Basketball: Breakers' success breeds respect

Kirk Penney. Photo / Getty Images

Success always inevitably breeds respect.

The New Zealand Breakers team can certainly attest to that as their on-court success has been recognised by their Australian National Basketball League (ANBL) rivals via a wide ranging player poll.

Thirteen wins from 16 outings leave the Breakers atop the standings and their form and style of play have both drawn widespread approval.

The Breakers and second-placed Perth Wildcats have dominated the results in most categories of the league's players' choice poll, which drew responses from 70 players among the nine competing teams.

New Zealand's best shooting guard Kirk Penney is the individual most players would pay to watch as he drew 29 percent of the vote, while his teammates Thomas Abercrombie (21 percent) and CJ Bruton (12) finished second and third respectively.

Abercrombie also took out the titles of the best dunker and best athlete, while Penney was considered the best shooter by a whopping 46 percent of poll respondents and the toughest to guard on the perimeter.

Bruton was also named as the player who talks the most trash, a back-handed compliment for a player not afraid top get under the skin of the opposition.

Fellow Breakers Kevin Braswell and Mika Vukona took out the titles of best passer and best rebounder respectively.

- NZPA