NZ Breakers hire Petteri Koponen as new head coach

Petteri Koponen - who recently completed a long playing career in Europe - has agreed to a deal to become the next head coach of the New Zealand Breakers, sources told ESPN.

Koponen replaces Mody Maor, who abruptly left the Breakers earlier in the off-season in order to pursue an opportunity in Asia. Maor signed a two-year deal with Nagasaki Velka in Japan's B League.

Koponen's playing career stretched across high level Europe, with the 6'4 guard also a mainstay of the Finland national team. Koponen spent time with Virtus Bologna, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and the Honka Playboys.

The 36-year-old retired in 2022, and went on to become a youth coach for HBA-Märsky within the Helsinki Basketball Academy. He spent two years coaching at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament, and will be an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs at the 2024 NBA Summer League. At the end of June, Koponen's draft rights were traded to the New York Knicks.

Koponen's deal is for three seasons, the team said on Thursday, with a team option on the third year. He plans to arrive in New Zealand on August 1.

"The head coaching position at the BNZ Breakers is one of the most sought-after jobs in basketball outside of the NBA, and we had amazing interest shown in the role over the last month," Breakers owner Matt Walsh said.

"My goal was to find the best coach to lead the Breakers, and I am very confident we have found the right person for the job."

"Being the Head Coach of the Breakers comes with a lot of responsibility. We ran an exhaustive search that included coaches from all over the world and included former NBA head coaches.

"Petteri was an incredible player who has seamlessly transitioned to coaching and shares my vision of growing the game of basketball in New Zealand."

Koponen was the frontrunner for the Breakers' head coach position from the early days of their search process, sources said. The Breakers also placed consideration into five-time NBL Champion, Trevor Gleeson, along with Daniel Sokolovsky, who was an assistant under Maor.

The Breakers have Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Mitch McCarron, Mojave King, Sam Mennenga, Dane Pineau, and Grant Anticevich contracted as the 2024 off-season continues.