Nowa Zelandia

1978 Commonwealth Basketball Championship

The Tall Blacks after beating The Boomers for the first time in a match, headed to the United Kingdom for the newly formed Commonwealth Competition. Playing against England, Canada, Wales and Northern Ireland, they ended the tournament with a 2-3 record, losing the final to Canada 107-68.

1983 Commonwealth Basketball Championship

New Zealand hosted the Championships, playing against The Boomers, Fiji, Malaysia, and England. The Tall Blacks finished with a 2-3 record failing to medal.

1986 FIBA World Championship

The Tall Blacks gained a wild card entry and headed to the tournament staged in Spain. Placed in Group D alongside Yugoslavia, Canada, Argentina, The Netherlands and Malaysia. The Tall Blacks finished 21st overall (1–4 record), picking up a single win 77–75 over Malaysia.

1999 FIBA Oceania Championship

Seen as the qualifying tournament of the FIBA Oceania spot for the 2000 Summer Olympics. The Boomers were not required to enter this tournament being the upcoming hosts for the Summer Olympics in Sydney. It was then decided the tournament would a one off game between the Tall Blacks and Guam. Played in New Zealand and winning 125-43, for the first time the Tall Blacks qualified for the 2000 Olympic Games.

2000 Sydney Olympic Games

In their first ever appearance at the Summer Games the Tall Blacks were placed in Group A alongside US, Italy, China, Latvija and France. They finished 11th with a 1–6 record, picking up a win against Angola (70–60).

• Sean Marks finished the tournament with 13 ppg (points) and 7.3 rpg (rebounds, 2nd)
• Pero Cameron finished the tournament 2nd in steals (1.7spg)

2001 FIBA Oceania Championship

The Tall Blacks beat The Boomers in a three game series 2-1 to qualify for the 2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis, United States.

2002 FIBA World Championship

Held in Indianapolis, USA, the Tall Blacks stormed out of Group D into the 2nd round with a 2-1 record. Beating China and Russia but suffering a loss to the USA.

Finding themselves in the 1/4 finals against Puerto Rico, They picked up the win 65-63, before losing the semifinal to Serbia and Montenegro 89-87. Playing for the bronze medal against Germany they lost 117-94 ending with a 4-5 record. To date this has been their best finish at a World Cup / World Championship.

• Tall Blacks Captain Pero Cameron was the only non-NBA player named to the All-Tournament team
• Phil Jones was listed as 9th best scorer at 19.2 ppg

2004 Athens Olympics

Dropping into group A and playing Italy, China, Serbia and Montenegro, Argentina and Spain. The Tall Blacks finished with a 1–5 record defeated the then reigning 2002 FIBA World Championship gold medalists, Serbia and Montenegro, 90–87. In the play off for 9th position they lost to The Boomers 98-80 finishing 10th.

Tournament notes:

• Phil Jones (points) with 21ppg finished 2nd.
• Mark Dickel (assists) with 4.5 apg finished 3rd.
• Dillon Boucher (steals) with 1.8 spg finished 5th.

2006 Commonwealth Games Tournament

Held in Melbourne, Australia, the Tall Blacks, joined The Boomers (the hosts), England, South Africa, Scotland, Barbados, Nigeria and India. Teams were split into 2 groups for pool play.

The TB's came out on top in Pool B with a 3-0 record, moving through to a semi-final against Nigeria. Winning that 90-66, setting up yet another finals battle with The Boomers. Unfortunately they lost the gold medal match 81-76 coming away with a Silver Medal.

2006 FIBA World Championship

Held in Japan, the Tall Blacks were placed in Group B alongside Japan, Spain, Panama, Angola and Germany. After an 0–3 start, the Tall Blacks closed out the group stage with two straight wins, over Japan and Panama. However, they would fall in the round of 16 to the defending Olympic gold medalists Argentina, 79–62 ending their tournament.

From this Tab Baldwin resigned as the head coach of the Tall Blacks, replaced by then assistant coach Nenad Vučinić.

2007 Stankovic Cup

The 2007 edition saw the tournament shared between Guangzhou and Macao. International teams competed alongside an NBA G League selection team. The Tall Blacks finished with a 2-3 record in 5th place with mixed results. Angola 54-67 (L), NBA G League 84-87 (L), Slovenia 74-72 (W), China 63-93 (L), Venezuela 76-73 (W).

2008 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament

The Tall Blacks entered this 12 team wildcard tournament held in Athens. Placed in Group B with Germany and Cape Verde, the Tall Blacks won their opener against Cape Verde 77-50, but lost their second match 89-71 to Germany.

In the quarterfinals, they had a showdown with the host, Greece, which they also lost 75-48, ending the tournament and finishing 7th overall.

2009 FIBA Oceanica Championship

The TB's once again defeated The Boomers winning the Al Ramsey Shield to qualify with a higher seeding for the FIBA 2010 World Championship to be held in Türkiye.

2010 FIBA World Championship

Pitching up in group C (Held in Izmir) playing 5 group games, the TBs made it through to the round of 16 with 3-2 record. Beating Lebanon, Canada and France, but losing to Lietuva and Spain. In the round of 16, The TBs drew Russia but lost this match 78-56 ending with a final ranking of 12th overall and a 3-3 record.

• Kirk Penney finished the tournament 2nd overall with 24.7ppg.

2011 Stanković Cup (Second Edition)

Competing at the 2011 Boris Stanković Cup in China. Playing 3 pool games against China, Russia and Angola. After losing to Russia in the first game 74-71, the Tall Blacks quickly put that behind them, smashing China in their second game 89-69. A third pool game saw them beat Angola 73-70.

Playing Russia in the final the Tall Blacks were led by 30 points performance from Kirk Penney, winning 80-77.

2012 Olympic Qualifiying Tournament

Placed in Group D for this tournament, the Tall Blacks headed to Caracas, Venuzuela to play off for one of 3 spots on offer for the 2012 London Olympic Games. Poo play saw a loss to Macedonia 84-62 and a win over Angola 68-64. However on points differential, the Tall Blacks finished 3rd in the pool and failed to make the next round. They finished the tournament in 10th spot.

2014 FIBA World Cup

Held in Spain, the Tall Blacks were placed in Group C and finished up with a 2-3 statline in pool play. Recording good wins over Ukraine and Finland, after narrowly losing to Türkiye in their opening match. The Tall Blacks other two losses came against the Dominican Republic and the US. They made it through to the final 16, playing against Lietuva, but lost the match 76-71. New Zealand finished in 15th place overall.

2015 Stanković Cup

In 2015 the Tall Blacks attended this tournament as warm up to the 2015 Oceania series against The Boomers and also using it as team preparations to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The Tall Blacks cruised through pool play unbeaten, downing The U23 Chinese 89-82, Mexico 78-67 and Venezuela 72-65. A final was played against Mexico, which the Tall Blacks won 70-66.

2015 FIBA Oceania Tournament

In 2015 the Tall Blacks lost what was the final FIBA Oceania Senior men's series 0-2 to The Boomers. Oceania would then look to merge with their Asian Counterpart, of which in 2017 they would compete for what would be called the FIBA Asia Cup.

2016 Olympic Qualifying Tournament

After losing to The Boomers in the final FIBA Oceania series in 2015, the Tall Blacks found themselves heading to the Philippines for FIBA Qualifying tournament staged at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Tall Blacks were placed in group B alongside France and the Philippines. The Tall Blacks won their opening battle against hosts 89-80, however lost to France in their second match in a low-scoring affair 59-66. In the semi-final crossover with pool A winners Canada, the Tall Blacks lost 72-78 ending their tournament.

• Corey Webster finished second in scoring with 21.7PPG
• Tai Webster finished second in rebounds with 9.7rpg

2017 FIBA Asia Cup Qualification and Tournament

Held in Lebanon and landing in Group C, New Zealand gained top spot after a 2-1 effort in pool play, with wins against Kazakhstan 70-49 and Lebanon 86-82, but a loss to Korea 76-75.

This placed them in 1/4 final with Jordan of whom they overcame 98-70. The semi-final pitted them against eventual champions The Boomers of which they lost 106-79. Placing them in the playoff for bronze which saw them come up against Korea. Sadly for the Tall Blacks this was the end of the line coming up short 71-80 and finishing with a 3-3 record.

• Shea Illi was named to the All-Star Tournament team as PG.

2018 Commonwealth Games Tournament

Held on the Gold Coast, with some games also played in Carins and Townsville, the tournament once again saw the Tall Blacks join hosts The Boomers alongside Canada, Nigeria, England, Scotland, The Cameroon and India. Placed in pool A, the TB's came through to the semi-finals with a 3-1 record. They lost their semi-final to Canada 88-86, sending them to the bronze medal match with Scotland. They then dispatched Scotland 79-69 to pick up a bronze medal.

2019 FIBA World Cup Qualification & Tournament

With Oceania now aligned with Asia, a series of international windows were created for teams to compete for the World Cup spots and rankings. Qualifying matches started in late 2017.

Window 1 & 2 - Nov 2017 / Feb 2018:

• 133-74 W vs. Hong Kong @ Southourn Stadium, Hong Kong.
• 80-86 L vs. Korea @ TSB Bank Arena, Wellington.
• 82-73 W vs. China @ Dongguan Basketball Centre, China.
• 93-84 W vs. Korea at Jamsil Gymnasium, Seoul, South Korea.

Window 3 & 4 - Jun & Jul 2018 / Sept 2018:

• 124-65 W vs. Hong Kong @ Energy Events Centre, Rotorua.
• 67-57 W vs. China @ Spark Arena, Auckland.
• 107-66 W vs. Syria @ Nouhad Nawfal Stadium, Zouk Mikael, Lebanon.
• 63-60 W vs. Lebanon @ Energy Events Centre, Rotorua.

Window 5 - Nov / Dec 2018

• 95-69 W vs. Jordan @ Horncastle Arena, Christchurch.
• 97-74 W vs. Syria @ TSB Bank Arena, Wellington.

The finals tournamnent was held in China, with the Tall Blacks playing 5 games. Finishing 3rd in Group F with a 1-2 record, placing them into the 17-32 classification round. The Tall Blacks had notable wins over Montenegro 93-83 (group play), Japan 111-81, Türkiye 102-101 (Class round) with group losses coming against Brazil and Greece. A final ranking of 19th was picked up from an overall 3-2 record.

2020 Olympic Qualifying Tournament / Asia Cup Game cancellations

The Tall Blacks initially qualified for the 2020 Olympic Qualifying Tournament through their ranking earned at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Due to ongoing COVID restrictions and budget costs, Basketball New Zealand decided that they would withdraw from the tournament concentrating on future endeavors.

2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifying and Tournament

Through 2020-21 many matches were cancelled due to logistical and financial issues of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions regarding people gaining re-entry or leaving New Zealand. Initially the Tall Blacks were placed in Pool C alongside The Boomers, Guam and Hong Kong.

During this time former Tall Blacks Captain Pero Cameron was appointed as Head Coach after former Captain Paul Henare stepped down.

Window 1 Feb 2020 Results:

• 108-98 W vs. The Boomers @ Brisbane (their first W against Australia in over a decade)
• 113-94 W vs. Guam @ Yigo Village, Guam
• 52-81 L vs. The Boomers @ Carins

A return leg vs. The Boomers was slated for Auckland, however the game was moved to Cairns, Australia again due to Covid-19 restrictions. 10 debutants were included in this series (selected from Australian based players only) containing the likes of current TB's Taine Murray and Jordan Hunt. Mika Vukona who lead the team during this series would play his last game for the Tall Blacks. They never played the series with Hong Kong or a return game with Guam.

The Cup Tournament itself was then moved to 2022 and played in Indonesia. The Tall Blacks came out of Group D with a 3-2 record record, beating India and The Philippines, but losing to Lebanon (72-86). Setting up a playoff tilt against Syria which they won 97-58. After knocking over South Korea in the 1/4 finals (88-78), the Tall Blacks once again faced The Boomers in the semi-finals. A loss 85-76 loss sent them to a 3rd place bronze playoff with Jordan. New Zealand were then able to get past Jordan with a 83-75 win, picking up there first medal in 2 attempts at the FIBA Asia Cup.

• Finishing with a 5-2 record with their world ranking changing from 27th to 24th.
• NZ led the tournament (Rebounds) 49.6 rpg.

2023 FIBA World Cup Qualification & Tournament

The qualification road to the 2023 World Cup was a bit of a bizarre one for the Tall Blacks. Placed in Asia / Oceania Group A for the first round, They played several games overseas due to the heavy COVID restrictions in New Zealand at the time. A series of international windows was again created to host matches. However South Korea was disqualified by FIBA and forfeited the game points against the Tall Blacks due to COVID concerns.

Feb 2022 Window: (held in the Philippines)

• 101-46 W vs. India, 95-60 W vs. India, 88-63 W vs. the Philippines

June 2022 Window:

• 106-60 W vs. The Philippines @ Auckland, New Zealand

Aug & Nov 2022 Windows:

• 80-65 W vs. Saudi Arabia @ Damman, Saudi Arabia
• 100–72 W vs. Jordan @ Auckland, New Zealand
• 77–65 L vs. Lebanon @ Beirut, Lebanon
• 92–75 W vs. Jordan @ Amman, Jordan

Feb 2023 Window:

• 110–63 W vs. Saudi Arabia @ Christchurch, New Zealand
• 106–91 W vs. Lebanon @ Wellington, New Zealand (this win locked in a spot for the 2023 FIBA World Cup).

The 2023 Edition was held in Manila and had the Tall Blacks in the same group as the USA, Greece and Jordan. Making it through to the 17-32 place classification round after 2 losses to the US and Greece and hard fought overtime win against Jordan.

They played a further 2 games against Mexico and Egypt, splitting the class round 1-1 to end the tournament in 22nd position with an overall record of 2-3.

Road to 2024 Paris Olympics

In finishing 22nd overall and placing higher than five other teams in the Asia / Oceania region at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the Tall Blacks were one of 24 teams invited to the FIBA Men's Oylmpic Qualifying Tournament 2024 held in Pireas, Greece.

Before the tournament, they will head to Europe to compete in two warm-up games against Finland and Polska.

• June 25th vs. Finland @ Espoo Arena, Finland
• June 28th vs. Polska @ Katowice, Poland

OQT pool play will see the Tall Blacks against Croatia and Slovenia. The top two teams in each pool will cross over to a semi-final bracket against either Egypt, Greece or the Dominican Republic. A 1 vs. 2 cross over, the winners progressing to a final.

The eventual tournament winner will punch a ticket through to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and be placed in Pool A alongside The Boomers, Canada and the winner of the Spanish OQT.

2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers and Tournament

New Zealand has been drawn into pool B of the Asia 2025 Cup Qualifiers. They will compete alongside Chinese Taipei, The Philippines and Hong Kong. A series of 3 international windows are scheduled in Feb 24, Nov 24 and Feb 25 on a 1 away, 1 home basis.

Feb 2024 & Nov 2024 Windows:

• 89-69 W vs. Taipei @ Taipei
• 88-49 W vs. Hong Kong @ Auckland, New Zealand
• (A) Tall Blacks vs. The Philippines @ TBC, The Philippines
• (H) Tall Blacks vs. Taipei @ Christchurch, New Zealand

Feb 2025 Window:

• (A) Tall Blacks vs. Hong Kong
• (H) Tall Blacks vs. The Philippines @ TBC, New Zealand

The tournament itself will be held in Jedda, Saudi Arabia in August of 2025.

2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifications and Tournament

TBC & held in Qatar.