Former Tall Blacks captain Tom Abercrombie has retired from international basketball, ruling himself out of a fourth World Cup later this year.
Abercrombie, 36, has accumulated 110 appearances for the national team, since his 2009 debut, helping them to a record victory over Australia in his rookie campaign.
He has attended World Cup tournaments in Turkey (2010), Spain (2014) and China (2019), but also won a Commonwealth Games bronze medal at Gold Coast 2018.
"I had a chat with [coach Pero Cameron] and I would’ve loved to have played one more World Cup," he said. "I’ve played in three of them and they've been some of the greatest experiences I've had playing basketball.
"It would've been a wonderful opportunity to play one more, but I haven't been able to be part of any of the build-up or qualification games for the World Cup, because of other commitments.
"The commitment required for a World Cup campaign - having been through them many times before - is great. There's a huge amount of sacrifice and time away from home that goes into that, I just wasn't able to commit myself to that timeframe for another campaign."
Abercrombie has re-signed for another season with NZ Breakers in the Aussie NBL, providing a chance for him to further expand a legacy that already includes 399 games and more than 3000 points - both club records.
He admits he will miss the Tall Blacks culture.
"The great thing about the Tall Blacks is that it's a selfless environment, where you just sacrifice yourself, and do whatever it takes for your country and your jersey," he said.
"That’s always been the focus of playing for the Tall Blacks, just enjoying the environment and doing whatever it takes, going out there and doing a job for your country."
