NZ Breakers close in on NBA crossover games; lock in NBL Christmas Day showcase

The NZ Breakers are expected to return to the US for two NBA crossover games later this year. Photo / Getty Images

The New Zealand Breakers will spend Christmas Day on court, while another preseason venture to take on NBA teams will feature on the team’s schedule for the upcoming season.

The NBL today released the schedule for the upcoming season, confirming the Breakers would feature in the league’s two-game Christmas Day slate for the first time, clashing with the champion Tasmania Jackjumpers.

The schedule, extended to 29 games this year, also confirmed games in New Plymouth and Wellington, as well as three in Christchurch.

The Breakers’ trip to Wellington to play the Sydney Kings in December will be the team’s first venture to the capital since 2018, while New Plymouth and Christchurch have been regular stops for the team.

The season kicks off on September 21 against the Brisbane Bullets as part of HoopsFest in Perth, with the first home game of the season in round two at Spark Arena on September 29 against the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

The schedule did not, however, confirm the NBA preseason crossover games which remain a work in progress. They are likely to be between rounds two and five, where the Breakers are not scheduled for a game. The Herald understands they will play two games on their US trip, against teams from the NBA’s Western Conference.

It’s one of several works in progress for the Breakers, who remain on the hunt for a new head coach following Mody Maor’s departure and still have half a roster to put together ahead of the season.

American NBA journalist Marc Stein reported the club formally reached out to the Boston Celtics about the possibility of interviewing Jeff van Gundy for the role, but were told van Gundy already had an NBA coaching gig lined up.

The Herald understands the Breakers also had conversations with Australian Trevor Gleeson, who is currently an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks, but those conversations did not progress very far. The team is close to filling that vacancy, however, and expect to be in a position to announce their new coach soon.

The Breakers are also in the running to sign Canadian five-star recruit Will Riley, who is expected to make a decision about where he will sign early next week. Riley is reportedly choosing between the Breakers and the elite collegiate programmes at Illinois, Kentucky, Alabama and Arizona.

Should Riley sign with the Breakers, he will be signed to the Next Star spot on their roster.

As it stands, the Breakers have put together a strong group led by import guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who in a rare move will come back for a second year at the club after an impressive campaign last season.

He will be joined by former NBA player Jonah Bolden, 2023 NBA draftee Mojave King, Australian stalwarts Mitch McCarron and Dane Pineau, as well as Kiwi big man Sam Mennenga.

Of last year’s roster, only Pineau and Jackson-Cartwright have been confirmed to return, with Finn Delany leaving the club to take up an offer overseas.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.