Southland Sharks

Team history

Summarize

Perspective

The Southland Sharks brand dates back to the 1990s when the Smokefree Southland Sharks competed in the Conference Basketball League (CBL) and won championships in 1995 and 1998.^[1] In 2002, a group of local businessmen launched a bid to enter a Southland team into the National Basketball League (NBL), but that attempt fell over late in the piece when the Community Trust of Southland declined a $150,000 application.^[2]^[3]

In October 2009, Southland Basketball Association was granted a three-year NBL license.^[4] In December 2009, the Sharks were confirmed for the 2010 NBL season.^[3]^[5]

The Sharks made playoff appearances in their first two seasons in the NBL, before missing the post-season in 2012. In 2013, the Sharks won their maiden NBL championship with a 92–81 win over the Nelson Giants in the final.^[6]^[7] After another playoff appearance in 2014, the Sharks won their first minor premiership in 2015, before going on to reach the NBL final, where they won their second championship with a 72–68 win over the Wellington Saints.^[8] With the win, they broke the 2001 Waikato Titans 15-game winning streak to finish the season with 16 wins in a row.^[9] The 2015 season also saw the Sharks retire Kevin Braswell's No. 12 jersey.^[10]^[11]^[12]

After another playoff appearance in 2016, the Sharks made their third NBL final in 2017, where they lost 108–75 to the Saints.^[13] In 2018, the Sharks returned to the NBL final for the fourth time in six years, where they won their third championship with a 98–96 win over the Saints.^[14]^[15]

The Sharks sat out the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[16]

In 2022, the Sharks' inaugural sponsors SIT Zero Fees^[17] decided to end its long-term partnership with the team.^[18]

In 2025, the Sharks returned to the NBL final for the first time since 2018 behind league MVP, Josiah Allick.^[19]^[20]^[21] In the final, the Sharks lost 88–83 to the Wellington Saints.^[22]^[23]^[24]

Remove ads

Honour roll

NBL Championships:	3 (2013, 2015, 2018)
NBL Playoff appearances:	11 (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2025)
NBL Grand Final appearances:	5 (2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2025)
MVP:	Josiah Allick (2025)
Finals MVP:	Leon Henry (2013), Tai Wesley (2015), Reuben Te Rangi (2018)
All-Star Five:	René Rougeau (2010), Brian Conklin (2013), Todd Blanchfield (2015), Tai Wesley (2015), Alex Pledger (2016), Jarrad Weeks (2018), Dom Kelman-Poto (2021), Jeremy Kendle (2023), Josiah Allick (2025)
Most Outstanding Forward:	Brian Conklin (2013), Tai Wesley (2015), Josiah Allick (2025)
Scoring Champion:	Jeremy Kendle (2023)
Rebounding Champion:	Alex Pledger (2016), Josiah Allick (2025)
Rookie of the Year:	Martin Iti (2010)
Coach of the Year:	Paul Henare (2013, 2015)