Beloved NBL Legend Passes Away at 46

The basketball community is in mourning following the tragic passing of former NBL coach and player Kevin Braswell, who was just 46 years old.

His death was confirmed on Tuesday, coming weeks after he suffered a heart attack that led to his hospitalisation in Japan.

According to a statement from the NBL—Australia’s premier basketball league that also features a team from New Zealand—Braswell was “one of the most beloved and respected figures within the New Zealand basketball scene.”

Tributes have flooded in from across the Tasman Sea, as well as from the United States and Japan, where he had been coaching.

In the 2011 season, Braswell celebrated an NBL championship with the Breakers, contributing an impressive average of 10.2 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game.

He earned recognition as the NBL’s Best Sixth Man and played a pivotal role in leading the New Zealand team to victory over Cairns in the finals.

His career also saw him playing for the Melbourne Tigers and Southland Sharks, alongside collegiate basketball at Georgetown University.

After transitioning from player to coach, he took the reins of the Breakers in 2018.

This season, he was at the helm of the Utsunomiya Brex in Japan.

“The NBL expresses its heartfelt condolences to the Braswell family during this challenging time,” the league conveyed.