New Breakers head coach Petteri Koponen.

New Breakers head coach Petteri Koponen. (Source: Getty)

The Breakers have found a replacement for departing coach Mody Maor in the form of Finnish coach Petteri Koponen for the 2024/25 season.

The 36-year-old has signed a two-year contract with the Breakers, and is also set to take up an assistant coach role with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Summer League this month.

Maor surprisingly left the Breakers in May, and still had one more year left on his contract, but chose to take up an opportunity in Asia as head coach of Nagasaki Velca in Japan.

Koponen has spent most of his career in Europe playing for teams such as European heavyweights Barcelona and Bayern Munich, and has represented Finland on the international stage, only retiring from the international team in 2022.

Breakers owner Matt Walsh said the club is lucky to have secured the services of one of the best young coaches in the world.

“The head coaching position at the Breakers is one of the most sought-after jobs in basketball outside of the NBA, and we had amazing interest shown in the role over the last month,” Walsh said.

“My goal was to find the best coach to lead the Breakers, and I am very confident we have found the right person for the job.

“We ran an exhaustive search that included coaches from all over the world and included former NBA head coaches.”

In the 2007 NBA draft, Koponen was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers as the 30th overall pick, but he failed to make an appearance with them.

Koponen will arrive in Auckland at the end of July after finishing up with the Spurs.

New Breakers coach Petteri Koponen.
EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL VIA GETTY / GETTY IMAGES

An assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this month has been confirmed as the new head coach of the New Zealand Breakers.

36-year-old Petteri Koponen from Finland has signed a two-year contract with a third-year team option.

Koponen has replaced Mody Maor, who left with a year remaining on his contract to take up an offer in Asia.

Koponen has been identified as a star head coach of the future in the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament, where he has coached for two years, including taking his team to the final in 2022.