NBL seeks peace in Breakers-Saints row
The New Zealand Breakers might be spotted in Wellington again after all.
Breakers owner Matt Walsh revealed to Stuff the club was unlikely to play in the capital any time soon, while long-time Wellington Saints owner Nick Mills was involved hosting games there.
The Breakers predominantly play their Australian National Basketball League games at Spark Arena in Auckland. They are committed to taking home games around New Zealand, playing two outings at Christchurch’s Horncastle Arena this season, and also taking a fixture to Invercargill and New Plymouth.
Wellington’s TSB Arena didn’t feature this season, but did host the Breakers in the penultimate round of the 2018-19 season against Illawarra with the game a commercial flop.
With the Breakers eliminated from the playoffs, just 2336 fans attended, and the game lost a substantial amount of money. Mills confirmed he was still paying off the debt 12 months on.
‘‘Nick Mills, the guy who runs the games there, is not a big fan of mine or the Breakers seemingly. He likes to speak from a place of no knowledge and rip us,’’ Walsh told Stuff.
‘‘I’m not sure that would work because Nick Mills believes he’s [basketball’s creator] James Naismith and invented the game of basketball here in New Zealand. I’m not sure we’ll go back to Wellington as long as he’s in charge.’’
New Zealand NBL general manager Justin Nelson reached out to Walsh on
Saturday about the possibility of the league linking with the Breakers to bring the team to Wellington next season.
Nelson was preparing a brief for the New Zealand NBL board and believed a Breakers game in the capital could benefit the Kiwi league and be advantageous for both parties.
‘‘The chance to play a Breakers game in Wellington is something the NBL can leverage off,’’ Nelson said.
Walsh told Stuff they would talk to the regional venues and operators at the end of the season to discuss the appetite for bringing the Breakers back next season. He said they were keen to speak with Nelson about the possibility of a game in Wellington.
SEASON OVER