Thomas Abercrombie (basketball) explained

Thomas Abercrombie
Position:Small forward / shooting guard
Height Cm:199
Weight Kg:91
Birth Date:1987 7, df=yes
Birth Place:Auckland, New Zealand
High School:Westlake Boys
(Auckland, New Zealand)
College:Washington State (2007–2008)
Draft Year:2009
Career Start:2008
Career End:2024
Years1:2008–2024
Team1:New Zealand Breakers
Years2:2009–2011
Team2:Waikato Pistons
Years3:2014
Team3:ASVEL Basket
Years4:2015
Team4:Gipuzkoa Basket
Years5:2016
Team5:Pınar Karşıyaka
Years6:2017
Team6:Büyükçekmece Basketbol
Years7:2019
Team7:Wellington Saints
Highlights:

Thomas Iain Abercrombie (born 5 July 1987) is a New Zealand former professional basketball player who played 16 seasons in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) for the New Zealand Breakers. A product of Westlake Boys High School in Auckland, Abercrombie had a short-lived college basketball stint with Washington State before debuting in the Australian NBL in 2008 with the Breakers. In 2011, he won his first NBL championship and earned Grand Final MVP honours. He went on to win three more championships in 2012, 2013 and 2015. He ended his NBL career in 2024 as the Breakers' most-capped player with 429 games.

Abercrombie also played four seasons in the New Zealand NBL and had stints abroad in France, Spain and Turkey.

Early life and junior career

Born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Abercrombie attended Westlake Boys High School and played four years of school basketball. In 2005, he captained the basketball team to the title at the Secondary School National Championships.[1] [2] That year, he also served as the school's deputy head boy and was captain of the volleyball team.[3]

As a junior, Abercrombie played for the North Harbour Basketball Association and represented New Zealand with the Junior Tall Blacks.[4]

In November 2005, Abercrombie accepted a scholarship deal with Washington State University. He spent two seasons with the Cougars, redshirting his freshman season in 2006–07 before seeing action in 12 games in 2007–08.[5] On 14 May 2008, Abercrombie was granted a release from the team to pursue his basketball career in New Zealand.

Professional career

New Zealand Breakers

After returning home following his college stint, Abercrombie joined the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian NBL as a development player for the 2008–09 season.[6] He played 13 games in his first season with the Breakers, and was elevated to the full squad for the 2009–10 season.[7] He missed four games in the back half of the season with an ankle injury.[8] [9]

In the 2010–11 season, Abercrombie helped the Breakers reach their first ever grand final series, where they defeated the Cairns Taipans 2–1 to win their maiden NBL championship. He was subsequently named the Grand Final MVP.[10] Abercrombie went on to win three more championships with the Breakers in 2012, 2013 and 2015.[11] [12] [13]

In January 2016, Abercrombie passed Kirk Penney as the club's all-time leading scorer.[14] Due to Penney's return to the club for two seasons, Abercrombie had to pass him again in October 2018 to reach 3227 points in 276 games.[15] In February 2019, he played his 300th NBL game.[16]

In October 2019, Abercrombie committed to the Breakers until the end of the 2021–22 season.[17]

In 2019–20, Abercrombie became the second player in NBL history (after Daniel Kickert in 2016–17 and 2017–18) to join the exclusive 50–40–90 club. Abercrombie averaged 12.1 points per game for the season while shooting 50.0 percent from the field, 46.5 percent from three-point range and 90.5 percent from the free throw line.[18]

In April 2021, Abercrombie played his 355th game for the Breakers, surpassing Mika Vukona (354) to become the franchise's all-time games played leader.[19] He also passed Kirk Penney (489)[20] [21] as the club's all-time leader in 3-pointers made.[22]

Abercrombie missed most of the 2021–22 NBL season with a side strain[23] and missed the first month of the 2022–23 NBL season after suffering a torn retina which required emergency surgery.[24]

On 10 May 2023, Abercrombie re-signed with the Breakers for the 2023–24 NBL season.[25] In September 2023, he played his 400th NBL game.[26]

On 13 February 2024, Abercrombie announced that the 2023–24 season would be his last in the NBL.[27] [28] He retired with 429 career games and finished as the Breakers' most-capped player.[29]

New Zealand NBL

In 2009, Abercrombie debuted in the New Zealand NBL with the Waikato Pistons.[30] He helped the Pistons win the championship while claiming Rookie of the Year and All-Star Five honours.[31] [32] He continued on with the Pistons in 2010 and earned All-Star Five honours again while helping the Pistons make a second consecutive grand final appearance.[33] [34] [35] He returned to the Pistons for a third season in 2011 and once again earned All-Star Five honours.[36]

In 2019, Abercrombie played half a season with the Wellington Saints and helped them win a championship while claiming Grand Final MVP honours.[37] [38] [39]

Overseas stints

During the 2013 NBL off-season, Abercrombie took part in mini-camp opportunities with NBA teams such as the San Antonio Spurs, Milwaukee Bucks, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks. He then joined the Phoenix Suns for the NBA Summer League.[40]

Following the 2013–14 NBL season, Abercrombie had a stint in France with ASVEL Basket.[41] [42] [43] He went on to have similar post-NBL season stints the following three years, playing for Gipuzkoa Basket in Spain in 2015,[44] and then having two stints in Turkey with Pınar Karşıyaka (2016)[45] and Büyükçekmece Basketbol (2017).[46] [47]

National team career

Abercrombie made his debut for the Tall Blacks in 2006. In 2007, he represented New Zealand at the World University Games.[48] He played for the Tall Blacks at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.[49] In 2018, he won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games. His last appearance for the Tall Blacks came at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He retired from international play in June 2023 after 110 appearances for the Tall Blacks.[50]

Personal life

Abercrombie is the son of Colin and Judy. He has two younger siblings, brother Hayden and sister Nicola. Abercrombie and his wife Monique have three children.[51] [52] [53]

Abercrombie studied a Bachelor of Science at Massey University.[54]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Thomas Abercrombie. wsucougars.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120826013832/http://www.wsucougars.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/abercrombie_thomas00.html. 26 August 2012.
  2. Web site: 2005 Results Annual. nz.basketball. 10. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191016110157/https://nz.basketball/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/2005.pdf. 16 October 2019.
  3. Web site: Jessup. Peter. Basketball: Rising star on twin path. nzherald.co.nz. 10 November 2005. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191016110500/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10354614. 16 October 2019.
  4. Web site: Tom Abercrombie. nz.basketball. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191016113901/https://nz.basketball/nz_player/tom-abercrombie/. 16 October 2019.
  5. Web site: Abercrombie Granted Release from WSU Men's Basketball Program. pac-12.com. 14 May 2008. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20191016112920/https://pac-12.com/article/2008/05/14/abercrombie-granted-release-wsu-mens-basketball-program. 16 October 2019.
  6. Web site: Breakers Sign D-Squaders. basketball.org.nz. 5 June 2008. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081016041708/http://www.basketball.org.nz/news/breakers-sign-d-squaders/. 16 October 2008.
  7. Web site: http://nbl.com.au/index.php?id=31&tx_ttnews[tt_news=13757&tx_ttnews[backPid]=29&cHash=1e38b8841d Time for young Breakers talent to shine]. nbl.com.au. 15 September 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090919065940/http://nbl.com.au/index.php?id=31&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=13757&tx_ttnews[backPid]=29&cHash=1e38b8841d. 19 September 2009.
  8. Web site: Basketball: Injury sidelines Abercrombie. nzherald.co.nz. 7 January 2010. 16 October 2019.
  9. Web site: Basketball: Rickert rebounding to fitness. odt.co.nz. 8 February 2010. 16 October 2019. Tom Abercrombie has also benefited from another week back in practice, with his ankle now close to 100 percent, and his general fitness also improved..
  10. Web site: Hinton. Marc. Breakers secure first ANBL championship. stuff.co.nz. 2 May 2011. 16 October 2019. Abercrombie was named finals MVP at the post-game presentations, with the North Shore boy receiving a huge cheer from his home crowd as he stepped on to the podium to receive a deserved award..
  11. Web site: Grand Final Report: Ibekwe jumper wins Breakers the Championship. nbl.com.au. 8 March 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150311165633/http://www.nbl.com.au/article/id/19rxbkuuo4bp91tid253imw1id. 11 March 2015.
  12. Web site: Swingman Pledges Future with the SKYCITY Breakers. nzbreakers.co.nz. 27 May 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150527080849/http://www.nzbreakers.co.nz/article/id/zinkogolzc6j16zc7webpbiqu. 27 May 2015.
  13. Web site: Pike. Chris. Unheralded Great Abercrombie Reaches 300. nbl.com.au. 7 February 2019. 16 October 2019.
  14. Web site: Thornton. Peter. Breakers swingman Thomas Abercrombie would be honoured to become the club's leading scorer. stuff.co.nz. 27 January 2016. 13 April 2021. The 28-year-old is currently on 2516 points for the club and needs only one point to draw level with the Kirk Penney, the record holder on 2517 points in his time at the Breakers..
  15. News: Thornton. Peter. NZ Breakers: Tom Abercrombie makes history in upset of Melbourne. newshub.co.nz. 14 October 2018. 13 April 2021. ...the small forward scored 16 points, exactly enough to pass Kirk Penney as the club's top scorer with 3227 points in 276 games..
  16. Web site: Hinton. Marc. Breakers veteran Tom Abercrombie credits poise, athleticism of rising star Shea Ili. stuff.co.nz. 27 October 2017. 27 October 2017.
  17. Web site: Tom Abercrombie Extends Contract At Breakers. nbl.com.au. 16 October 2019. 16 October 2019.
  18. Web site: Santamaria. Liam. Abercrombie Proud to Join 50–40–90 Club. nbl.com.au. 18 February 2020. 18 February 2020.
  19. Web site: Hersz. Tom. Tom Abercrombie becomes Breakers All-Time Games Leader. NBL.com.au. 28 April 2021. 28 April 2021. Tonight, Abercrombie will play his 355th game for the Breakers when they face Melbourne United. That will be one more than the 354 games Mika Vukona played for the club, making Abercrombie their all-time games played leader..
  20. Web site: With this three, Tom Abercrombie ties Kirk Penney for the most three-point makes in @NZBreakers history. twitter.com/NBL. 13 April 2021. 13 April 2021.
  21. Web site: The record is his in game 350. twitter.com/NBL. 13 April 2021. 13 April 2021.
  22. News: Luckless Breakers Beaten in Overtime Heartbreaker by Defending Champions. nzbreakers.basketball. 13 April 2021. 13 April 2021. Tom Abercrombie reached his 350-game milestone and celebrated by passing Kirk Penney as the club's all-time three-point shot maker....
  23. News: Chapman. Grant. Basketball: NZ Breakers captain Tom Abercrombie suffers eye injury in pre-season defeat to Brisbane Bullets. newshub.co.nz. 19 September 2022. 19 September 2022.
  24. Web site: Hinton. Marc. Emotions high as Tom Abercrombie ends long wait for NZ Breakers Spark Arena return. Stuff.co.nz. 3 November 2022. 4 November 2022.
  25. Web site: NBL Legend Commits to One More Season with the Breakers. nzbreakers.basketball. 10 May 2023. 10 May 2023.
  26. Web site: Tom Abercrombie: By those who know him best. NBL.com.au. 30 September 2023. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20230930000033/https://nbl.com.au/news/tom-abercrombie-by-those-who-know-him-best. 30 September 2023.
  27. Web site: Abercrombie calls time on NBL career. NBL.com.au. 13 February 2024. 13 February 2024.
  28. Web site: Woods. Dan. Abercrombie retirement "known for a while". NBL.com.au. 13 February 2024. 13 February 2024.
  29. Web site: Hawks make Playoffs, fairytale continues. NBL.com.au. 4 March 2024. 4 March 2024.
  30. Web site: Pistons Nab Abercrombie. basketball.org.nz. 22 September 2008. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080924171559/http://www.basketball.org.nz/news/pistons-nab-abercrombie/. 24 September 2008.
  31. Web site: Anderson. Ian. Waikato Pistons crowned again. Stuff.co.nz. 26 June 2009. 1 September 2015.
  32. Web site: Jones named NBL MVP. Stuff.co.nz. 24 June 2009. 1 September 2015.
  33. Web site: Kennedy. Paulo. Abercrombie sends a warning. fiba.basketball. 29 June 2010. 30 July 2019.
  34. Web site: Hinton. Marc. Tait, Abercrombie snare main NBL awards. stuff.co.nz. 10 July 2010. 16 October 2019.
  35. Web site: Tait, Abo Big Winners. Basketball.org.nz. 8 July 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100717114306/http://www.basketball.org.nz/news/tait-and-abecrombie-clean-up-awards/. 17 July 2010.
  36. Web site: 2011 NBL Awards. foxsportspulse.com. 17 July 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140303030116/http://www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-3990-0-0-0&sID=188749&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=16346610. 3 March 2014.
  37. Web site: Breakers captain Tom Abercrombie joins NBL leaders Wellington Saints. stuff.co.nz. 4 June 2019. 4 June 2019.
  38. Web site: Smith . Tony . Wellington Saints claim 11th NBL title with stunning comeback win over Hawks . Stuff.co.nz . 21 July 2019 . 21 July 2019.
  39. Web site: Singh . Anendra . Basketball: Wellington Saints claw back to end Hawks' fairy-tale Final 4 run for 11th NBL title . nzherald.co.nz . 21 July 2019 . 22 July 2019.
  40. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/basketball/8773461/Tom-Abercrombie-jets-to-USA-for-tilt-at-NBA Tom Abercrombie jets to USA for tilt at NBA
  41. Web site: Thomas Abercrombie signs with ASVEL Villeurbanne. Sportando.com. 31 March 2014. 31 March 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407053059/http://www.sportando.com/en/europe/france/115630/thomas-abercrombie-signs-with-asvel-villeurbanne.html. 7 April 2014.
  42. Web site: Abercrombie Heads to Europe. nzbreakers.co.nz. 31 March 2014. 1 April 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407082943/http://www.nzbreakers.co.nz/article/id/dkeef1hungo91cm3mymz4mvea. 7 April 2014.
  43. Web site: Anderson. Ian. Tom Abercrombie signs with French side. stuff.co.nz. 2 April 2014. 2 April 2014.
  44. http://www.sportando.com/en/europe/spain/158208/thomas-abercrombie-signs-with-gipuzkoa.html Thomas Abercrombie signs with Gipuzkoa
  45. http://www.sportando.com/en/europe/turkey/195176/thomas-abercrombie-signs-with-pinar-karsiyaka.html Thomas Abercrombie signs with Pinar Karsiyaka
  46. http://www.sportando.com/en/europe/turkey/226895/thomas-abercrombie-inks-with-demir-insaat-buyukcekmece.html Thomas Abercrombie inks with Demir Insaat Buyukcekmece
  47. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/basketball/89771324/breakers-forward-tom-abercrombie-heading-back-to-turkey-for-offseason-stint Breakers forward Tom Abercrombie heading back to Turkey for off-season stint
  48. Web site: Aron Baynes and Thomas Abercrombie Finish Strong at World University Games. pac-12.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20191016133910/https://pac-12.com/article/2007/08/17/aron-baynes-and-thomas-abercrombie-finish-strong-world-university-games. 16 October 2019.
  49. Web site: Thomas Abercrombie. fiba.com. 16 October 2019.
  50. Web site: TOM ABERCROMBIE ANNOUNCES TALL BLACKS RETIREMENT. nz.basketball. 2 June 2023. 2 June 2023.
  51. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/basketball/75695196/breakers-new-dad-tom-abercrombie-looks-to-add-spark-for-crucial-clash-with-adelaide Breakers new dad Tom Abercrombie looks to add spark for crucial clash with Adelaide
  52. http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/basketball/75232772/breakers-star-tom-abercrombie-considers-return-to-new-zealand-nbl Breakers star Tom Abercrombie considers return to New Zealand NBL
  53. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300201056/bathing-in-mould-mother-hits-out-at-state-of-room-in-managed-isolation-hotel-in-auckland 'Bathing in mould': Mother hits out at state of room in managed isolation hotel in Auckland
  54. https://web.archive.org/web/20140222100542/http://www.nbl.com.au/article/id/o9x3348mtyza1bsg76aui92wi Take 40: Tom Abercrombie

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