The Intense Conversations Behind Webster’s Release from Breakers

New Zealand Breakers coach Dan Shamir has revealed the frank conversations that led to contracted duo Tai and Corey Webster being released by the club this off-season.

Tai signed a two-year deal with the Breakers in July while his brother Corey still had two years to run on his contract when the club released him in August.

With COVID vaccination status set to play a major role in all sporting leagues across the world, Tai’s stance on the issue led to him and the Breakers coming to a mutual agreement on his release.

Speaking to The Huddle podcast, Shamir has opened up on the chats he had with Tai in the lead-up to the decision.

“That was a huge blow because we invested a lot in Tai, we just secured him for two years and we know how good he is. (He is) a very strong local player, you know how important that is in the NBL,” Shamir said.

“It's not a basketball decision or a basketball issue, it's a new thing the whole world is going through.

“I'm not a guy who's afraid to make a stand and be clear with my players and with the media and with the fans, I think basketball players need to plan to get vaccinated these days, it's going to be mandatory and it's important.

“It's not something I can tell anybody, I can't tell him get vaccinated, it's a very personal thing. I'm vaccinated, all my family is vaccinated, so that’s the only thing I can say about our own situation.

“If you want to be a basketball player, it needs to be a clear stand from everybody that you need to do that. I'm a little bit surprised that nobody did that.

“But we started communicating this and telling him listen, you're not going to be able to get in the airplane and go play a single game if you’re not vaccinated.

“So, if you decide not to, then we have a problem here. And again, it was frank enough and open enough to understand that he doesn't want to do it and therefore he can't play in the NBL.”

Tai starred for New Zealand last season averaging 17.2 points, 5.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game.

As for his older brother Corey, Shamir says his release came down to a simple factor – there was no longer a role for the 32-year-old.

“I'm always doing the most logical thing and the right thing to do at any given time. And at this point, the right thing was to show Corey the depth chart and it makes a lot of sense to everybody,” Shamir said.

“And as much as we love Corey, it’s probably not the best place for you from all angles. Now let's all do what the right thing is for us in our business.

“I love sharing all these things, the process of building a team and you finish the season and you're thinking, ‘who do you want to get?’

“You start exploring in a few directions, we really wanted to keep Will McDowell-White, I love this guy, so we reached out to him. We wanted to keep Tai Webster, so we told him we want to keep you and we made an offer. You're working in a few directions, and you never know what the end result is going to be.

“We had Corey’s and we extended him for another two or three years (in 2019), so he's an asset of ours and we didn't think it's going to go in this direction back then.

“But all of a sudden, we find ourselves in a situation where our local squad is based on Will McDowell-White, who decided to commit, he likes what we're doing, he thinks he can really develop with us.

“Tai wants to stay, and we have an opportunity to get Yanni Wetzell who is a huge foundation for us, a local guy and we love his personality and game. All these great things are happening, and you need to decide what are you doing.”