{"id":242337,"date":"2026-05-08T02:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T02:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/exclusive-nz-breakers-set-to-land-legendary-basketball-coach-gordon-herbert-in-big-nbl-coup\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T02:35:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T02:35:00","slug":"exclusive-nz-breakers-set-to-land-legendary-basketball-coach-gordon-herbert-in-big-nbl-coup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/08\/exclusive-nz-breakers-set-to-land-legendary-basketball-coach-gordon-herbert-in-big-nbl-coup\/","title":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: NZ Breakers set to land legendary basketball coach Gordon Herbert in big NBL coup"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Basketball veteran Gordon Herbert is set to become the next head coach of the New Zealand Breakers, sources told Fox Sports Australia<\/i>, with the club poised to secure one of the most accomplished coaching figures in international basketball following an extensive search to replace Petteri Koponen.<\/p>\n

Watch NBA with ESPN on Kayo Sports | Stream the best of the NBA Playoffs. | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Herbert, 67, is widely regarded as one of Europe\u2019s most accomplished coaches, building an impressive resum\u00e9 across both club and international basketball. He has coached powerhouse European clubs, including Bayern Munich, but is best known for his success on the international stage.<\/p>\n

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04 June 2025, Baden-W\u00c3\u00bcrttemberg, Heidelberg: Basketball: Bundesliga, MLP Academics Heidelberg – FC Bayern Munich, championship round, semi-final, matchday 2. Munich coach Gordon Herbert gesticulates. Photo: Uwe Anspach\/dpa (Photo by Uwe Anspach\/picture alliance via Getty Images)<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Canadian-Finnish dual citizen coached Germany men\u2019s national basketball team from 2021 to 2024, leading the program to historic success, and is currently the head coach of Canada men\u2019s national basketball team. Before moving into coaching, Herbert spent 12 years playing professionally in Finland.<\/p>\n

Record-breaking US college star makes NBL call; 3x champ set for big switch \u2014 Free Agency LIVE<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Since beginning his coaching career in 1994, Herbert has established himself as one of the most respected figures in world basketball, with decades of experience across Europe and international competition.<\/p>\n

In 2023, Gordon Herbert guided Germany to their first-ever FIBA World Cup title, a landmark achievement that added to an already decorated coaching r\u00e9sum\u00e9 spanning more than three decades.<\/p>\n

Herbert\u2019s career includes multiple domestic and international honours, highlighted by French Cup triumphs in 2007 and 2009, Bundesliga championships in 2004 and 2016, and individual recognition as Coach of the Year in Austria (2000), Finland (2023) and Germany (2016). He later added another German league title in 2025, further underlining his longevity and consistency at the top level.<\/p>\n

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MANILA, PHILIPPINES – SEPTEMBER 10: The German Mens National team celebrate after the game in the Gold Medal game as part of the 2023 FIBA World Cup on September 10, 2023 at Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and\/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler\/NBAE via Getty Images)<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His influence also stretches onto the international stage in a broader sense, having led Germany through a period of sustained success that reshaped the nation\u2019s standing in world basketball.<\/p>\n

That pedigree is well known to New Zealand Breakers assistant coach Mario Dugandzic, who previously worked alongside Herbert with the German national team.<\/p>\n

For the Breakers, Herbert\u2019s arrival would represent a significant statement as they look to reset after an underwhelming 2025-26 campaign, despite lifting the inaugural NBL Ignite Cup. With the club targeting a return to the top six, experience and leadership have become key priorities.<\/p>\n

After parting ways with Petteri Koponen, the Breakers missed out on other coaching targets in Judd Flavell and Mody Maor, but their pursuit of a marquee appointment now appears to be nearing a breakthrough, with Herbert offering one of the strongest resumes available on the market.<\/p>\n

MORE TO COME<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Basketball veteran Gordon Herbert is set to become the next head coach of the New Zealand Breakers, sources told Fox Sports Australia, with the club poised to secure one of the most accomplished coaching figures in international basketball following an extensive search to replace Petteri Koponen. Watch NBA with ESPN on Kayo Sports | Stream […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":242338,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[156],"class_list":{"0":"post-242337","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242337\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}