In Tasmania In 2016, sights were set on an
Australian NBL franchise returning to
Tasmania. The
Hobart Chargers of the
South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) wanted to be "NBL ready" in three years. In 2018, plans to get the Chargers into the Australian NBL morphed into an overarching Tasmanian bid for a proposed new franchise to be called
Southern Huskies led by former
Hobart Devils player, Justin Hickey. The Huskies bid ultimately fell through when Hickey failed to acquire the
Derwent Entertainment Centre (DEC), compounded with the league believing there were several hurdles and shortcomings with the bid. The licence subsequently went to the
South East Melbourne Phoenix for the 2019–20 season and later the
Tasmania JackJumpers were accepted into the Australian NBL for the 2021–22 season. In November 2018, reports began to surface that the Southern Huskies would be entering the
New Zealand NBL in 2019, with the Huskies viewing the New Zealand league as a launch pad to the Australian NBL and the stronger competition more appealing than the various Australian state leagues. The inclusion presented a number of unprecedented challenges for the competition, with flights to Tasmania problematic for New Zealand's less financially well-off franchises, while double or triple-headers on New Zealand trips for the Huskies were a looming issue. marking the first time in New Zealand sporting history that an overseas team had joined a New Zealand owned league. The
2019 New Zealand NBL season saw each New Zealand team visit Tasmania to play the Huskies at least once, while the Huskies played every New Zealand team in New Zealand as well, playing double-headers each time. As part of the agreement, the Huskies assisted with the cost for New Zealand teams to travel to Tasmania to play, with the NZNBL Board not wanting to increase the New Zealand teams' expenses through this move. The Huskies' nine home games in 2019 were split between the Derwent Entertainment Centre in Hobart and the
Silverdome in Launceston. Coached by former Australian NBL player
Anthony Stewart, the inaugural squad included imports
Jalen Billups and Tre Nichols alongside
Harry Froling,
Marcel Jones,
Craig Moller and
Jordan Vandenberg. The Huskies endured what was described as "shambolic" away trips across the Tasman which strained relationships between staff and players, only some of whom were being paid on time. At one stage late in the season, players threatened mutiny due to non-payment. On 27 June 2019, the Huskies announced that they would rebrand as the Tasmanian Huskies for the 2020 season in order to remove any stigma of a division within the state. This announcement came days after it was revealed that any new team from the state in the Australian NBL must be branded
Tasmanian. with mounting debts also cited as a factor for disbanding.
NBL1 On 17 December 2018, following the Hobart Chargers' decision to not enter the new
NBL1 competition, the Southern Huskies entered the
Hobart Huskies into the inaugural
2019 NBL1 season with both men's and women's teams. The teams played their NBL1 games at
Kingborough Sports Centre. The Hobart Huskies were abolished after one season following the demise of the Southern Huskies.
In Auckland In May 2020, the Southern Huskies re-emerged and relocated permanently to
Auckland, New Zealand, and became the
Auckland Huskies. They subsequently entered the
2020 New Zealand NBL season, a competition that was revised and modified due the
COVID-19 pandemic. Coached by former Australian and New Zealand NBL player
Kevin Braswell, the 2020 squad featured
Leon Henry,
Izayah Le'afa and
Tohi Smith-Milner. The Huskies' 2020 campaign saw them lose in the second elimination final after finishing third with an 8–6 record. For the
2021 New Zealand NBL season, the Huskies played at
Eventfinda Stadium. The 2021 squad featured
Justin Bibbs,
Chris Johnson,
Jeremy Kendle and
Tom Vodanovich. In December 2021, the owners of the
Auckland Tuatara baseball team purchased the NZNBL licence from the Huskies owners and re-named the team the
Auckland Tuatara. Behind the likes of Chris Johnson,
Robert Loe and
Dontae Russo-Nance, the Tuatara finished fifth in the
2022 regular season with a 10–8 record and went on to reach the NBL final for the first time in franchise history. In the final, they lost 81–73 to the
Otago Nuggets. In
2023, the squad was highlighted by Australian imports
Cameron Gliddon and
Jarrad Weeks alongside Robert Loe and
Reuben Te Rangi. The Tuatara finished the regular season with a league-best 13–5 record behind Loe's MVP season. They went on to reach their second straight NBL final, where they lost 93–82 to the
Canterbury Rams. In
2024, the squad was highlighted by
Corey Webster, Robert Loe, Reuben Te Rangi, Cameron Gliddon and
Tom Vodanovich. The team reached their third straight NBL final, The Tuatara saw their first change of head coach in 2025 with former player Cam Gliddon taking over after Aaron Young's move to Wellington. Despite losing star guard Will "Davo" Hickey mid-season and having star centre Rob Loe battle injury all year, Gliddon took the team to the playoffs in his first season in charge. They lost to eventual grand finalists the Southland Sharks in the play-in game. ==Current roster==