World Cup Winner Gordon Herbert Appointed Head Coach of BNZ Breakers

The BNZ Breakers are proud to announce the landmark appointment of FIBA World Cup-winning coach Gordon Herbert as the club’s new Head Coach on a two-year deal.

Herbert, a titan of international basketball, will lead the franchise into its next chapter following a historic stint with the German National Team and will continue with his Head Coaching role with the Canadian national team.

Herbert will take the reins of a roster already boasting marquee talent, including Sam Mennenga, Parker Jackson-Cartwright, DJ Vasiljevic and Kouat Noi.

"Gordon is a world-class strategist with a proven track record of winning at the highest possible level," says Dillon Boucher, BNZ Breakers President of Basketball Operations. "His international pedigree and ability to manage elite talent perfectly align with our vision to compete at the highest level in the NBL and represent New Zealand on the world stage."

Gordon Herbert’s career is defined by tactical rigour and a clinical ability to build championship-calibre cultures. While his expertise was forged over decades in Europe’s elite circuits, including the EuroLeague, his recent era of international supremacy has reshaped his coaching legacy.

Herbert’s tenure with Germany is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaching runs in modern FIBA history. He transformed a talented but underachieving squad into a global powerhouse, culminating in an undefeated eight-zero run to claim the 2023 FIBA World Cup Gold. At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, he guided the team to a top-four finish.

"I am incredibly excited to join the BNZ Breakers," Herbert said. "This is a club with a prestigious history and a clear ambition for the future. We want to play a fast-paced style of basketball that delivers winning results.”

Marc Mitchell, Club Chairman and Owner welcomed Herbert and said: “The BNZ Breakers are putting in place the key pieces of our championship puzzle, and Gordon has proven he can deliver championship winning, high-performance teams.”

Mitchell concluded, “When the Club started this process, we committed to searching the globe to find one of the world’s best to lead the BNZ Breakers.  We are thrilled to get someone of Gordie’s calibre to join us in New Zealand and lead us on the court.”