400 games, two titles and one more goal for Te Rangi

One week after the NBL added to its illustrious 400-game club thanks to Brisbane’s Mitch Norton, New Zealand’s Reuben Te Rangi will bring up the amazing milestone on Sunday.

In doing so, the Tall Blacks forward will become just the 55th person in the League to chalk up this accomplishment.

“To be able to play 400 games over 15 years is crazy,” Te Rangi said.

“It’s obviously a lot of games, and I’m just grateful to be able to play this many games.

“The goal [growing up] was always to play for the Breakers, but then to be able to play 400 games just means a lot.

“It is a celebration not just of me getting 400 games but everyone that has got me to this position; my partner, my kids, my parents as well.

“For everyone I have played with and for throughout my career, I feel like it is a celebration of them as well.”

Born in Auckland, the now 32-year-old first joined the NBL during the 2012-13 season as a development player.

This was the first of four seasons he played in New Zealand, where he won both the 2012-13 and 2014-15 championships, before Te Rangi joined the Brisbane Bullets ahead of the 2016-17 campaign.

Four seasons in Brisbane ensued, which saw him win both the Most Improved and Sixth Man of the Year awards in the 2018-19 season.

He then headed to Victoria and played four seasons with South East Melbourne, before playing a lone campaign for the Tasmania JackJumpers in 2024-25.

After all this, the 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist returned to New Zealand and joined the Breakers for the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 Season.

In his second season back home, Te Rangi helped the Breakers create history and win the first-ever Ignite Cup Final against Adelaide.

Over these 15 seasons, Te Rangi has racked up 2,017 points, 947 rebounds and 286 assists, and has enjoyed every step of the journey.

“I really enjoy the process; I really enjoy going to training and getting the work with the boys,” he added.

“Also, I feel like professional sports is all about dealing with [the highs and lows].

“Good games, bad games, winning, losing, it’s all about highs and lows, and just trying to stay even.

“Obviously, there have been a lot of highs, and many lows, and [they have all got me to where I am today].”

While he may have two titles in his back pocket, Te Rangi knows what a third with his home-town team would mean to him.

“That [a championship] is the pinnacle of every season,” he said.

“Anytime you win a championship, it’s amazing, but doing it back at the club that I started at, I feel like would be even better [after being away for so many years].

“It’s kind of been our goal since I [and some other guys] came back; just trying to bring this club back to what we know it’s capable of.”

The next chance to continue that upward trajectory comes on Sunday, when the Breakers travel to Cairns to play the Taipans.

“I feel like we took a step back in our Tasmanian game defensively, and that’s what we want to change,” he added.

“We want to be up and pressure the ball, and make catches hard.

“They’re a good offensive team that can shoot the ball, but we want to shut them down and be the aggressive ones.”

Te Rangi’s Breakers welcome MVP contender Parker Jackson-Cartwright back to the lineup on Sunday, but will be without coach Gordon Herbert due to an illness.

This Round 6 fixture tips off at 3pm AEDT, live on ESPN.