Watch the Tall Blacks' quest for glory at the FIBA Asia Cup in Jakarta, live and exclusive.
The Tall Blacks ranked 27th in the world tip-off of their campaign later today when they play India, ranked 82nd, at 4pm.
All games featuring the Tall Blacks will be screened on Whakaata Māori and live-streamed on Māori+ and māoritelevision.com
Māori Television’s content director, Maramena Roderick, said Whakaata Māori was proud to have secured exclusive rights to the FIBA Asia Cup.
“The time differences between here and Jakarta are not friendly so we give fair warning to diehard fans that they are going to have to prepare for some late nights,” Roderick said.
Tall Blacks coach Pero Cameron acknowledges the FIBA Asia Cup will be a much-needed challenge for the Tall Blacks.
'Tough tournament'
“We’re excited about the Asia Cup. It’s a tough tournament and we’ll have to bring our ‘A’ game from day one. This is New Zealand’s second time going to the Asia Cup and it was a tough battle back then too; we finished fourth and obviously, we want to improve on that this time around.
“It’s just great to be back in that competitive environment with everybody playing, going up against some top countries like Iran, Lebanon, China, Australia and Japan - it’s what we need to keep growing this Tall Blacks programme.”
The Tall Blacks are in Group D with India, the Philippines and Lebanon.
The Tall Blacks, live and exclusive on Whakaata Māori, Māori+ and maoritelevision.com:
Wednesday July 13, 4pm Tall Blacks v India (82)
Saturday July 16, 1am: Tall Blacks v Lebanon (54)
Monday July 18, 1am: NZ Tall Blacks v Philippines (70)
Quarterfinals: July 20
Semifinals: July 23
Finals: July 24