BNZ Breakers Announce Pre-Season Tour of Japan

Get ready, Japan! The BNZ Breakers are heading to the Land of the Rising Sun for a pre-season tour that promises to be a true test of skill and a celebration of international basketball. The team will face off against two formidable Japanese B.League teams, Nagasaki Velca and Kumamoto Volters as they ramp up preparations for the anticipated NBL26 season.

“This will be a great opportunity for our team to test themselves against a different style of play and to see where we're at in our pre-season preparations.” said Dillon Boucher, President of Basketball Operations at the BNZ Breakers.

“Nagasaki and Kumamoto are both highly competitive teams with passionate fanbases, and we're looking forward to the challenge.”

The Breakers will play two exhibition games during their trip:

vs. Nagasaki Velca, a team from Japan's top-tier B1 league on 12 September at 19:00 tip-off.

vs. Kumamoto Volters, who compete in the B2 league on 13 September at 17:00 tip-off.

Nagasaki Velca's head coach is Mody Maor, who previously coached the BNZ Breakers. Breakers Legend Paul Henare will join him as an associate head coach for the 2025-26 season.

“Breakers alumni are everywhere in the basketball world, and this trip is a great example of that,” said Marc Mitchell, Chairman of the BNZ Breakers.

“We are excited to take the BNZ Breakers to Japan and showcase our brand of basketball to new audiences.”

“This will be a about cultural exchange and building friendships in the world of basketball.”

The Japanese B.League is Japan’s top professional men’s basketball league which as launched in 2016 when Japan’s previous basketball leagues merged under a single national competition. Run by the Japan Professional Basketball League (JPBL) under the Japan Basketball Association, the B.League has been steadily growing in quality, crowds and is now one of Asia’s strongest domestic leagues.

Further details will be announced in the coming weeks.