Petteri Koponen — who recently completed a long playing career in Europe — has agreed to a deal to become the new head coach of the New Zealand Breakers, sources told ESPN.
Koponen replaced Mody Maor, who abruptly left the Breakers earlier in the offseason in order to pursue an opportunity in Asia. Maor signed a two-year deal with Nagasaki Velka in Japan’s B League.
Koponen’s playing career stretched across high level Europe, with the 6’4 guard also a mainstay of the Finland national team.
The 36-year-old retired in 2022, and went on to become a youth coach for HBA-Märsky within the Helsinki Basketball Academy. He will be an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs at the 2024 NBA Summer League.
Koponen was the frontrunner for the Breakers’ head coach position from the early days of their search process. The Breakers also placed consideration into five-time NBL Champion, Trevor Gleeson, along with Daniel Sokolovsky, who was an assistant under Maor.