NICKNAME/S: Tommy

BIO: New Zealand born Thomas Abercrombie began playing basketball for the North Harbour Basketball Association and attended Westlake Boys High School in Auckland.

FAMILY: Abercrombie is the son of Colin and Judy. He is the oldest of three children, with brother Hayden and sister Nicola. Abercrombie and his wife Monique have three children

NBL EXPERIENCE

Thomas Abercrombie made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 21 years of age. He scored five points in his first game.

After the Brisbane Bullets fell into financial hardship and withdrew from the league, head coach Andrej Lemanis recruited free agent pair CJ Bruton (two-year deal) and former Breaker Dillon Boucher (three-year deal) to play for the Breakers with the explicit intentions to win a championship that season.

‘The Breakers have proved they’re a playoff team and I’d like to help take them up to that next level,’ Bruton said upon signing with New Zealand.

‘I’ve seen the Breakers change their team and their culture to become more competitive. They’re serious about becoming number one and I want to be a part of New Zealand’s first championship. You don’t play this sport just to be in it.’

The duo joined the existing roster of Paul Henare, Kirk Penney, Phill Jones, Oscar Forman, Tony Ronaldson and Tim Behrendorff. The Breakers later signed import Rick Rickert to finalise their roster.

Bruton’s signing gave the Breakers’ stability and direction at the point guard position, something the Breakers had always been missing. New Zealand would play with only one import this season, being led by Bruton (16.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.7 steals ) and sharp-shooting Penney (24.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists) who would be selected to the All-NBL First Team. Penney would also make history by becoming the first New Zealand born player to win NBL MVP, and Phill Jones was voted the league’s Sixth Man of the Year.

With 14 games left in the season and the Breakers on top of the ladder (15-4), Bruton suffered a high-ankle sprain in late December, which saw the team stumble through January, losing eight of their next nine games.

Heading into the playoffs with a win in their last game regular season game, the Breakers finished with a 18–12 record, setting the team up with their first ever home playoff game. New Zealand went on to win their elimination playoff, routing Adelaide (131–101) to set up a best-of-three semi final series with the defending champions Melbourne. In their first-ever semi finals appearance, the Breakers were beaten 2–0.

Abercrombie, who signed with New Zealand as a development player, would see limited playing time, appearing in only 13 games and averaging 4.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.4 assists.

2009/10
Having achieved their first-ever playoff appearance the season prior, coach Andrej Lemanis returned with the majority of Breakers roster intact, losing only Phill Jones (to Cairns) and Tim Behrendorff (to Wollongong). Having played with one import last season, Rick Rickert, the Breakers added Dave Thomas (via Cairns) to add veteran leadership to the club but prior to the season starting, he was forced to retire from playing in the NBL due to injury. Former NBA talent Awvee Storey was then signed as his replacement. Abercrombie then saw himself elevated from development player to a member of the full roster.

New Zealand struggled through the first half of the season, mainly due to missing their leading scorer Kirk Penney (23.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists) due to a back injury that saw him sidelined for nine games. In addition to this, Storey (7.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists) fell well short of expectations and was released after nine games with the club stating “things weren’t working out”. John Rillie (4.3 points and 1.6 rebounds), who had been released by Townsville the season prior, signed with the club as a interim replacement and appeared in 12 games.

New Zealand was then boosted by the midseason addition of import Kevin Braswell (9.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.3 steals), who played in the Breakers final seven games, winning the last six in a row.

New Zealand’s late-season surge proved to be in vain, as the Breakers missed the playoffs during one of the closest NBL seasons of all-time. Despite New Zealand being only two games behind league leaders Perth, they would miss the playoffs and finish in fifth place (15-13). Abercrombie, who missed four games at the end of the season with an ankle injury, would average 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists for the season.

2010/11
A key to the Breakers’ success this season were the return of both Kevin Braswell and Mika Vukona. Braswell initially decided to play the 2010/11 season with Turkish team Aliağa Belediyesi SK but before the season could start, left the team to play a second season with the New Zealand Breakers. Vukona, who had won a championship with the South Dragons in 2009, returned to the team and replaced Paul Henare as team captain. Another key move saw declining import Rick Rickert replaced with former Utah State University standout Gary Wilkinson.

The season began with Kirk Penney missing the start of the season while he attempted to earn a NBA contract. Failing to do that, he re-joined the Breakers after the season’s first month. Despite missing Penney, the Breakers won their first five games of the season before losing to the Wildcat’s in Perth (114–74).

Kirk Penney (20.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists) would finish as the team’s leading scorer, with the Breakers finishing the regular season on top of the ladder (22–6). Wilkinson (15.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists), CJ Bruton (11.0 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists), Thomas Abercrombie (10.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) and Vukona (8.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists) rounded out New Zealand’s starting lineup, while Braswell (10.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists) add a spark from the bench, a role that would see him selected the NBL’s Best Sixth Man at the end of the year.

This season was also notable for the impact of 22-year-old Corey Webster (4.0 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.9 assists), who was elevated into the Breakers’ full-time roster this season and started to steal time away from legendary point guard CJ Bruton this season. Bruton played seven minutes less than the season prior, a testament to New Zealand much improved, much deeper roster.

New Zealand met fourth seed Perth in the semifinals and lost the opening game to the Wildcat’s at home. The Breakers returned to New Zealand for games two and three and recovered by winning both games, qualifying for their first-ever NBL Grand Final.

There, the Breakers met Cairns in the championship series and coasting to a easy win in game one (85–67) after leading by as much as 31 in the third quarter. The team’s then fought out a gripping game two in Cairns, which saw the game tied at the end of regulation (60-60) and at the end of the first overtime (73–73), before Cairns prevailed (85–81), sending the series to a third and deciding game.

With the final game played back on New Zealand soil, the Breakers recorded a comfortable win (71–53) and became the first team non-Australian team to win a NBL championship.

Thomas Abercrombie collected Grand Final MVP honours and while Bruton etched his name into Breakers folklore after he nailed two three-pointers in the fourth quarter to seal the game against the Cairns Taipans, winning his fourth NBL title.

2011/12
After winning their first NBL championship, the Breakers suffered two major losses, the first being leading scorer Kirk Penney’s decision to play in Europe and a off-seasonAchilles injury to Kevin Braswell that saw him still unable to play at the beginning of the 2011/12 season. Coach Andrej Lemanis would replace him with Cedric Jackson and then finalised their roster by adding Daryl Corletto, who the Melbourne Tigers had just released to make room for NBA star Patty Mills.

Jackson (12.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 2.2 steals) would lead the league in both assists and steals and ensure the Breakers didn’t skip a beat as the defending champs. Gary Wilkinson (16.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and Thomas Abercrombie (15.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) both boosting their offensive output in the absence of Penney, propelling New Zealand to a first-place finish (21-7) for the second consecutive season.

During the season, Abercrombie (33 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks) recorded the highest points tally of his career. Against a Melbourne Tigers squad missing star Patty Mills, Abercrombie refused to let his team accept defeat, hitting big shot after big shot (10-18 from the field and 6-9 from downtown) and playing in 46 minutes to deliver a 10 point, double overtime victory (108-98).

Once into the playoffs, New Zealand defeated Townsville (2-1) to set up a Grand Final series against Perth. Abercrombie would miss the opening game due to injury but the Breakers would claim a overtime victory at home (104–98). Bruton (20 points and 3 assists) and Jackson (25 points and 8 assists) leading the team in scoring.

Despite Wilkinson (28 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists) delivering his best game of the season, the Wildcats would rebound from the loss and claim a narrow victory in their second meeting (87-86). Jesse Wagstaff (15 points) and Kevin Lisch (15 points and 5 rebounds) led the way for Perth, while six other Wildcats players also scored in double figures. This set up a third game back in Auckland, where the Wildcat’s built up a slight lead in the second quarter through some brilliant play from Matthew Knight (17 points and 6 rebounds), who had 11 points in the quarter. With centre Luke Nevill (4 points and 3 rebounds in 9 mins) getting into foul trouble and the Breakers defence all but neutralising Shawn Redhage (18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists), the Breakers clinched back-to-back titles with a six-point victory (79–73) in front of 9,000 fans.

After Perth levelled the score with seven minutes to go, Abercrombie (12 points and 4 rebounds) pulled in a offensive rebound and set up Bruton (16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals), who nailed a three-point dagger to extend the lead to seven with less than two minutes to play. Gary Wilkinson (23 points) led all scorers, while Alex Pledger (13 points on 4-of-6 shooting) made huge contributions from the bench. The Breakers became the first side to win consecutive titles since Sydney in 2002-2005, a championship team that Bruton was also a part of. Bruton finished 4-of-7 from downtown and was awarded the Larry Sengstock Medal for the Most Valuable Player of the series.

This season, Lemanis was recognised as Coach of the Year, Jackson and Abercrombie were selected to the All-NBL First Team, and Wilkinson gained All-NBL Second Team recognition as well.

2012/13
In 2012, the Breakers looked to become the second team in league history to record a three-peat. While Cedric Jackson, Leon Henry, Thomas Abercrombie, Dillon Boucher, Mika Vukona, CJ Bruton, and Daryl Corletto all re-signed, a major decision made this off-season was to not re-sign leading scorer Gary Wilkinson (to Europe) in favour of elevating promising Kiwi centre Alex Pledger into the starting lineup. Import forward Will Hudson (via Gold Coast) signed as his replacement, while Corey Webster, who had sat out the previous season due to a 12-month suspension for the use of banned substances.

The Breakers recorded a number of historic moments this season, beginning with Jackson recording his first career triple-double with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against the Melbourne Tigers (November 30, 2012). It was only the second triple-double recorded since the NBL went to 40-minute games at the start of the 2009/10 season.

By February, the Breakers extended their longest winning streak record to 11, a record that by mid-March had been extended to fifteen straight games.

On March 24, Jackson (14.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 2.8 steals) was selected to the All-NBL First Team and awarded the NBL Most Valuable Player award after leading the league in assists and steals for the second straight season.

Abercrombie would average 11.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists with New Zealand finished on top of the ladder for a second season (24-4) facing off against Perth in a Grand Final re-match of the previous year. The Wildcats entered the series shorthanded, having lost starting guard Damian Martin to a Achilles injury prior to the playoffs. To cover his absence Brad Robbins had been signed on to take Martin’s place, but with the team missing Martin, the Breakers defeated Perth in two straight games. The Breakers made history by delivering a clean sweep of the postseason, capping it all off with a dramatic 70–66 victory over the Wildcat’s in game two.

Jackson was subsequently named Grand Final MVP as the team delivered a historic three-peat win.

2013/14
After winning three consecutive championships with New Zealand, Lemanis was named head coach of the Australian men’s national basketball team. His departure saw assistant Dean Vickerman elevated to head coach and tasked with extending the Breakers championship streak.

Vickerman was taking over a Breakers squad that had lost star import Cedric Jackson (Europe) and Dillon Boucher through retirement and, as a result, started the season poorly, losing three out of their first four games. The poor start led to Vickerman sending out a SOS to former Breakers favourite and two-time champion Gary Wilkinson (15.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists), who joined the team in late October.

A move no doubt influenced by the team’s sluggish start veteran CJ Bruton (6.1 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists), who would play his 500th game in a 82-84 loss to the Melbourne Tigers on 8 December, let it be known he would retire at the end of the season.

By January, the Breakers made a second move and brought in Casey Frank (5.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) to replace the injured Alex Pledger (10.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks), who had multiple stints on the sidelines and only managed to appear in 13 games.

American guard Kerron Johnson (12.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.1 steals), who had signed as a replacement for Jackson, struggled to fill the large void left at the point guard spot, and Thomas Abercrombie (15.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists) had to shoulder the load for much of the season, finding himself with a lack of space due to Johnson’s lacklustre range. After not being able to put more than two consecutive wins together all year, they ended their season in seventh place (11–17).

The positives for the season came in the form of career-high scoring efforts from young guard duo Corey Webster (8.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) and Reuben Te Rangi (5.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists) whose improving play showed promise for the Breakers future.

2014/15
After a dismal season the year prior, where the team missed out on the NBL playoffs despite having won the previous three seasons in a row, the Breakers regrouped by replacing imports Kerron Johnson and Gary Wilkinson with big man Ekene Ibekwe and fan favourite Cedric Jackson, who had led the team to back-to-back titles previously (2012, 2013).

This season saw the exits of CJ Bruton (retired) and Daryl Corletto (to Melbourne) and replaced with Rhys Carter (via Adelaide) and Tai Wesley, who qualified as a local player due to being born in Guam under the league’s Asian player rule.

The Breakers kickstarted the season with back-to-back wins over Perth and Adelaide before suffering back-to-back losses to Cairns and Melbourne. In what was a highly competitive season, New Zealand was able to reel off multiple five game winning streaks behind the offensive talent of both Jackson (14.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.2 steals) and Corey Webster (15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists), who moved into the starting lineup and become one of the league’s premier scorers.

Abercrombie would average 11.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1 assists as the Breakers battled all season long for top spot alongside Perth and Cairns, eventually finishing in second place (19–9).

in the semifinals, New Zealand would face third-placed Adelaide, who had won their final ten regular season games and entered the playoffs as the hottest team in the competition. Despite the 36ers’ hot form, the Breakers made light work of them in game one (111–82), with Webster (24 points) delivering a career-high scoring effort at Vector Arena. Game two then moved to Adelaide, where they again had the upper hand the entire game, defeating the 36ers (94–83) and moving on to the Grand Final.

There, they met the Cairns Taipans, who had become the first regional centre team to win the minor premiership since the Geelong Cats did so in 1984. Despite Cairns having home-court advantage, New Zealand easily claimed game one (86–71), with Jackson (22 points) top scoring. Game two shifted to Auckland, where after a tight contest the entire game, Taipans guard Scottie Wilbekin tied the game behind two free throws with 1.2 seconds left in regulation. Coming out of a timeout, Ibekwe caught a inbounds pass, turned and hit a game-winning fade-away shot to lift the Breakers over the Taipans (83–81) and clinch New Zealand’s fourth title in five seasons.

Jackson (15 points) claimed his third championship and second Grand Final MVP award, becoming the first player in NBL history to win three NBL championships from his first three seasons

2015/16
The Breakers retained every player from their 2015 championship-winning roster minus Rhys Carter (to Sydney) and Ekene Ibekwe (to Europe). To replace the pair, the club picked up Australian point guard Shane McDonald and rookie American big man Charles Jackson. New Zealand’s pre-season was met with a number of challenges which included Alex Pledger being absent due to recovering from off-season foot surgery, Thomas Abercrombie being forced to the sidelines with a nagging hamstring strain and the exit of Corey Webster, who headed to the US to trial with the New Orleans Pelicans. In a move to replace them, the Breakers elevated development players Shea Ili and Tai Wynyard, while also signing Everard Bartlett as a replacement for Webster.

New Zealand’s pre-season was met with a number of challenges which included Alex Pledger being absent due to recovering from off-season foot surgery, Thomas Abercrombie being forced to the sidelines with a nagging hamstring strain and the exit of Corey Webster, who headed to the US to trial with the New Orleans Pelicans. In a move to replace them, the Breakers elevated development players Shea Ili and Tai Wynyard, while also signing Everard Bartlett as a replacement for Webster

New Zealand were handed a shock loss to Adelaide in their season opener (71-90). Without Webster, Abercrombie and Pledger, the Breakers had limited scoring options, the highest scorer being Cedric Jackson (14 points). At half-time, the score was 51–26 in the 36ers favour, which saw the team’s 26 points become the second lowest first-half score and second biggest halftime deficit in team history.

With a dwindling record (1-3), New Zealand were boosted by the addition of Corey Webster (19.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists), who returned after failing to secure a roster spot with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. In order to add Webster to the roster, forward Duane Bailey was released and Everard Bartlett, who had been signed as an injury replacement, was retained for the rest of the season. The Breakers rode a roller-coaster for the remainder of their games, winning nine of their next eleven games and reclaiming their roles as title favourites by Round 10 (10-5), only to losing five of their next six games (11-10) and were pushed out of the top four by Adelaide (11–9) and by Round 15. In January, New Zealand reeled off a five game losing streak (0-5), the team’s worst losing streak since the 2008/09 season and then finished the season on a five game winning streak, edging out the 36ers to finish fourth (16–12) and claim the final playoff berth.

New Zealand went on to sweep ladder leaders Melbourne in the semifinals (2–0) and moved on to their fifth NBL Grand Final appearance in six years.

Again we would see a New Zealand v Perth Grand Final, where this time, the Wildcats would rely on the presence inside of Nathan Jawai and the tough defence of Casey Prather to take home victory in game one (82–76).

Game two was played in Auckland where the Breakers evened the series (1-1) thanks to a near triple-double from Cedric Jackson (13 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists) that propelled them to the win (72–68).

With the deciding game in Perth, 13,090 of the ‘Red Army’ were in attendance and the Wildcats’ made sure to avenge their grand final loss from last year. Casey Prather (19 points) and Jermaine Beal (14 points) did most of the damage on the scoreboard for the Wildcats, but it was Damian Martin’s inspirational display in defence that shone the brightest. Martin would be named Grand Final MVP after keeping star Breakers guard Cedric Jackson scoreless on five attempts and forcing him to foul out early in the last term. The Wildcats would go on to claim their seventh NBL championship in a blow-out victory (75–52).

The loss marked the first time New Zealand had lost to the Wildcat’s in playoff history and the team’s first ever grand final series loss.

Webster (19.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists) went on to be named in the All-NBL Second Team, while Abercrombie would average 14.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists for the season.

2016/17
Following the Breakers’ 2016 grand final loss, chief executive Richard Clarke and coach Dean Vickerman parted ways with the organisation, with Paul Henare stepping up from assistant to take the reins as head coach, while Dillon Boucher took control of the front office as general manager.

Joining Dean Vickerman in departure was Cedric Jackson and Tai Wesley, both of whom moved across the Tasman and joined Melbourne United. While retaining Thomas Abercrombie, Corey Webster, Alex Pledger and Mika Vukona, the Breakers acquired the services of club legend Kirk Penney. With two vacant import spots, the Breakers signed Ben Woodside and Akil Mitchell. A strong New Zealand contingent also stepped up from development player roles this season, with Finn Delany, Shea Ili and Jordan Ngatai all being elevated onto the full-time roster.

An injury filled pre-season saw Shea Ili (back), Penney (calf) and Webster (hip and back) suffer injuries that would see them miss multiple games during the first half of the season. Even when Webster did return mid-season, he was never fully recovered and his production dropped from 19.6 ppg to 11.7 ppg as he battled to shake off a prolonged hip injury. After 20 games New Zealand had a total of eight wins and the ‘injury bug’ only got worse. Abercrombie (11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and Woodside (8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.3 steals) both spent time missed games due to injury and then in January, during a loss to Cairns (81-94), Mitchell (9.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists) suffered a poke to the eye from Taipans centre Nnanna Egwu which caused his left eyeball to come out of its socket. He was rushed to hospital and although his vision was restored that night, he returned to the US to seek further specialist advice.

Webster made a valiant second return to the court before the end of the season, but under medical advisement, it was felt his injuries were too serious and he was shut down for the remainder of the season. New Zealand added import forward Paul Carter (9.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists) and shortly replaced a underperforming Woodside with David Stockton, the son of NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton. Stockton (8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists) lasted only 10 games before he too succumbed to injury and was replaced by another import, Kevin Dillard.

The combo of Dillard (18.1 points, 4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.6 steals) and Penney (17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) helped salvage the remainder of the Breakers’ season. The duo propelled New Zealand to a four game winning streak and revived the Breakers playoff hopes, but after back-to-back losses in round 17, they dropped to fifth place (14–14) and their playoff hopes were shattered.

Despite winning their last two games of the season, they fell short of a playoff spot, finishing in fifth place (14–14). Abercrombie finished the season with averages of 11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game.

2017/18
After a injury decimated season, New Zealand looked to rebuild in Paul Henare’s second year as coach. Kevin Dillard, who joined the team for the last nine games, was retained and it was hoped that the on court success witnessed during the last month of the season would be able to be extended across NBL18. The major move of the off-season saw the Breakers cut ties with Corey Webster after multiple situations where the two parties no longer saw eye to eye. This led to Webster first signing a two-year deal with Perth, then after turning the heads of some European team’s whilst playing in the 2017 NBA Summer League, requested a release prior to the NBL season starting. The remainder of the roster was retained and with league expanding the number of import a team can sign from two to three, added backcourt duo DJ Newbill and Édgar Sosa.

New Zealand then started the season in hot form, going 6–1 after five rounds thanks to the selflessness of Newbill (13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.3 steals) and Sosa (15.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. Back-up guard Shea Ili (9.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists) also posted impressive numbers, becoming a vital piece of the team’s second unit and claimed the NBL’s Most Improved Player at the end of the season.

With a win over the Perth Wildcats on 9 November, the Breakers moved to a 7–1 record, tying their best start in franchise history. They went on to defeat Perth again three days later, moving them to a 8–1 record. They moved to 9–1 with a win over Brisbane on 19 November, as they headed into the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification break atop the NBL ladder and on a nine-game winning streak.

After returning from the FIBA break, the Breakers lost four out of their first five games and dropped to 10–5 following Round 10. With Dillard (18.1 points, 4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.6 steals) injured, they chose to bring in NBA player Rakeem Christmas (7.6 points and 5.7 rebounds) in early January to bolster their squad.

Despite finishing the regular season with back-to-back losses, New Zealand finished in fourth place (15–13) and went on to face Melbourne and former coach Dean Vickerman in the semifinals. United handed the Breakers back-to-back defeats in the semifinals, following a overtime loss in Game 2 (88–86). Club legend Kirk Penney played (10.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assists) his final NBL game in the game two loss, finishing with a 17-point effort. Abercrombie finished the season with averages of 9.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1 assists across 30 games.

2018/19
In 2018, a new regime was brought about at the Breakers organisation. In February, a consortium headed by former NBA player Matt Walsh became the majority shareholders via a newly formed company called Breakers Basketball Ltd, thus ending the 13-year Liz and Paul Blackwell ownership team.

Next came the exodus of four of the franchise’s most long-serving figures during the off-season. Paul Henare’s 15 years as player and coach came to an end, New Zealand’s all-time leading scorer Kirk Penney retired, and Alex Pledger (to Melbourne), Mika Vukona (to Brisbane), and young talent Robert Loe (to Cairns) all signed deals elsewhere.

Thomas Abercrombie would step into the role of captain with Vukona’s exit, and former player Kevin Braswell signed up to be the team’s new head coach. Braswell was tasked with remaking the Breakers squad, which included bringing back Tai Wesley (via Melbourne) and Tall Blacks star Corey Webster (via Europe) on a three-year deal. Jarrad Weeks (via Cairns) and Majok Majok (via Melbourne) were later added to finalize the team’s local roster, while Patrick Richard, Armani Moore, and Shawn Long signed as import players.

The Breakers headed to the USA and faced the Phoenix Suns in a preseason NBLxNBA exhibition game to start their season. Despite being heavy underdogs, New Zealand pushed the Suns to the limit, making a late surge to cut the lead to four in the final minute before falling just short in a 91–86 loss. Corey Webster (27 points and 7 assists) and Tai Wesley (15 points and 7 rebounds) led the Breakers offensively. Phoenix, who were without star Devin Booker, relied on Deandre Ayton (21 points and 15 rebounds) and Trevor Ariza (16 points and 6 assists).

New Zealand’s season was marked by inconsistency, injuries, and roster changes, leading to a difficult start with a five-game losing streak in late November and early December. The team struggled to find their footing, winning just four of their first twelve games.

New Zealand’s lacklustre season was also due to several key players not delivering as expected. Corey Webster (10.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists), who was once a premier scorer in the league, experienced his worst statistical season in five years. Thomas Abercrombie (8.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists) and Shea Ili (7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists) both saw a decline from last season, while imports Patrick Richard (11.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) and Armani Moore (7.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) fell short of expectations.

In February 2019, Abercrombie played his 300th NBL game, becoming one of the few players to achieve this feat while playing at the same club. His standout performances this season included a 20-point, 4-rebound, and 3-assist game against Illawarra (18 Jan 2019), where he was efficient from beyond the arc, hitting 4 of 5 three-point attempts. He also delivered an 18-point, 4-rebound performance against Sydney (9 Dec 2018) and contributed 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in a game against Cairns (16 Dec 2018).

Alongside Abercrombie, the Breakers saw strong contributions from Jarrad Weeks (10.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists), who enjoyed a career-best season and was a runner-up for both the Best Sixth Man and Most Improved Player awards. Tai Wesley (14.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) continued his consistent play, while Shawn Long (18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks) ranked second in the league for both rebounds and blocks, earning a spot on the All-NBL Second Team and winning the Breakers Club MVP.

In January, New Zealand (8-12) fell to the bottom of the ladder following three consecutive losses, including one to last-placed Cairns. Despite their efforts to regain form, the Breakers ended their season with a 12-16 record, finishing in sixth place and missing the playoffs.

2019/20
During the 2019/20 season, Abercrombie averaged 12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists and helped the Breakers finish with a record of 15-13 and end the regular season in sixth place.

This season, Abercrombie made history by becoming the first New Zealander and just the second NBL player in history (the other being Daniel Kickert) to join the exclusive 50-40-90 club, where a player is required to shoot at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the free-throw line throughout a entire regular season.

NBLxNBA is back ????@NZBreakers pic.twitter.com/8Bf7Q5jchH

— NBL (@NBL) July 9, 2024

2020/21
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.

New Zealand had added Brisbane Bullets star import Lamar Patterson and Colton Iverson as import players, while Tai Webster returned to the team, having left in 2013 to play college ball for Nebraska. The Breakers suffered another blow when its leading scorer Corey Webster sliced a nerve in his hand while cutting a avocado with a knife in his kitchen and would miss the first month of the season.

As would be expected from a team playing their first 29 games on the road, wins were few and far between. After narrowly losing to Adelaide in overtime in their first game, they would win only one game (a six-point win over Cairns) in the first eight contests. The sluggish start saw New Zealand release Lamar Patterson (10.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists), who had injured his knee against the Hawks on February 22 after just six games. In his previous two seasons with the Bullets, Patterson had averaged 19.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists and twice been named a NBL First Team All-Star, but his form for the Breakers was far from his previous stints in the NBL.

With Patterson removed, New Zealand added Jeremy Kendle as a short-term replacement and saw a marked improvement, going 3-1 over the next four games.

Due to losing numerous players to injury and personal issues throughout the season, Robert Loe (20 games), Thomas Abercrombie (9), Corey Webster (8) and Tai Webster (7), the team added Australian guard William McDowell-White (7.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5 assists) as a nominated replacement player for the injured Corey Webster (13.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists) and Levi Randolph (14.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 steals), who signed as Patterson’s replacement, which also resulted in the release of Jeremy Kendle (7.0 points per game).

The Breakers sat at the bottom of the ladder on a 4-9 record after their first 13 games prior to the roster changes, which made little difference in the win/loss column. The team also losing five of its next six games. Whilst Webster returned from his hand injury In February, on March 13, he was ruled out again, this time a knee injury keeping him out for four weeks.

The Breakers’ faced additional adversity with COVID-19 forcing them to continually move from city to city, attempting to find places where there was limited COVID impact to be able to play their remaining games. A COVID-19 window saw the team able to return home and play their remaining seven games in New Zealand, where they went 3-4 to finish the season.

Tai Webster (17.2 points, 5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.2 steals) would lead the team in scoring alongside Finn Delany (16.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists), who delivered a breakout season and was named club MVP after boosting his scoring from 12 points per game the previous season.

Abercrombie would average 10.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists Over the course of the season, and finished runner-up as the NBL’s best defensive player award, despite missing the final nine games through injury. The Breakers meanwhile, finished second last with a 12-24 record.

2021/22
After a season where the Breakers played 29 of 36 games in Australia, things only continued to get worse for the Breakers, with the team unable to play any home games during NBL22 and finishing dead last during the regular season.

After playing the previous season with a trio of Corey Webster, Tai Webster, and William McDowell-White at point guard, the team decided they would build around the younger of the three and move Corey to the bench. The Breakers then allowed him to exit his contract with him choosing to play in Europe instead. Not long after, as a result of the NBL requiring players to be vaccinated for COVID-19, Tai Webster chose to exit his contract as well and play overseas.

While losing the Webster brothers, the team gained the signatures of Kiwi Yanni Wetzell (via South East Melbourne) and import players Peyton Siva, Hugo Besson and Jeremiah Martin. Additionally, the team signed French prodigy Ousmane Dieng under the league’s Next Star program.

The team immediately faced adversity, losing Siva and Thomas Abercrombie to injury and having to absorb a COVID outbreak on the eve of the season. The team signed Chasson Randle (7.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists) as a replacement player for Siva, and the team began the season with a 0–6 start.

Siva was able to return to the team a few weeks later which then saw Jeremiah Martin (12.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals) and the Breakers agree to a mutual release, the move came as a result of high-level play from Randle, who they chose to retain instead of Martin once Peyton Siva (11.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2 steals) returned from injury.

Although the team had planned to play their home games at the back end of the season, COVID-19 restrictions made that impossible and forced the team to base themselves in Tasmania for the majority of the season.

The Breakers were led by the all-around play of Yanni Wetzell (17.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks) who left the team to play in Europe once New Zealand had no chance to make the playoffs. Despite leaving the team with a month of the Breakers season still remaining Wetzell was named club MVP. Hugo Besson (13.9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists) and Finn Delany (10 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2 assists) would raise their games during that final month of the season but by mid-February had fallen to 4–10.

Abercrombie would average 7.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists as New Zealand finished with a 5–23 record, the Breakers worst season in their 19-year history.

2022/23
With the departure of Dan Shamir, assistant Mody Maor was elevated to head coach, with the Breakers entering their first season where they would play regular home games in two seasons.

The Breakers lost six of their top eight players (Yanni Wetzell, Hugo Besson, Peyton Siva, Finn Delany, Ousmane Dieng and Chasson Randle), and only Robert Loe, William McDowell-White and Abercrombie returning from the previous season.

Tom Vodanovich (via Sydney), Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’Afa and Cameron Gliddon (both via South East Melbourne) were added for defence and perimeter shooting off the bench. At the same time, Dererk Pardon, Jarrell Brantley and Barry Brown Jr were signed as import players. Utilising the NBL Next Star Program, the team also added French NBA prospect Rayan Rupert.

With Abercrombie missing the first month of the season due to suffering a torn retina the Breakers’ season began with a loss to Melbourne, a game which gave little indication to the defensive behemoth they were set to become in NBL23 but four rounds into the season, they already equalled their total number of wins from the previous campaign.

The Breakers started round five with a 99-70 beatdown of the Adelaide 36ers, which included a dominant effort from both Brown Jr (22 points) and Brantley (22 points and four steals) to force the 36ers into 18 turnovers while the Breakers went 15 of 30 from long distance.

Two nights later, New Zealand posted their biggest victory ever at Spark Arena with a 94-62 victory over the Tasmania JackJumpers. The win also resulted in the Breakers overtaking Sydney Kings to sit atop the NBL ladder.

After two seasons living out of suitcases, the Breakers had revived themselves as a contender this season, and the following game saw a top of the table clash against Sydney that more than lived up to the hype. The Kings’ led comfortably for most of the game, but a late run from New Zealand, who outscored them 31-17 in the last 10 minutes behind Barry Brown Jr (22 points), who had settled into a sixth man role, narrowed the gap but failed to complete what would have been a epic fight back. The Breakers fell short 81-77 while also losing Rupert for two months with a broken wrist.

During the final month of the season, New Zealand bounced back and forth with Cairns in a battle for second place but victories over the competition’s bottom two (Brisbane and Illawarra), allowed New Zealand to leapfrog Cairns and finish second overall during the regular season.

Abercrombie averaged 5.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals as the Breakers finished the regular season in second place (18–10), clinching their first playoff appearance in five years. Barry Brown Jr. (19.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals) and Dererk Pardon (11.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks) were both named to the All-NBL second team, Brown Jr also being awarded the league’s Best Sixth Man award. Jarrell Brantley (16.2 points, 6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.5 steals) was later named the Breakers club MVP.

With Tasmania having defeated Cairns (87-79) and advancing through the NBL play-in tournament, the Breakers semi-final opponents were set.

New Zealand smashed Tasmania, 88-68, in Game 1 of the Playoffs. It was a wire-to-wire victory for New Zealand, as Mody Maor’s men established a 16-point first half lead. Tasmania got the deficit back to two at halftime before the Breakers exploded with a 49-31 second half. Big man Dererk Pardon imposed his will for New Zealand with 15 points and 9 rebounds, while Will McDowell-White had 13 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds. Rashard Kelly was the JackJumpers’ leading scorer with 12.

The JackJumpers ‘defended the island’ in game two, defeating the Breakers 89-78. Milton Doyle starred for Tasmania, as he poured in 23 points, with several of those coming during a game defining run across the third and fourth quarters. Jack McVeigh added 16 for the victors. Dererk Pardon recorded a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Breakers, and Jarrell Brantley had 17 points and 9 rebounds.

New Zealand then punched their ticket to the NBL Championship Series with a gritty 92-77 semi-final win over the Ants in game three at home. Brown Jr proved the difference, finishing with 32 points (10/16 and 2/2 from deep) and three steals to guide the Breakers to their first Championship Series for the first time since 2016. Dererk Pardon (15 points, 14 rebounds) was also huge for the Breakers with a monster double-double, while Jarrell Brantley (14 points, seven rebounds) was also a big factor in the win.

On the opposite side of the bracket, Sydney eliminated Cairns to reach the championship series but suffered a surprise home defeat from New Zealand, who had struggled against the Kings all season, claiming game one, 95-87, in front of 13,145 shocked Kings fans. William McDowell-White (19 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists) starred for New Zealand, with Barry Brown Jr (19 points off the bench) and Jarrell Brantley (16 points and 7 rebounds) playing key minutes also. Simon was the Kings’ leading scorer with 18 points and 6 steals as the Kings’ leading scorer, Derek Walton Jr was forced to leave the game in the last quarter with a injured leg.

On the opposite side of the bracket, Sydney eliminated Cairns to reach the championship series but suffered a surprise home defeat from New Zealand, who had struggled against the Kings all season, claiming game one, 95-87, in front of 13,145 shocked Kings fans. William McDowell-White (19 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists) starred for New Zealand with Barry Brown Jr (19 points off the bench) and Jarrell Brantley (16 points and 7 rebounds) playing key minutes also. Simon was the Kings’ leading scorer with 18 points and 6 steals as the Kings leading scorer, Derek Walton Jr was forced to leave the game in the last quarter with a injured leg.

Sydney entered Game two with no Xavier Cooks, and on the Breakers’ home floor at Spark Arena. New Zealand’s case for victory got even stronger when Kings’ leading scorer Derrick Walton Jr managed just four minutes of game time.

With the Kings missing their two best players, the Breakers playing at home, it was expected to be a easy win for New Zealand. Up stepped Justin Simon and the Kings’ backup brigade to snatch the win away from New Zealand, 81-74.

Returning to Sydney, the Kings took a 2-1 lead behind a dominant 91-68 victory over the Breakers in front of the biggest crowd in NBL history. 18,049 fans poured into Qudos Bank Arena, the biggest attendance ever for a NBL game, and watched Walton Jr shake off his injury concerns to notch up 12 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds while Cooks, who had signed a NBA contract to play with the Washington Wizards that same day, added 10 points and 8 rebounds. McDowell-White was New Zealand’s leading scorer with 11 points.

Game four delivered a Breakers win in Auckland (80-70), extending the series to five games. Brantley (23 points), MacDowell-White (19 points) and Brown Jr (20 points) all coming up big in the do-or-die game for New Zealand. Derrick Walton Jr (18 points) and Angus Glover (12 points) finished as Sydney’s leading scorers.

Then in game five, the Breakers were up by 11 points in the first quarter before being pegged back. They then took another heavy lead deep into the fourth quarter, but the Kings put together a 14-0 scoring run to once again snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

The Kings were able to squeeze a few extra fans into Qudos Bank Arena for game five, breaking the record for fan attendance which they had set in their previous home game with 18,124 in attendance. In one of the greatest championship games in history, Sydney put together a 14-0 run in the final quarter to secure the victory (77-69) and win their first back-to-back titles since their 2003-2005 three-peat. Derrick Walton Jr (21 points and 6 assists) was named the Finals MVP while Cooks (19 points and 11 rebounds) efforts were also key to the victory. Brown Jr (22 points off the bench) was top scorer for the Breakers.

67,811 fans attended the Championship Series, the highest Grand Final attendance in NBL history.

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS
2023/24
The primary focus of the Breakers’ off-season was re-signing promising guard William McDowell-White on a two-year deal. McDowell-White, who had a stellar NBL23 and was highly sought after in free agency, viewed staying with the Breakers under coach Mody Maor as the best opportunity to elevate his game. Finn Delany, who had spent the previous season playing in Germany, also returned to the club on a two-year deal. From there, the Breakers were able to retain the majority of their core group, with Cameron Gliddon, Izayah Mauriohooho-Le’Afa, and captain Thomas Abercrombie returning. They added complementary pieces Mangok Mathiang (via Illawarra), Dane Pineau (via South East Melbourne), and Lithuanian prospect Mantas Rubstavicius under the NBL Next Star Program. Coach Maor then finalized the roster by replacing outgoing imports Barry Brown Jr. (to China), Jarrell Brantley (to France), and Dererk Pardon (to Italy) with Parker Jackson-Cartwright (via Turkey), Zylan Cheatham (via Germany), and Justinian Jessup, who returned to the NBL after a year in the G-League.

New Zealand started their season with a win against Cairns (98–87), which was particularly significant for Abercrombie, as it marked his 400th game for the Breakersand then a narrow loss to Brisbane (84–89) before heading to the USA to play against the Phoenix Suns in the NBLxNBA exhibition game. With a number of player injuries, former NBA forward Anthony Lamb was also added to the squad. Despite being heavy underdogs, New Zealand pushed the Suns to the limit, making a late surge to cut the lead to four in the final minute before falling just short in a 91–86 loss. Corey Webster (27 points and 7 assists) and Tai Wesley (15 points and 7 rebounds) led the Breakers offensively. Phoenix, who were without star Devin Booker, relied on Deandre Ayton (21 points and 15 rebounds) and Trevor Ariza (16 points and 6 assists).

New Zealand returned from the USA and, due to injuries, roster changes, and inconsistent play, extended their losing streak to five games before a win over Cairns (91–81). Delany (11 games), Cheatham (11 games), McDowell-White (6 games), and Rubstavicius (5 games) all missed a considerable amount of games during the season, with Jessup being released after being unable to overcome his pelvis injury. In January, New Zealand (8–12) fell to the bottom of the ladder following three consecutive losses before turning things around, winning five of their last seven games to finish with a 13–15 record, equal with Sydney and Brisbane. Due to points percentage, Sydney (fifth) and New Zealand (sixth) advanced to the play-in tournament, while Brisbane (seventh) was eliminated.

Thomas Abercrombie (4.3 points, 2 rebounds, and 0.7 assists) delivered a veteran presence for the Breakers throughout the season, offering leadership and defensive expertise. His standout performances included a 13-point, 4-rebound game in the season opener against Brisbane (5 Oct 2023), a 10-point, 2-assist game against Sydney (22 Dec 2023), and a 9-point game against Tasmania in the semi-final (16 Nov 2023). Abercrombie’s consistency on both ends of the floor and his experience were vital to guiding the Breakers through a turbulent season.

Alongside Abercrombie, the Breakers were led offensively by Parker Jackson-Cartwright (20.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists, 1.9 steals) and saw strong contributions from Anthony Lamb (19.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals), Zylan Cheatham (15.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals), and William McDowell-White (9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists).

In the play-in tournament, New Zealand faced Sydney and secured a hard-fought win (83–76) led by Parker Jackson-Cartwright (34 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds) and Mangok Mathiang (10 points and 9 rebounds). Once into the second play-in game against Illawarra, Jackson-Cartwright (19 points and 9 assists) and Cheatham (12 points and 9 rebounds) produced solid efforts, but the inconsistency that highlighted the Breakers’ season all year returned, and they would lose by three points (85–88) and miss out on an NBL semifinal berth.

Abercrombie retired a 16-year veteran and team captain, played 425 games for the New Zealand Breakers, setting numerous records. He holds the club’s records for most games played, total points (4,432), and three-pointers made (568). Additionally, Abercrombie leads in most wins (239), playoff games (37), and steals (301). Notably, he is the only Breaker to have participated in all six of the team’s championship series over the past 13 years, earning the 2011 Grand Final MVP.Thomas Abercrombie played sixteen seasons the New Zealand Breakers. He averaged 10.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1 assists in 426 NBL games.

CAREER RANKINGS:
– 38th in total games played.
– 36th in total blocks

Dan Boyce (811 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.