss 85–76 loss sent them to a 3rd place bronze playoff with Jordan. New Zealand were then able to get past Jordan with a 83–75 win, picking up there first medal in 2 attempts at the FIBA Asia Cup.

• Finishing with a 5–2 record with their world ranking changing from 27th to 24th.
• NZ led the tournament (Rebounds) 49.6 rpg.
• Tohi Smith-Milner was named in the All tournament team

2023 FIBA World Cup Qualification

The qualification road to the 2023 World Cup was a bit of a bizarre one for the Tall Blacks. Placed in Asia / Oceania Group A for the first round, They played several games overseas due to the heavy COVID restrictions in New Zealand at the time. A series of international windows was again created to host matches. However South Korea was disqualified by FIBA and forfeited the game points against the Tall Blacks due to COVID concerns.

Feb 2022 Window: (held in the Philippines)

• 101–46 W vs. India, 95–60 W vs. India, 88–63 W vs. the Philippines

June 2022 Window:

• 106–60 W vs. The Philippines @ Auckland, New Zealand

Aug & Nov 2022 Windows:

• 80–65 W vs. Saudi Arabia @ Dammam, Saudi Arabia
• 100–72 W vs. Jordan @ Auckland, New Zealand
• 77–65 L vs. Lebanon @ Beirut, Lebanon
• 92–75 W vs. Jordan @ Amman, Jordan

Feb 2023 Window:

• 110–63 W vs. Saudi Arabia @ Christchurch, New Zealand
• 106–91 W vs. Lebanon @ Wellington, New Zealand (this win locked in a spot for the 2023 FIBA World Cup).

2023 World Cup preparation and Tournament

In 2023 the Tall Blacks embarked on short tour of Japan and played a couple of games in Europe along with attending the FIBA Solidarity Cup in China. During this tour they played Japan twice, China and Germany in Germany and then Italy. Pushing Italy to only lose 81–88, splitting the series with Japan but losing to both Germany and China.

The 2023 finals tournament was held in Manila. The Tall Blacks were placed in the same group as the USA, Greece and Jordan. They suffered losses to Greece and the US but picked up a hard-fought overtime win against Jordan, placing them in the 17–32 place classification round.

Here they played 2 games against Mexico and Egypt, splitting the class round 1–1 to end the tournament in 22nd position with an overall record of 2–3. Finishing as the second highest FIBA Asia team, they gained entry into one of the 2024 Olympic Qualifying tournaments to be held in July of 2024.

Road to 2024 Paris Olympics

In finishing 22nd overall and placing higher than five other teams in the Asia / Oceania region at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the Tall Blacks were one of 24 teams invited to the FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 held in Pireas, Greece.

Before the tournament, they will head to Europe to compete in two warm-up games against Finland and Polska.

• June 25th vs. Finland @ Espoo Arena, Finland
• June 28th vs. Polska @ Katowice, Poland

OQT pool play will see the Tall Blacks against Croatia and Slovenia. The top two teams in each pool will cross over to a semi-final bracket against either Egypt, Greece or the Dominican Republic. A 1 vs. 2 cross over, the winners progressing to a final.

The eventual tournament winner will punch a ticket through to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and be placed in Pool A alongside Australia, Canada and the winner of the Spanish OQT.

2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers and Tournament

New Zealand has been drawn into pool B of the Asia 2025 Cup Qualifiers. They will compete alongside Chinese Taipei, the Philippines, and Hong Kong. A series of 3 international windows are scheduled in Feb 24, Nov 24 and Feb 25 on a 1 away, 1 home basis.

Feb 2024 & Nov 2024 Windows:

• 89–69 W vs. Taipei @ Taipei
• 88–49 W vs. Hong Kong @ Auckland, New Zealand
• (A) Tall Blacks vs. The Philippines @ TBC, The Philippines
• (H) Tall Blacks vs. Taipei @ Christchurch, New Zealand

Feb 2025 Window:

• (A) Tall Blacks vs. Hong Kong
• (H) Tall Blacks vs. The Philippines @ TBC, New Zealand

The tournament itself will be held in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, in August 2025.

2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifications and Tournament

TBC & held in Qatar. Qualification for this will start after the 2025 Asia Cup has been completed.

Competitive record

Olympic Games

Olympic Games record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	L
1936	Did not participate
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000	Group stage	11th	6	1	5
2004		9th	6	1	5
2008	Did not qualify
2012
2016
2020
2024	To be determined
Total	0 Titles	2/21	12	2	10

FIBA World Cup

FIBA World Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	L
1950	Not a FIBA member
1954	Did not participate
1959
1963
1967
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986	Group stage	21st	5	1	4
1990	Did not qualify
1994
1998
2002	Fourth place	4th	9	4	5
2006	Round of 16	9th	6	2	4
2010		12th	6	3	3
2014		15th	6	2	4
2019	Group stage	19th	5	3	2
2023		22nd	5	2	3
2027	To be determined
Total	0 Titles	7/18	42	17	25

FIBA Asia Cup

FIBA Asia Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	L
1960–2015	Did not participate
2017	Fourth place	4th	6	3	3
2022	Third place	3rd	7	5	2
2025	To be determined
Total	0 Titles	2/2	13	8	5

FIBA Oceania Championship

FIBA Oceania Championship record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	L
1971	Runners-up	2nd	3	0	3
1975	Runners-up	2nd	3	0	3
1978	Runners-up	2nd	3	1	2
1979	Runners-up	2nd	3	0	3
1981	Runners-up	2nd	2	0	2
1983	Runners-up	2nd	2	0	2
1985	Runners-up	2nd	3	0	3
1987	Runners-up	2nd	3	1	2
1989	Runners-up	2nd	2	0	2
1991	Runners-up	2nd	2	0	2
1993	Runners-up	2nd	3	1	2
1995	Runners-up	2nd	3	1	2
1997	Runners-up	2nd	3	1	2
1999	Champions	1st	1	1	0
2001	Champions	1st	3	2	1
2003	Runners-up	2nd	3	0	3
2005	Runners-up	2nd	3	0	3
2007	Runners-up	2nd	3	1	2
2009	Champions	1st	2	1	1
2011	Runners-up	2nd	3	0	3
2013	Runners-up	2nd	2	0	2
2015	Runners-up	2nd	2	0	2
Total	3 Titles	22/22	57	10	47

Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games record
Location / Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	L
2006	Runners-up	2nd	5	4	1
2018	Third place	3rd	5	3	2
Total	0 Titles	2/2	10	7	3

FIBA Stanković Cup

FIBA Stanković Cup record
Location / Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	L
2007	Fifth place	5th	5	2	3
2011	Champions	1st	4	3	1
2015	Champions	1st	3	3	0
Total	2 Titles		12	8	4

William Jones Cup

William Jones Cup record
Location / Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	L
1980	Third place	3rd	9	6	3
1981	Classifcation	7th	8	2	6
1982	Classifcation	8th	8	1	7
1999	Third place	3rd
2000	Champions	1st	6	6	0
Total	1 Title		31	15	16

Team

Current roster

Roster for the 2024 Olympic Quailfying Tournament, Greece.

New Zealand National Basketball Team – 2024 FIBA Basketball Olympic Quaiflying roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr. F 1 Reuben Te Rangi (C) 29 – (1994-10-14)14 October 1994 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Auckland Tuatara PG 2 Izayah Le'afa 27 – (1996-11-07)7 November 1996 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Wellington Saints PF 3 Finn Delany 28 – (1995-08-12)12 August 1995 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) New Zealand Breakers SG 9 Corey Webster 35 – (1988-11-29)29 November 1988 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Auckland Tuatara PG 5 Shea Ili 30 – (1992-10-06)6 October 1992 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) Melbourne United PF 7 Yanni Wetzell 27 – (1996-07-08)8 July 1996 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Alba Berlin PG 11 Flynn Cameron 22 – (2000-06-30)30 June 2000 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) Taranaki Airs F Ben Gold 22 – (2001-04-26)26 April 2001 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) Marquette Golden Eagles SF 20 Jordan Ngatai 30 – (1993-03-07)7 March 1993 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Hawke's Bay Hawks C 24 Tyrell Harrision 24 – (1999-07-06)6 July 1999 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) Brisbane Bullets G 12 Ethan Rusbatch 32 – (1992-05-24)24 May 1992 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Franklin Bulls PF 42 Dan Fotu 24 – (1999-06-24)24 June 1999 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Nelson Giants PF 15 Tom Vadonavich 28 – (1994-07-28)28 July 1994 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Auckland Tuatara C Sam Waardenburg 24 – (1999-02-21)21 February 1999 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Cairns Taipans	Head coach Pero Cameron Assistant coach(es) Ross McMains Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 17 June 2024

Notable players

• Pero Cameron – 2002 FIBA World Championship All-Tournament Team, two-time assistant coach, FIBA Hall of Fame inductee 2017, appointed Head Coach in December 2019 - current.
• Glen Denham – Tall Blacks legend, 169 games played
• Mark Dickel – Tall Blacks legend, 124 games played
• Paul Henare – Former New Zealand Breakers captain, Tall Blacks head coach 2015 - 2019
• Dillon Boucher – Former New Zealand Breakers player, GM of the New Zealand Breakers, member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, current NZNBL CEO
• Stan Hill – Former Tall Blacks captain & assistant coach, Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, 144 games played
• Phill Jones – Former Cairns Taipans captain, 208 games played
• Sean Marks – Former player and assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs 2x NBA champion as a player, once as assistant coach, current GM of the Brooklyn Nets
• Kirk Penney – Former NBA player, FIBA Hall of Fame inductee May 2024, Former Tall Blacks captain, 179 games played
• Paora Winitana – In 2006 crafted the current Tall Blacks Haka, former New Zealand Breakers & Adelaide 36ers player
• Peter Pokai - Tall Blacks Legend, 176 games played

All-time Stat Leaders

• Games played / Captained: Pero Cameron (227) / (170)
• Points scored: Kirk Penney (2079), Phill Jones (1080)
• Assists: Shea Ili (237), Pero Cameron (231)
• Steals: Mika Vukona (106), Kirk Penney (94)
• Blocks: Thomas Abercrombie (48)
• Rebounds: Mika Vukona (791)

Past rosters

1978 Commonwealth Championships finished 2nd

John Macdonald, Stan Hill, John Hill, John Van Uden, Gordon Reardon, Warwick Meehl, John Rademakers, Stuart Ferguson, John Fairweather, Paul Barrett, (Head Coach: Steve McKean, Assistant Coach: Peter Schmidt, Manager: Ivan Dominikovich)

1986 World Championship: finished 21st among 24 teams

Gilbert Gordon, Peter Pokai, Stan Hill, Neil Stephens, Dave Edmonds, Ian Webb, Dave Mason, Tony Smith, Colin Crampton, Frank Mulvihill, Glen Denham, John Rademakers (Head Coach: Robert Bishop)

2000 Olympic Games: finished 11th among 12 teams

Sean Marks, Pero Cameron, Mark Dickel, Phill Jones, Kirk Penney, Robert Hickey, Nenad Vučinić, Tony Rampton, Paul Henare, Brad Riley, Ralph Lattimore, Peter Pokai (Head Coach: Keith Mair)

2002 World Championship: finished 4th among 16 teams

Sean Marks, Pero Cameron, Mark Dickel, Phill Jones, Kirk Penney, Robert Hickey, Dillon Boucher, Damon Rampton, Ed Book, Paul Henare, Paora Winitana, Judd Flavell (Head Coach: Tab Baldwin)

2004 Olympic Games: finished 10th among 12 teams

Sean Marks, Mark Dickel, Phill Jones, Pero Cameron, Kirk Penney, Dillon Boucher, Ed Book, Paul Henare, Paora Winitana, Tony Rampton, Aaron Olson, Craig Bradshaw (Head Coach: Tab Baldwin)

2006 World Championship: finished 16th among 24 teams

Kirk Penney, Pero Cameron, Phill Jones, Mark Dickel, Casey Frank, Paul Henare, Dillon Boucher, Paora Winitana, Tony Rampton, Craig Bradshaw, Aaron Olson, Mika Vukona (Head Coach: Tab Baldwin)

2010 World Championship: finished 12th among 24 teams

Thomas Abercrombie, Benny Anthony, Craig Bradshaw, Pero Cameron, Michael Fitchett, Casey Frank, Phill Jones, Jeremy Kench, Kirk Penney, Alex Pledger, Lindsay Tait, Mika Vukona (Head Coach: Nenad Vučinić)

2015 FIBA Oceania Championship

Corey Webster, Dion Prewster, Everard Bartlett, Isaac Fotu, Jarrod Kenny, Lindsay Tait, Mika Vukona (C), Reuben Te Rangi, Robert Loe, Shea Ili, Tai Wynyard, Thomas Abercrombie. (Head CoachPaul Henare), (Assisants Ross McMains, Mike Fitchett)

2019 World Championship: finished 19th among 32 teams

Tai Webster, Finn Delany, Shea Ili, Jarrod Kenny, Corey Webster (C), Thomas Abercrombie, Robert Loe, Tohi Smith-Milner, Jordan Ngatai, Ethan Rusbatch, Alex Pledger, Isaac Fotu. (Head coach Paul Henare), (assistants Pero Cameron, Ross McMains)

2023 World Cup : finished 22nd among 32 teams

Reuben Te Rangi (C), Izayah Le'afa, Finn Delany, Taylor Britt, Shea Ili, Yanni Wetzell, Flynn Cameron, Tohi Smith-Milner, Jordan Ngatai, Hyrum Harris, Walter Brown, Isaac Fotu.

(Head Coach Pero Cameron), (Assistant coach(es), Zico Coronel, Michael Fitchett, Aaron Young)

Kit

Manufacturer

2015: Peak

External links

• Official website
• FIBA profile