Things largely stayed the same for the first season. Then Mitchell went to work as the club acquired a new logo, uniform, coaching staff and roster, while also bringing back the Breakers academy to help develop the next generation.
Mitchell has invested heavily in much-needed upgrades at the club’s Atlas Place headquarters, including modernised facilities and a new court, donated by Steven Adams.
All the changes give off a fresh, exciting vibe, with the club eager to add a fifth championship banner to the rafters, but overall it provides a renewed sense of what Mitchell wants the Breakers to represent.
It is all part of his long-term vision, with the owner telling the Herald that connection and community sit at the heart of everything.
“Our rebrand represents New Zealand and our heritage, the people and the land.
“When I bought the team, we had to restart everything. We had to rebuild the foundation fully, and that started with hiring Dillon Boucher, who is a big part of this club for its entire history. Bringing back that ethos, how to win championships, how to be great in the community.
“Step by step, we brought in a wonderful staff, and that is contributing to making the Breakers what we want it to be. So that’s great on the court and in the community.
“We put a lot of work into rebuilding everything here. We had a new team, new coach, and it’s the start of a great season.”
The Breakers are the only New Zealand team in the Australian-based National Basketball League (NBL), and he wants the club to feel unmistakably Kiwi.
He describes the process as a two-year plan to put the right people in the right positions and create the infrastructure for sustained success.
“I always thought it was a two-year plan to bring people in and get everybody playing in the right positions on the front office side, and on the basketball side.
“I think we’ve done that. We’ve got a great set of people who are working every day to make this a great experience.”
While the foundations have been laid off the court, attention turns to Sunday’s home opener against the Illawarra Hawks at Spark Arena and the quest for NBL glory.
The Breakers have retained a strong core led by Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Sam Mennenga, while adding NBL championship experience in Kouat Noi and Dejan Vasiljevic. They have also brought in international talent in Charles Bediako, a rim-protecting big man, and Josiah-Jordan James, a versatile defensive wing and shooter, although the latter will miss the start of the season with a hamstring injury.
Breakers head coach Gordon Herbert (right) and lead assistant Sebastian Gleim. Photo / Photosport
Then there is the biggest coaching appointment in the club’s recent history.
Gordon Herbert arrives with a championship pedigree few coaches in the NBL can match. The Canadian has coached at the highest levels in Europe and spent a season as an assistant with the Toronto Raptors, but his greatest achievement came in 2023 when he guided Germany to the Fiba World Cup title.
“No one thought we could bring him to New Zealand, but we were able to do it,” Mitchell says.
“He’s excited to be here.”
Herbert is supported by a coaching group that includes New Zealanders Matt Lacey, Quinn Clinton and Josiah Maama, as well as lead assistant Sebastian Gleim, who previously coached the Franklin Bulls in the New Zealand NBL.
The international reach of the new-look Breakers is a reflection of Mitchell’s broader ambition. He believes the club is now a destination for players who might previously have overlooked New Zealand.
“Additionally, we brought in a lot of players who I think in years past might not have taken a hard look at coming to the Breakers.
“We’re well represented around the world, but I think the Breakers brand is something that people now know and we’re going to be competitive in our league.”
While ambition is high at the Breakers, pundits across the Tasman are writing the team off already, with many predicting they will finish near the bottom of the table.
That is largely because they are the only team in the league without experience of America’s NBA, but Mitchell feels that is just a “quirk” and that having players who have played in the biggest league in the world doesn’t guarantee anything.
“All of our guys are NBA level, played in the G League, played at high levels around the world, so it’s not necessarily a prerequisite.
“Most years our team and all the teams in the league have guys in the NBA, but that’s just a little quirk. We’ve found the right guys for this year and the guys who fit well together with the locals that we brought in before.
“The league’s in a great place. For us to be the one team in New Zealand that represents our country in the league is really an honour.”
NZ Breakers during a training session. Photo / Jason Dorday
There has been talk of the NBL expanding, with teams in the Gold Coast and Canberra being touted, and a return to Asia. The NBL requires new arenas to hold between 8000 and 12,000 fans, meaning it is unlikely a second New Zealand team will join the league unless other arenas are upgraded, but Mitchell isn’t ruling anything out.
“I think right now what the league is looking to do is more about expansion of the footprint around the world.
“Maybe into Asia a little bit. I think we’ll start to see more games for us played there in the pre-season, for example. We want to continue to expand the Breakers’ presence around the world.”
While there is focus on winning now, there is also an eye on the future, with the Breakers bringing back their academy after a six-year hiatus.
The initial intake to the academy is 20 male athletes from school years 11-13 from six Auckland high schools.
In past years, it has helped unearth talent like Mennenga, Reuben Te Rangi and Anzac Rissetto, all of whom are currently at the club.
Mitchell wants young New Zealanders to have opportunities to earn college scholarships and experience the trials and tribulations that come with the sport.
It is part of a philosophy that runs through almost everything Mitchell talks about when discussing the Breakers.
“The academy is really important because it is for the entire country to highlight the best young players.
“One day we want them to be Breakers, but they’re not all going to be Breakers. But … it allows them a pathway to continue to play at a high level, potentially to go to college and to use the sport for all the positive things that it can bring.”
While Mitchell understands why people could be sceptical, considering his involvement in the previous ownership group, he insists he has the right intentions, highlighted by his personal connections to New Zealand.
His wife Jessica is a Kiwi, and they and their three children have lived here. Mitchell splits his time between Los Angeles and New Zealand, but plans to be in the stands for most home games in the upcoming season.
The Breakers have won four NBL titles. Photo / Jason Dorday
“We’ve moved on from that era, and it started by bringing in people like Dillon, bringing in people like Paul and Liz Blackwell, who are always part of this.
“As long as I’m part of this, they will be a part of this. It’s about the history, and it’s about doing things the right way.
“The first 18 months that we lived here was during Covid, and the borders were closed. I’ve been coming to the country for 21 years with my wife, and I’ve really enjoyed all parts of the country.”
Mitchell’s love for sport, particularly basketball, came from growing up in Los Angeles during the Lakers’ Showtime era of the 1980s under the organisation’s legendary owner Jerry Buss and a team that featured Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Mitchell, who is still a Lakers season-ticket holder, got to experience what their success did for the community, and he wants the Breakers to emulate that.
In 2023, he was behind a consortium that tried to launch an Auckland-based A-League football team, but was beaten by a bid that featured Bill Foley, Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray.
He has since joined the ownership group of EFL Championship club Swansea City, which includes TV personality Martha Stewart, footballer Luka Modric and Calvin Cordozar Broadus jnr, better known as Snoop Dogg.
Swansea City co-owner Snoop Dogg. Photo / Getty Images
Swansea’s team includes All Whites World Cup stars Elijah Just and Marko Stamenic.
“Sports in general to me is a passion. And when this came about, it was something I looked hard at and something I couldn’t pass up,” Mitchell said.
“They approached me to be involved, and I was happy to join the team.”
So, has he had the chance to meet Snoop Dogg?
“I have, but not in this context, actually. I look forward to meeting him and the rest of the other investors shortly.
“I did spend some time with my family in Swansea in July and got to meet the coaches, the front office, the players and get a sense of what they’re up to, and they’re doing great.”
As of Friday morning, Swansea sat second on the Championship table.
Mitchell teased that there could be further developments into other New Zealand sports, but one idea that has got the green light will take place in January when the Breakers plan to host their first annual Celebrity Golf Invitational.
The Breakers play their season opener on Sunday at Spark Arena. Photo / Photosport
Mitchell says there has already been a strong response, and he feels golf is a good way to showcase the country, while bringing international names to New Zealand and using the event to support basketball development.
Despite everything, the goal remains another championship to add to the four they won in the 2010s.
They were the first New Zealand side in an Australian sporting competition to win a title, which further showcases their history.
“Last year, we were off to a good start, we won the pre-season tournament, we won the in-season tournament, but that’s not why you play,” Mitchell said.
“Those are steps along the way. The ultimate goal is to get to a championship, so we’re trying to do everything in our power to allow our guys to do that.
“We’re trying to take best practices from around the world and put a little Kiwi dust on them and bring them to New Zealand.”
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.