The New Zealand Breakers are a New Zealand professional men's basketball team competing in the National Basketball League(NBL). The Breakers joined the NBL for the 2003–04 season (along with the now-defunct Hunter Pirates) as one of two expansion clubs. The club is based in the city of Auckland, New Zealand and split their home games between the 4,400 capacity North Shore Events Centre (NSEC), known as "The Breakerdome" within the NBL, and the 9,300 seat Spark Arena where they play select games against higher drawing teams as well as all finals games due to the higher capacity. They are currently owned by Liz and Paul Blackwell, owners of a local Pak'n Save supermarket.[1]
They are one of two teams (the other being the now-absent Singapore Slingers) from outside of Australia to have competed in the National Basketball League. In 2011, the Breakers won their first NBL championship and successfully defended it in 2012 and 2013. They re-claimed the title in 2015 after missing the playoffs in 2014. In 2016, they lost their first Grand Final series at the hands of arch-rivals the Perth Wildcats.