The Auckland Pirates were a New Zealand
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
team based in
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
. The Pirates competed in the
National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at ASB Stadium.
Team history
In March 2011, the franchise was unveiled by Basketball Auckland ahead of the
2011 NBL season, marking the return of an Auckland presence to the NBL, a year after the
Auckland Stars
The Auckland Stars were a New Zealand basketball team based in Auckland. The Stars competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at ASB Stadium.
Team history
The Auckland Stars, then known as Auckland Metro, were ...
folded. The inaugural squad included imports Raheim Brown and Kevin Mickens alongside
Dillon Boucher,
Luke Martin and Brook Ruscoe. The Pirates finished their first season in seventh place with a 5–11 record.
For the
2012 season, the Pirates retained Boucher and Ruscoe, and acquired
Lindsay Tait,
Alex Pledger,
Hayden Allen,
Duane Bailey and
Ron Dorsey. They subsequently helped the Pirates finish the regular season in second place with a 13–3 record. After defeating the
Manawatu Jets
The Manawatu Jets are a New Zealand professional men's basketball team based in Palmerston North. The Jets compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Central Energy Trust Arena. For sponsorship reasons, they ...
in the semi-finals, they faced the
Wellington Saints
The Wellington Saints are a New Zealand professional men's basketball team based in Wellington. The Saints compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at TSB Bank Arena. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as ...
in the final, where they won 89–83 to claim the
NBL championship. Pledger was named Finals MVP, while Tait was named
Most Outstanding Guard,
Most Outstanding Kiwi Guard and
All-Star Five for the 2012 season.
On 2 November 2012, the Pirates withdrew from the NBL, with Basketball Auckland revealing their financial model was unsustainable.
References
External links
Official team website
{{National Basketball League (New Zealand)
2011 establishments in New Zealand
Basketball teams established in 2011
Basketball teams in Auckland
Basketball teams in New Zealand
National Basketball League (New Zealand) teams
Sport in Auckland