New Zealand football legend Ryan Nelsen (left) presents an All Whites jersey to Tall Blacks icon Sean Marks, the current general manager of the Brooklyn Nets.
New Zealand football legend Ryan Nelsen (left) presents an All Whites jersey to Tall Blacks icon Sean Marks, the current general manager of the Brooklyn Nets.
New Zealand sporting royalty crossed paths in New York City last week, with All Whites legend Ryan Nelsen meeting Kiwi basketball icon Sean Marks.
With an eye on next year’s Fifa World Cup – which is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico – Nelsen and New Zealand Footballchief executive Andrew Pragnell took the chance to meet Marks, the general manager of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, to share experiences of high-performance sport.
The timing worked well, with the All Whites in town for their friendly against Ecuador, ultimately losing 2-0 in New Jersey in their final match of the year.
The duo got the chance to tour the Nets’ facilities and Pragnell is hoping to welcome Marks into the All Whites camp when they return for the World Cup next year.
“The amazing thing about Kiwis around the world is that they always support each other,” Pragnell said.
“When we knew we were going to be in New York with the All Whites and connecting with key stakeholders in preparation of next year’s World Cup, it presented a great opportunity to meet with Sean, who is operating at the very top of the game in one of the world’s biggest sporting leagues.
“It was incredible to be shown around their training facility to see all of the aspects that go into producing an elite professional basketball team. It was a great and educational experience as we continue to strive to deliver a best-in-class set-up for our own high-performance teams.”
Ryan Nelsen (left) with Andrew Pragnell (centre) and Sean Marks.
Marks is arguably the most successful basketball player to come from New Zealand. He was the first New Zealand-born player to play in the NBA and part of the Tall Blacks team that finished fourth at the 2002 Fiba World Championship.
While his role in the NBA was minor on the court, he was part of the 2005 NBA champions San Antonio, while he added another title in 2014 with the Spurs while serving as an assistant coach to the team.
He has been the general manager of the Nets since 2016.
In addition to visiting the Nets’ facilities, Pragnell and Nelsen met with key stakeholders involved in planning next year’s World Cup. They also spoke at a “flat white meet-up” at a Rodd & Gunn store in the city, to connect with Kiwi entrepreneurs and business people in New York.
The All Whites will find out their World Cup opponents when the draw for the event takes place on December 6 (NZT) at 6am. The tournament runs from June 12-July 20.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.
