Folded November 2012 Team colours Navy, orange, grey Arena ASB Stadium | Website AucklandPirates.co.nz Founded 1982 | |
Championships 1 (2012 New Zealand NBL season) | ||
Kevin smith auckland pirates
The Auckland Pirates were a New Zealand basketball team based in Auckland. The Pirates competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at ASB Stadium.
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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 Tab Baldwin-owned Auckland Stars folded. Australian NBL veteran Luke Martin was recruited in the crucial point guard position, while imports Raheim Brown and Kevin Mickins complement the likes of Dillon Boucher and Brook Ruscoe in the inaugural team. However, the Pirates' first season ended with them missing the playoffs with a 5–11 record.
While retaining the likes of Boucher and Ruscoe for the 2012 season, the Pirates made a recruiting splurge as they picked up Lindsay Tait, Alex Pledger, Hayden Allen, Duane Bailey and Ron Dorsey. The new and improved roster helped the team finish the regular season in second place with a 13–3 record, going on to defeat the Manawatu Jets in the semi-finals before out muscling the Wellington Saints in the grand final to claim their first NBL title. Alex Pledger was named Finals MVP while Lindsay 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. Basketball Auckland chairman Chris Ford said the franchise intended to field a team again in the future.