New Zealand wins CODE Sports NBL Blitz

After five electric days of elite men’s basketball, with every session selling out and more than 18,000 tickets snapped up, the CODE Sports NBL Blitz has officially wrapped in Canberra.

The New Zealand Breakers have been declared winners of the tournament and will take home the Loggins-Bruton Cup after tallying 12.5 points, while Tasmania JackJumpers finished runners up on 9 points.

Breakers’ import Izaiah Brockington capped off his impressive Blitz debut, being awarded the Ray Borner Medal as tournament MVP. He polled 25 votes, with an average stat line of 20 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists across his two standout games.

The Breakers amplified their pre-season presence ahead of an exciting NBL26 campaign, claiming dominant wins over the South East Melbourne Phoenix (109-101) and the Cairns Taipans.

Returning Breaker Reuben Te Rangi top-scored with 20 points in their final Blitz matchup to go with 6 rebounds, while Sam Mennenga scored 18 points, Sean Bairstow 12 and Izayah Le'afa 11 along with 7 assists.

Cairns were missing imports Admiral Schofield and Ashton Hagans along with sharpshooter Reyne Smith with Kody Stattmann scoring 15 points, Alex Higgins-Titsha 13 and Kyrin Galloway 12.

The Phoenix showed their firepower once more with a 102-81 win against the Sydney Kings. New imports Hunter Maldonado (14 points, 3/5 from three), John Brown III (13 points and 4 rebounds), and Vrenz Bleijenbergh (12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) had strong showings.

Sydney lost its second game of the Blitz with Tim Soares finishing with 14 points and 8 rebounds, with Jaylin Galloway adding 13 points, and Matthew Dellavedova 11 points and 8 assists.

10 NBL teams descended on Canberra to showcase their new-look rosters in front of excited crowds, signalling a strong desire for the NBL to return to the nation's capital.

The Hungry Jack’s NBL26 Season tips off September 18. Every game is live on ESPN via Disney+ and Kayo Sports. Download the NBL App to stay locked in to the action all season long.