January 29, 2026 • 13 mins
The NZ Breakers are doing something special tonight at Spark Arena!
They’re honouring one of their greatest - Tom Abercrombie - by officially retiring his iconic #10 jersey in a ceremony celebrating his legendary 16-season career.
So today on the podcast, we want to ask him all the important questions about his career - including an interesting shoot, shag, or marry!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Daily bespoke content that you won't find on the radio
show The Hadarki Breakfast Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
So the New Zealand Breakers are doing something special tonight
at Spack Arena. They're honoring one of their greatest players,
Tom Abercrombie, by officially retiring his iconic number ten jersey,
in a ceremony celebrating his legendary six sixteen seasons. Tom
Abercrombie joins us now on the podcast Tom sixteen Seasons.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
It's a bloody It's a bloody long time, isn't it.
Sixteen seasons, sixteen years running around the court. You're you're
pretty well, I'm glad of not doing it anymore.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
I was good to Sorry.
Speaker 5 (00:38):
I'm just say, at one point in your life you
would have been a member of the Breakers, probably for
longer than you hadn't been.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Yeah, Well, I knew it was time to retire when
it got to a stage where I was sort of
thirty seven and there was eighteen year old kids coming
into the team that you know, feasibly we're young enough
to be my kids. So it was a good time
to hang it up.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
I think you were your bastable career. If it was
an actual person would be sitting their learner's driver's license indeed,
and no doubt passing with flying colors could drink in.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
Some regional pubs as well, so yours. This is for
people that don't really follow basketball. Getting your jersey hung
up on the rafters, that is the biggest. It's the
highest honor in the basketball world. And in fact, there's
an NBA player who played in Houston, James Harden, familiar
with this storytime He actually got his jersey retired in
a strip club. He spent so much time there that
(01:34):
they hung his jersey and the rafters. How much does
it mean to have your your jersey hung in the
rafters for a club.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
Yeah, it's a massive honor.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
As you said, as a basketballer, there's no sort of
greater way to be recognized for your achievements.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
So it's pretty humbling.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
And you know, very very special to receive it honor.
Obviously some elite company up there with me and Dylan
Boucher and Paul Hanade and C. J.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Brutman and the Blackwell family, so.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
All people that have given a huge amount to basketball
into the breakers and to join them up there is
a's a really special thing, and you know, Derreck Rose
got his journy retired by the Chicago Bulls you know,
last week as well, and it is a it's a
really cool experience, and I'm looking forward to tonight and
being able to share all those moments with with everyone
(02:25):
that was along there on the journey with me, because
it's so much about all of them as it is
about me too. You know, the family name's going up there,
and the Breakers family and the fans and everyone who
was able to watch me for such a long time,
and it's going to be cool just to take one
last troll down memory lane and you know, show my
kids some highlights hopefully up on the big screen and
every good Night.
Speaker 5 (02:45):
That Jared Jackson Junior dounk I think should be replayed.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
It might make an appearance.
Speaker 5 (02:51):
Do you know who else is coming? And mentioned Derrek
Rose there and then they had all the Chicago Bulls
legends there. Do you know who's coming along tonight?
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Not? I mean I know that my family's obviously going
to be them. The kids will be there. It will
be my first time actually going along to a game
and having all my kids there with me.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
So it's can be really cool just to sit there
with them. They have a few old teammates and things
along as well, and a lot of just a lot
of people that I guess were part of that junior.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
As I said, it's a long time.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
There's a lot of a lot of fans out there
who you know, were sort of five years old when
I started, and I had pictures with me when I
finished as well, So a lot of people went along
at that.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Basketball journey with me.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
And you know, it's as I said, it's not just
all about me, even though you know, the night kind
of is. It makes me a little uncomfortable having all
the spotlight on me, but you know, one last time
to laugh it up and then fade away into the sunset.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
What are your fondest memories from your tenure at the Breakers.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
I look, there was a lot.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
It was obviously a long time, but winning championships is
always a really special thing, and you know, to win
four of them was a was an absolute blessing.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
And they were all different as well. You know. The
first one, we were the first Eve.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Of New Zealand team to win an Australasian sporting competition.
We won it at home at the Norsher Events Center,
they gave us a parade down Queen Street was it
was incredible, and that really, you know, it took basketball
to another level in New Zealand, and the excitement around
the team just went up a notch after that, we
outgrew the Events Center. We won our next championship at
(04:25):
the Spark Arena in front of nine and a half
thousand people.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
That was incredible. And then we backed up back to
that with a three peet.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
By going over and knocking off Perth on their home
court over in Perth.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
And that was special as well.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
But certainly I think the last one, you know, Kenn
Beckway hits the game winning shot on the buzzer to
win the championship.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
That's the stuff dreams are made of.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
And I'll always remember that getting down and celebrating with him,
and obviously Andrew Bulligan's epic epic call for that one,
which which rings in the ears for all the time.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
Absolute scenes. Yeah, these are some of the formative memories
of my life as well, looking back on them. When
you were growing up, obviously you were talent to basketballer,
but when was the first at what age did you
first dunk?
Speaker 4 (05:15):
I remember first dunk? I went away.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
It was I was fourth form at school, so I
don't know what that is. In years now they've changed
it all and I'm not going to try and understand
how that system works. But it was fourth form. I've
been away for the summer holidays and I think I'd
been playing a lot of volleyball.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
And I came back.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
I was in the west Lake west Lake old gym,
nice concrete floor with a bit of green vinyl on top.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Anyone that's played in there will remember it fondly.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
Not overly conducive to jumpers, but I used to go
in there before school and just you know, train and
work out, and I loved it.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
And remember coming back.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
After summerhow was probably a little bit of a gross
s burt and a bit of volleyball.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
Over the holidays and just tried it out.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
And I can think quite fiftily my first dunk was
off two feet with two hands, and surprise myself how
easy it was, and just jumped out there and plopped
it in and that was sort of a There's those
little moments along the way which give you a little
bit of motivation and bit of a glimmer of you
know what you can do, and what you could do
and siddly getting up and dunking for the first time
(06:16):
as you're Knownyah, it's a special time in your life.
Speaker 5 (06:18):
Isn't it.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
It's something that Manaia's often talked to me about his
first done.
Speaker 5 (06:24):
I couldn't jump over a phone book. I'm gonna be
honest with that. By the time, I was a.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
Good thing about hoops. These days, mate, we can lower
them down. Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 5 (06:31):
I would love to play in an eight foot Hope
league if I could.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
Right up there.
Speaker 5 (06:37):
I once dunk a tennis ball. That's as close as
they ever got.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
Okay, well, you take your ones.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Jeremy Wells and Manaia Stuet find them on Instagram at
Hodaki Breakfast. Jerry and Mania joined the conflict the Hodaki
Breakfast discussion group on Facebook for more.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Tom, You've played in a lot of shoes over the years.
For you, what's been your favorite shoe off?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Great question, Jerry, and I remember when I was young,
I used to because we didn't get a whole lot
of bathroom shoes down to New Zealand, and I had
a friend's dad who was a pilot, and I would
used to. I spent a lot of time, you know,
thinking very carefully about my next pair of basketball shoes.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
I remember him going over to the States. He had
a special special.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Order to pick me up a pair of T Max
Tracy mcgrady's shoes, who was my favorite player at the time,
and he brought them back, and obviously you run the
risk a little bit. You can't try them on before
he goes over there. And they were about a size
and a half too big for me. These things looked
like absolute flippers.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
On my feet. But I was enamored with them, and
they were the cooler shoes there.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
It was my favorite player, and I just I tried
my hardest to wear them out in the court, and
I was tripping over myself. But eventually I grew into
them and they were a special shoe. But I wore
Seff Curry's shoes a lot my last sort of four
or five years while I was playing, And you know,
the carriers always a really nice shoe as well.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
Were you checking like extra socks on to try and
pair the shoes out?
Speaker 4 (08:08):
I was trying everything. Ye had double socks. I had
the Swallows in those days, which quite quite a thick sock. Ye,
And even that even that couldn't.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Cut his hay some spin cos Yeah, I was like.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Bandy out there trying to run around and tripping over myself.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
How much it look But anyway, how much the lighter
of shoes got though. I mean back in the day,
that's amazing that people could even jump in those things.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
Yeah, this was half the problem with the T Max.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Yes, they were a size and a half too big
for me, but also wide an absolute time. So yeah,
I'd like to think I got better because of that,
because they were so heavy, so hard to move, and
that when I eventually did shift to a nice light
and good fitting shoe that I was I was a
different player.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
So all good character building stuff. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:54):
I remember buying a pair of Lebron's shoes off trade
me when I was a kid, and they it was
like that I made out would They were like that
rigid and that bloody heavy. That's why I never made
it breakers. What about favorite type of basketball your Spaulding.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
Guy, Jesus, I used to love.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
We used to pose these Moltens back in the day,
which the Moltens were a really good ball but when
they were brand new, they were you know, they were
full leather and they used to be. They used to
take a long time to wear in, and when they
were worn in, they were beautiful, same as the NBA bulls. Now,
you know, a full leather ball takes a while to
wear it in. Those NBA guys they send it off
(09:35):
to wherever and someone has to sort of bounce the
ball around for hours and hours before it's actually usable.
But we got them straight out of the box and
had to wear them, and so pre season was all
a mess because these balls are flying around and they
could cause some serious damage. I remember playing with Pera
Cameron at the at the World Cup with a brand
new molten ball, and that man used to sweat a
(09:56):
fair bit and in conjunction with a with a brand.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
New, who unworn and molten ball, he used to pass
the ball.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
There'd be you know, water flying off the balls that's
rotating through the air, and I was just praying, praying
that I was able to catch it, to concentrate so
much it didn't slip through my hands and.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
Whack me in the face. But when they were on.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
A fantastic ball and had some of the better games
using those ones.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Tom Abercrombie, what about your most memorable dunk in sixteen seasons.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
Yeah, look, it would have to be probably Minia's favorite.
The dunk.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
I'm Jaron Jackson, you know. We played them in an
NBA preseason game over there, and Jaren was just I
think he was a rookie at the time, and.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
It was a bit of an outer body experience really.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
I caught the ball and went down the lane and
the seas just kind of parted, and I never really
thought about dunking it, but the body just took over
and obviously went up with one hand and flushed it
straight on him. But the best part about that is
that it just gets better, you know, the better he
gets and obviously went on to win Defensive Player of
the Year, and people would sort of chirping on his
(11:12):
various highlights on Instagram and tag me in them, And
it's pretty cold to beout to dunk on a prominent
NBA player like that in the big stage. And I'm
pretty sure it got me got me another contract at
the time too, So you're pretty happy with that one.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
On the move, keets it back, Rubbercrabie draps it in
out to lay any.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Jams with a right hand on tap of Jared Jackson Junior.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Have you ever considered a future, a life where you
might not be able one day to dunk?
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Well, it's a great question, and it's probably about that time.
I actually need to test it out, because I'm not
sure if I can dunk right now. I'm not in
bad shape, but I certainly am not running around the
basketball court like I used to golf, not overly conducive
to the hot, good for other things. But it's probably something,
(12:07):
probably something I need to go and test out these days,
or maybe I don't. I think I'd probably rather just
leave for good memories in my head and not disappoint
myself and everyone else by trying.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
To get up and dunk it. I'll be sticking to
the eight foot rims with Mania from now.
Speaker 5 (12:20):
We'll start a league up. As we mentioned, Fourth Jersey
hung in the rafter shoot Shagg Mary Paula Hen had
a Dylan about to CJ.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
Britten.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Oh, there's three legends up there have to make me choose,
So I'm just going to stick in the order that
you went and see where the cards lay.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Tom ever Crombie, thank you so much for your time
this morning. Lovely to chat to your well done on
an amazing career and then all the accolades you deserve
them and best of luck with everything in the future.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Awesome. Thanks very much for having me on Fellas. Thanks,
good on you, Tom worked, No, thank you boy. It's
always a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Enjoy tonight, won't you.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
Yeah, we'll do. Thank you guys, all right, see Jerri
and Maniah.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Catch the radio show from six to ten weekdays, The
Darky Breakfast
Daily bespoke content that you won't find on the radio
show The Hadarki Breakfast Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
So the New Zealand Breakers are doing something special tonight
at Spack Arena. They're honoring one of their greatest players,
Tom Abercrombie, by officially retiring his iconic number ten jersey,
in a ceremony celebrating his legendary six sixteen seasons. Tom
Abercrombie joins us now on the podcast Tom sixteen Seasons.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
It's a bloody It's a bloody long time, isn't it.
Sixteen seasons, sixteen years running around the court. You're you're
pretty well, I'm glad of not doing it anymore.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
I was good to Sorry.
Speaker 5 (00:38):
I'm just say, at one point in your life you
would have been a member of the Breakers, probably for
longer than you hadn't been.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Yeah, Well, I knew it was time to retire when
it got to a stage where I was sort of
thirty seven and there was eighteen year old kids coming
into the team that you know, feasibly we're young enough
to be my kids. So it was a good time
to hang it up.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
I think you were your bastable career. If it was
an actual person would be sitting their learner's driver's license indeed,
and no doubt passing with flying colors could drink in.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
Some regional pubs as well, so yours. This is for
people that don't really follow basketball. Getting your jersey hung
up on the rafters, that is the biggest. It's the
highest honor in the basketball world. And in fact, there's
an NBA player who played in Houston, James Harden, familiar
with this storytime He actually got his jersey retired in
a strip club. He spent so much time there that
(01:34):
they hung his jersey and the rafters. How much does
it mean to have your your jersey hung in the
rafters for a club.
Speaker 4 (01:40):
Yeah, it's a massive honor.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
As you said, as a basketballer, there's no sort of
greater way to be recognized for your achievements.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
So it's pretty humbling.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
And you know, very very special to receive it honor.
Obviously some elite company up there with me and Dylan
Boucher and Paul Hanade and C. J.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Brutman and the Blackwell family, so.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
All people that have given a huge amount to basketball
into the breakers and to join them up there is
a's a really special thing, and you know, Derreck Rose
got his journy retired by the Chicago Bulls you know,
last week as well, and it is a it's a
really cool experience, and I'm looking forward to tonight and
being able to share all those moments with with everyone
(02:25):
that was along there on the journey with me, because
it's so much about all of them as it is
about me too. You know, the family name's going up there,
and the Breakers family and the fans and everyone who
was able to watch me for such a long time,
and it's going to be cool just to take one
last troll down memory lane and you know, show my
kids some highlights hopefully up on the big screen and
every good Night.
Speaker 5 (02:45):
That Jared Jackson Junior dounk I think should be replayed.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
It might make an appearance.
Speaker 5 (02:51):
Do you know who else is coming? And mentioned Derrek
Rose there and then they had all the Chicago Bulls
legends there. Do you know who's coming along tonight?
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Not? I mean I know that my family's obviously going
to be them. The kids will be there. It will
be my first time actually going along to a game
and having all my kids there with me.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
So it's can be really cool just to sit there
with them. They have a few old teammates and things
along as well, and a lot of just a lot
of people that I guess were part of that junior.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
As I said, it's a long time.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
There's a lot of a lot of fans out there
who you know, were sort of five years old when
I started, and I had pictures with me when I
finished as well, So a lot of people went along
at that.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Basketball journey with me.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
And you know, it's as I said, it's not just
all about me, even though you know, the night kind
of is. It makes me a little uncomfortable having all
the spotlight on me, but you know, one last time
to laugh it up and then fade away into the sunset.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
What are your fondest memories from your tenure at the Breakers.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
I look, there was a lot.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
It was obviously a long time, but winning championships is
always a really special thing, and you know, to win
four of them was a was an absolute blessing.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
And they were all different as well. You know. The
first one, we were the first Eve.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Of New Zealand team to win an Australasian sporting competition.
We won it at home at the Norsher Events Center,
they gave us a parade down Queen Street was it
was incredible, and that really, you know, it took basketball
to another level in New Zealand, and the excitement around
the team just went up a notch after that, we
outgrew the Events Center. We won our next championship at
(04:25):
the Spark Arena in front of nine and a half
thousand people.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
That was incredible. And then we backed up back to
that with a three peet.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
By going over and knocking off Perth on their home
court over in Perth.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
And that was special as well.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
But certainly I think the last one, you know, Kenn
Beckway hits the game winning shot on the buzzer to
win the championship.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
That's the stuff dreams are made of.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
And I'll always remember that getting down and celebrating with him,
and obviously Andrew Bulligan's epic epic call for that one,
which which rings in the ears for all the time.
Speaker 5 (05:00):
Absolute scenes. Yeah, these are some of the formative memories
of my life as well, looking back on them. When
you were growing up, obviously you were talent to basketballer,
but when was the first at what age did you
first dunk?
Speaker 4 (05:15):
I remember first dunk? I went away.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
It was I was fourth form at school, so I
don't know what that is. In years now they've changed
it all and I'm not going to try and understand
how that system works. But it was fourth form. I've
been away for the summer holidays and I think I'd
been playing a lot of volleyball.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
And I came back.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
I was in the west Lake west Lake old gym,
nice concrete floor with a bit of green vinyl on top.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Anyone that's played in there will remember it fondly.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
Not overly conducive to jumpers, but I used to go
in there before school and just you know, train and
work out, and I loved it.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
And remember coming back.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
After summerhow was probably a little bit of a gross
s burt and a bit of volleyball.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
Over the holidays and just tried it out.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
And I can think quite fiftily my first dunk was
off two feet with two hands, and surprise myself how
easy it was, and just jumped out there and plopped
it in and that was sort of a There's those
little moments along the way which give you a little
bit of motivation and bit of a glimmer of you
know what you can do, and what you could do
and siddly getting up and dunking for the first time
(06:16):
as you're Knownyah, it's a special time in your life.
Speaker 5 (06:18):
Isn't it.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
It's something that Manaia's often talked to me about his
first done.
Speaker 5 (06:24):
I couldn't jump over a phone book. I'm gonna be
honest with that. By the time, I was a.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
Good thing about hoops. These days, mate, we can lower
them down. Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 5 (06:31):
I would love to play in an eight foot Hope
league if I could.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
Right up there.
Speaker 5 (06:37):
I once dunk a tennis ball. That's as close as
they ever got.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
Okay, well, you take your ones.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Jeremy Wells and Manaia Stuet find them on Instagram at
Hodaki Breakfast. Jerry and Mania joined the conflict the Hodaki
Breakfast discussion group on Facebook for more.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Tom, You've played in a lot of shoes over the years.
For you, what's been your favorite shoe off?
Speaker 3 (07:02):
Great question, Jerry, and I remember when I was young,
I used to because we didn't get a whole lot
of bathroom shoes down to New Zealand, and I had
a friend's dad who was a pilot, and I would
used to. I spent a lot of time, you know,
thinking very carefully about my next pair of basketball shoes.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
I remember him going over to the States. He had
a special special.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Order to pick me up a pair of T Max
Tracy mcgrady's shoes, who was my favorite player at the time,
and he brought them back, and obviously you run the
risk a little bit. You can't try them on before
he goes over there. And they were about a size
and a half too big for me. These things looked
like absolute flippers.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
On my feet. But I was enamored with them, and
they were the cooler shoes there.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
It was my favorite player, and I just I tried
my hardest to wear them out in the court, and
I was tripping over myself. But eventually I grew into
them and they were a special shoe. But I wore
Seff Curry's shoes a lot my last sort of four
or five years while I was playing, And you know,
the carriers always a really nice shoe as well.
Speaker 5 (08:06):
Were you checking like extra socks on to try and
pair the shoes out?
Speaker 4 (08:08):
I was trying everything. Ye had double socks. I had
the Swallows in those days, which quite quite a thick sock. Ye,
And even that even that couldn't.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Cut his hay some spin cos Yeah, I was like.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Bandy out there trying to run around and tripping over myself.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
How much it look But anyway, how much the lighter
of shoes got though. I mean back in the day,
that's amazing that people could even jump in those things.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
Yeah, this was half the problem with the T Max.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Yes, they were a size and a half too big
for me, but also wide an absolute time. So yeah,
I'd like to think I got better because of that,
because they were so heavy, so hard to move, and
that when I eventually did shift to a nice light
and good fitting shoe that I was I was a
different player.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
So all good character building stuff. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:54):
I remember buying a pair of Lebron's shoes off trade
me when I was a kid, and they it was
like that I made out would They were like that
rigid and that bloody heavy. That's why I never made
it breakers. What about favorite type of basketball your Spaulding.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
Guy, Jesus, I used to love.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
We used to pose these Moltens back in the day,
which the Moltens were a really good ball but when
they were brand new, they were you know, they were
full leather and they used to be. They used to
take a long time to wear in, and when they
were worn in, they were beautiful, same as the NBA bulls. Now,
you know, a full leather ball takes a while to
wear it in. Those NBA guys they send it off
(09:35):
to wherever and someone has to sort of bounce the
ball around for hours and hours before it's actually usable.
But we got them straight out of the box and
had to wear them, and so pre season was all
a mess because these balls are flying around and they
could cause some serious damage. I remember playing with Pera
Cameron at the at the World Cup with a brand
new molten ball, and that man used to sweat a
(09:56):
fair bit and in conjunction with a with a brand.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
New, who unworn and molten ball, he used to pass
the ball.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
There'd be you know, water flying off the balls that's
rotating through the air, and I was just praying, praying
that I was able to catch it, to concentrate so
much it didn't slip through my hands and.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
Whack me in the face. But when they were on.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
A fantastic ball and had some of the better games
using those ones.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Tom Abercrombie, what about your most memorable dunk in sixteen seasons.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
Yeah, look, it would have to be probably Minia's favorite.
The dunk.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
I'm Jaron Jackson, you know. We played them in an
NBA preseason game over there, and Jaren was just I
think he was a rookie at the time, and.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
It was a bit of an outer body experience really.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
I caught the ball and went down the lane and
the seas just kind of parted, and I never really
thought about dunking it, but the body just took over
and obviously went up with one hand and flushed it
straight on him. But the best part about that is
that it just gets better, you know, the better he
gets and obviously went on to win Defensive Player of
the Year, and people would sort of chirping on his
(11:12):
various highlights on Instagram and tag me in them, And
it's pretty cold to beout to dunk on a prominent
NBA player like that in the big stage. And I'm
pretty sure it got me got me another contract at
the time too, So you're pretty happy with that one.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
On the move, keets it back, Rubbercrabie draps it in
out to lay any.
Speaker 4 (11:31):
Jams with a right hand on tap of Jared Jackson Junior.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Have you ever considered a future, a life where you
might not be able one day to dunk?
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Well, it's a great question, and it's probably about that time.
I actually need to test it out, because I'm not
sure if I can dunk right now. I'm not in
bad shape, but I certainly am not running around the
basketball court like I used to golf, not overly conducive
to the hot, good for other things. But it's probably something,
(12:07):
probably something I need to go and test out these days,
or maybe I don't. I think I'd probably rather just
leave for good memories in my head and not disappoint
myself and everyone else by trying.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
To get up and dunk it. I'll be sticking to
the eight foot rims with Mania from now.
Speaker 5 (12:20):
We'll start a league up. As we mentioned, Fourth Jersey
hung in the rafter shoot Shagg Mary Paula Hen had
a Dylan about to CJ.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
Britten.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Oh, there's three legends up there have to make me choose,
So I'm just going to stick in the order that
you went and see where the cards lay.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Tom ever Crombie, thank you so much for your time
this morning. Lovely to chat to your well done on
an amazing career and then all the accolades you deserve
them and best of luck with everything in the future.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Awesome. Thanks very much for having me on Fellas. Thanks,
good on you, Tom worked, No, thank you boy. It's
always a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Enjoy tonight, won't you.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
Yeah, we'll do. Thank you guys, all right, see Jerri
and Maniah.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Catch the radio show from six to ten weekdays, The
Darky Breakfast
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