Tall Blacks veteran calls time on international career

Tom Abercrombie
Photo: Photosport

Abercrombie made 110 appearances for New Zealand including three World Cups and a Commonwealth Games.

The 35-year-old Abercrombie made his Tall Blacks debut as a 22-year-old in 2009 and went on to captain the side 13 times.

His last Tall Blacks appearance was at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

“It’s never an easy decision to make, but it’s been a while since I’ve pulled on the jersey and I have a lot of other commitments away from basketball now, especially in a family sense,” said Abercrombie.

“It makes time even more precious, and unfortunately the commitment I’d want to make to the black jersey I can’t make anymore – I need to focus that time on other things.

“It’s certainly tougher when you feel like you still have something to give to the Tall Blacks, but ultimately there’s move to life for me now than basketball and I needed to make that decision to spend that time and energy on my family.”

Abercrombie said that family and other reasons all factored into his ‘tough’ decision.

“I had a chat with Pero [Cameron] and I would’ve loved to have played one more World Cup – I’ve played in three of them and they’ve been some of the greatest experiences I’ve had playing basketball.

“It would’ve been a wonderful opportunity to play one more, but I haven’t been able to able to be part of any of the build-up or qualification games for the World Cup because of other commitments.

“And the commitment required for a World Cup campaign… there’s a huge amount of sacrifice and time away from home that goes into that; I just wasn’t able to commit myself to that timeframe for another campaign.”

Reflecting on his Tall Blacks career, Abercrombie said being part of three World Cup squads and playing on the world’s biggest stage were the highlights.

“The very first [World Cup] I went to was very special, it was only my second year in the Tall Blacks environment and I was a young up-and-comer who was able to play really well in that tournament. I had some good games which I guess put me on the map a little and opened up all sorts of other opportunities for me in the future,” he said.

“The second World Cup in Spain was an amazing atmosphere, such a wicked location with all these other countries and playing against America was a highlight. And the last one in China was really special as well for different reasons.

“In terms of individual games, the ones that stick out were when we beat Australia in Wellington [the 2009 FIBA Oceania Champs]; the first time I’d ever beaten Australia as part of a Tall Blacks team and a really special thing to be part of.

Tom Abercrombie in action during New Zealand’s bronze medal winning match against Scotland at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Photo: Photosport

“I also remember beating the Philippines in an Olympic qualifying tournament a few years back, playing in front of 20,000 people in Manila and how awesome an atmosphere that was.

“And I remember being in Lebanon for one of the World Cup qualifiers before China [2019 World Cup]. It was a packed stadium with screaming fans and I hit the game-winner in that one to knock Lebanon out of the World Cup qualification – it was a really special [memory] too. I’ve had a lot of cool memories and some amazing teammates along the way.”

“I’ll certainly miss the camaraderie and the friendship.

“It’s always a special place to be with special people. No matter who comes into the fold, there’s a really good feeling about being in that group and I’ll miss being part of that.

Tom Abercrombie will still turn out for the Breakers next season.
Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz

While this brings an official end to his international career Abercrombie has signed on for another season with the NZ Breakers in the Australian NBL.

He will also continue to be active in the community for BBNZ, where he has dedicated numerous hours in support of their Hoops in Parks and Hoops in Parks initiatives.

“I feel like it’s a responsibility to give back to the next generation of kids coming through, making sure that basketball is available to everyone in New Zealand. The sport we’ve seen is growing in leaps and bounds and it’s really cool to see the next generation coming through and share a bit of inspiration with kids all over New Zealand.

“We’re a national sport that’s played in each nook and cranny of New Zealand, and it’s been really cool to travel to some of those places and see the enjoyment and excitement these places have for the sport.”

-RNZ