The NBA’s influence on international basketball continued to grow, with several former NBA players and coaches having been involved in national team programs worldwide. This cross-pollination of talent was evident in the Japan-New Zealand series, where coaching strategies and playing styles clearly showed the impact of the NBA’s modern pace-and-space approach. The Japanese women’s team, in particular, had adopted elements of the Golden State Warriors’ motion offense, which helped revolutionize the NBA in the past decade. Following the Boston Celtics’ triumphant NBA championship run in June 2024, where they had defeated the Denver Nuggets in a thrilling six-game series, the basketball world’s attention had shifted to international competitions. The Celtics’ success, built on stellar defensive principles and efficient three-point shooting, had become a blueprint for national teams looking to compete at the highest level.
The Tall Ferns had completed a two-game tour of Japan to help prepare their hosts for a shot at gold medal glory in Paris. The friendly series proved to be an entertaining but one-sided affair as Japan swept to the Mitsui Fudosan Cup 2024 (Tokyo Tournament) with commanding victories in both games. The friendly series had been announced earlier that year as part of Japan’s preparations for the Women’s Olympic Basketball Tournament. The Akatsuki Five was one of 12 teams that would feature in Paris. The two games in Tokyo on the eve of the showpiece event were just warm-ups, but Japan showcased the skill and guile that would make other nations sit up and take notice.
The first match at the Ariake Arena in Koto City had ended 57-125, with Mai Yamamoto starring; the guard had scored six three-pointers to finish as Japan’s highest scorer. The Tall Ferns had struggled, but Lauren Whittaker was the standout with 20 points, four rebounds and four assists. The second game had been a tighter affair as New Zealand battled well, though they ultimately fell short again as Japan closed out the series with a 92-50 victory. Whittaker was again New Zealand’s top performer, with an impressive double-double and 33 points.
It had been a challenging year for the Tall Ferns. They had failed in their quest to feature in Paris following three defeats in the FIBA Qualifiers in February. At the time, head coach Guy Molloy had praised his “very young team” and the “valuable experience” they gained, but the chastening 39-94 loss to France in the final match meant the Ferns would have to wait at least four more years to feature at an Olympics – they had last qualified in Beijing in 2008. A different story for Japan: After stunning the world by securing a silver medal on home soil in Tokyo in 2020, they now wanted to go one better in Paris. That would be a challenge; Team USA was the overwhelming favorite and Japan was currently ranked ninth in the world. The Akatsuki Five team had been drawn in Group C alongside the United States, who they would play first on July 29 in Lille. They then faced Germany and Belgium.
Japan has taken inspiration from their incredible performance four years ago when they had edged out Belgium in the first knockout game and then defeated a heavily favored France 87-71 in the semifinals. A fairy tale fortnight was ended by the United States, who had run out 90–75 winners in an entertaining contest to secure the gold medal. While Japan headed to the French capital, New Zealand would now ready themselves for the FIBA Women’s World Cup Pre-Qualifying Tournament the next month. They were one of four nations from the Asia/Oceanic region that would vie for a place in the 2026 Main Event. The Tall Ferns had been grouped with hosts Mexico, as well as Montenegro and Mozambique.
It had been set to be an incredibly busy summer for basketball fans, who would have a slew of exciting matches to follow and place bets on. The latest NBA season had ended in June with the Boston Celtics securing an 18th title, and their first since 2008, but there would be offseason franchise games and a regular stream of international matches in the coming months. New Zealand’s national basketball team was be in action again on August 19 when they faced Montenegro in Mexico City. Molloy had been hopeful that the Ferns could start building for the future, this time with a mix of younger talent and senior pros. The coach had admitted he was forced to field an inexperienced team during the Olympic qualifiers due to injury problems. However, he expected to have a more balanced squad at his disposal for upcoming fixtures. There had been certainly confidence in the camp that things would get better; Molloy had said New Zealand would use everything they had learned during the last 12 months to get to a major tournament again. Hard work and “getting heads down” would be key, as would showcasing greater skill in defense to keep top teams at bay while taking more chances on offense.
For Japan, they had been confident they could cause an upset again at the Olympics. While China had ended their dominance in the Asia Cup last year – Japan’s first loss in the tournament for 12 years following five successive wins – they knew they could perform against the top teams and potentially even usurp the United States as gold medal winners. All eyes had been on Paris, with the main tournament played on July 28.