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Sport | ANBL

Boucher hangs up his singlet after 25 years

Former Tall Black and New Zealand Breaker Dillon Boucher has announced that this NZ NBL season will be his last as a player.

The 42-year-old has played professional basketball for the better part of 25 years.

Originally from Bell Block, Taranaki he moved to Auckland as a 14-year-old in 1990.  He made his NZ NBL debut for the Tab Baldwin-coached Auckland Stars in 1994.

Since then he has had stints with the Harbour Heat, Waikato Titans, Auckland Pirates, Wellington Saints and currently with the Super City Rangers, picking up 9 NBL titles along the way.

The 196cm tall power forward is an original NZ Breaker, playing in their inaugural season in 2003 until 2008 when he moved to the Perth Wildcats for 3 years.

He spent time with the Brisbane Bullets before returning to the Breakers in 2008.  He was a part of the Breakers side when they won three consecutive Australian National Basketball League titles between 2011 and 2013, to add to the 2007 championship he won at the Wildcats. 

Boucher made his senior international debut with the Tall Blacks in 2001, and was in the team that made headlines around the world during the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis, when they finished 4th.  He retired from international basketball in 2008.

His Breakers career came to an end in 2013, and since then he has been employed in the back office, working his way up to general manager.

Boucher was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to basketball.

The current NZ NBL season will be his 25th and final.

His Waitakere Rangers are out of finals contention, meaning Boucher has 4 matches left in his illustriously long playing career.

He will now focus on his GM role at the Breakers, and spending more time with his family.