What a whirlwind of a week tht was! We don’t blame you if you haven’t had enough brain capacity to truly take in all of the achievements our players and team’s accomplished this past week, so join us as we take a look back at one of New Zealand Basketball’s most memorable weeks, with a small look at what’s coming up in the next few days.
April 6th, 1.30am (NZT) – 3×3 Tall Blacks win Gold at the Asia Cup
The 3×3 Tall Blacks capped off an amazing week at the 2026 3×3 FIBA Asia Cup, downing Korea in the final 21-15 to win New Zealand’s first ever gold at a FIBA Asia Cup event.
Throughout the tournament the quartet of Josh Book, Christian Martin, Te Tuhi Lewis and Aidan Tonge knocked down a ridiculous 26 two-point shots. Lewis contributing 13 of those, his play throughout the Asia Cup earning him a spot on the tournament team as well as MVP honours.
April 6th, 9.00am (NZT) – Charlisse wins NCAA National Championship with UCLA
Just a mere eight and a half hours later, New Zealand celebrated having it’s first female NCAA Division One Women’s Basketball Champion as Charlisse Leger-Walker and the UCLA Bruins defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 79-51.
The Waikato-native adding 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a block to her team’s effort, as they went onto win their school’s first ever NCAA title.
April 7th, 4.00pm (NZT) – Oscar Goodman becomes an NCAA Champion
New Zealand had to wait just another 30-odd hours to celebrate it’s next NCAA Champion, as Taranaki’s Oscar Goodman joined Jack Salt as the only Men’s NCAA Division 1 Champion.
Goodman’s Michigan Wolverines defeating the Uconn Huskies 69-63, marking the schools return to NCAA glory for the first time since 1989.
April 9th, 6.00pm (NZT) – The 2026 Sal’s NBL Season tips off
2026’s edition of the Sal’s NBL tipped off, with the Manawatū Jets hosting their neighbours, the Taranaki Airs at Fly Palmy Arena.
The homeside taking the Rapid League win 37-27, while the Airs exacted revenge in the Sal’s NBL with a 91-85 victory over the Jets courtesy of a monster debut from Airs import Xavier Green (30 pts, 12 reb).
April 12th, 3.00pm (NZT) – Mount Maunganui do the double at 3×3 Nationals
Mount Maunganui College take out both the Girls’ and Boys’ New Zealand Secondary Schools 3×3 titles in Wellington.
The Mount Maunganui girls defeating Hamilton Girls’ 21-14 in their final to win back-to-back NZSS titles. Charis Broughton took home the competition’s Most Valuable Player.
Whilst on the boys side of things, the Mount Maunganui lads took down St Andrew’s College 21-15, with Flynn Rapson taking out the MVP.
April 12th, 11.20pm (NZT) – 3×3 Tall Blacks qualify for the World Cup
In a week well and truly bookended by the 3×3 Tall Blacks, the same quartet of Jsoh Book, Christian Martin, Te Tuhi Lewis and Aidan Tonge defeated Brazil in overtime courtesy of the Christian Martin clutch bank two-pointer to send the 3×3 Tall Blacks to the 2026 FIBA 3×3 World Cup in Poland.
The squad started the qualifiers with a tough loss against the Italians, the team had a tight win against Egypt (16-15) to progress onto the qualifier game.
The real team effort against Brazil in that everyone contribute, it was Christian Martin’s outside bomb off the glass that sent the squad to it’s first FIBA 3×3 World Cup since 2022.
UPCOMING:
April 14th, 11.00am (NZT) – 2026 WNBA Draft
Charlisse Leger-Walker looks to become the first New Zealand-born Kiwi to hear her name called out in the WNBA Draft. Just a mere week after becoming a NCAA Champion, Leger-Walker could create more New Zealand basketball history on Tuesday’s draft.
Leger-Walker would become the second New Zealander to be drafted into the WNBA (Tahlia Tupaea selected with the 36th overall pick in 2017, born in Penrith, NSW) when her name is called. We’ll all wait patiently to see who our favourite WNBA squad will be.
You can catch live coverage of the WNBA Draft via ESPN on Sky or Disney+.
