Auckland Stars
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The Auckland Stars were a New Zealand basketball team based in Auckland. The Stars competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at ASB Stadium.
Key Information
Team history
[edit]The Auckland Stars, then known as Auckland Metro,[1][2] were a foundation member of the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1982. They were champions of the league in the first two seasons, before finishing as runners-up to the Wellington Saints in both 1984 and 1985. They returned to the NBL final in 1989, where they lost to the Canterbury Rams.[3]
Between 1995 and 2006, Auckland reached the championship round eight times. They won three straight championships between 1995 and 1997, with four more titles coming in 1999, 2000,[4] 2004 and 2005. Despite their success, the Stars struggled to capture a sizeable fanbase.[5]
In February 2010, the team was suspended from competing in the 2010 NBL season after falling into financial strife and failing to pay some players and coaching staff.[6][7][8]
References
[edit]- ^ "OVER THE YEARS – NBL CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS". nznbl.basketball. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ Long, David (2 January 2020). "Forgotten sporting teams; a brief history of Kiwi teams that went bust". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ Egan, Brendon (4 April 2014). "Keith Mair reflects on Rams' halcyon days". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
- ^ "Rebel Sport Auckland Secure 5th Title With Stunning Upset of Giants". aball.co.nz. 17 August 2000. Archived from the original on 2 March 2001.
- ^ Hinton, Marc (15 May 2020). "Auckland Huskies unveiled as the latest new addition to New Zealand's NBL". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
The Auckland Stars (1982-2009) were mainstays of the league and won seven of their nine championships between 1995 and 2005. But they struggled to capture a sizeable fanbase to reflect their success.
- ^ Hinton, Marc (17 February 2010). "Auckland Stars bounced out of NBL". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
- ^ "Basketball: Auckland Stars booted from NBL". NZHerald.co.nz. 17 February 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
- ^ Deane, Steve (4 March 2010). "Basketball: Falling Stars hit rock bottom NBL licence void". NZHerald.co.nz. Retrieved 24 January 2017.