Paul Henare has made an immense contribution to basketball in New Zealand since his early days growing up in the Hawke’s Bay.
He represented New Zealand through various age-group teams before earning his first Tall Blacks call up in 1999. He went on to make 129 appearances in the black singlet.
A highlight from his Tall Black career would be finishing fourth at the 2002 FIBA World Cup in Indianapolis. Paul was also a double Olympian with appearances in Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004).
He played at the domestic level for the Hawks and Auckland Stars, winning NBL championships in 1999 and 2000. He won the Dave Taylor Trophy, given to the season’s assists champion, on five occasions.
Paul was a member of the inaugural Breakers team in 2003 and bowed out in 2011 with an ANBL championship, 250 appearances for the club and a singlet retirement.
He began his coaching career back in Hawke’s Bay in 2011 and has also held the Head Coach position with Southland Sharks, New Zealand Breakers and currently the Wellington Saints.
He was appointed Tall Blacks Head Coach in 2015 and has successfully qualified the team for the upcoming FIBA World Cup in China. The last Tall Blacks game in February against Jordan was his 50th game at the helm.
