Dillon Boucher
Dillon Boucher is a New Zealand Basketball legend. He is the all-time leader playing 409 games in the New Zealand NBL, which was accomplished over 24 seasons. He has won a combined 13 championships across the ANBL/NBL, which is the most in history. When you talk about service to a sport, Boucher has done it all, from player, to video analyst, to coach, to general manager and is still involved in a number of different capacities. His services to the game of Basketball was recognised in 2014, when he received the honour of becoming a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
At 6’5, Boucher would be the first to admit that he wasn’t the most athletically gifted player but he found a way to be effective on the court in order to gain more minutes. Boucher’s Basketball IQ set him apart from most players, being able to play a range of positions and always seeming to be a step ahead of everyone on the court. Known as a defensive stopper, he often had to guard the best player in the opposition’s team. In 2002, the Tall Blacks shocked the world by coming 4th at the World Championships. Dillon played a key role for the team throughout the tournament and made a number of crucial plays in pressured moments. This epic result, not only put New Zealand on the map as a credible Basketball nation, but also gave the sport the boost it needed around the country, inspiring a generation of future Basketball players. Another one of Dillon’s highlights in his career was being partof the New Zealand Breakers three-peat ANBL Championship run. Boucher believed the key to the success of that team was the culture of selfless players and the buy-in from everyone to perform their role to the best of their ability.
One of the hardest things professional sportspeople face is successfully transitioning into a career after retiring, Dillon is an example of how to do it successfully. Coaching seemed like the perfect fit for Boucher with his basketball experience and IQ. But Boucher wanted to widen his skillset and was constantly seeking ways to development himself outside of the game. He slowly became more interested in what was happening off the court and in the New Zealand Breakers offices. This lead to an opportunity in corporate sponsorship and eventually becoming the General Manager of the club. Always trying to find new ways of growing himself in the corporate world, Boucher more recently occupies a number of diverse roles in different industries enjoying controlling his own hours. In this podcast, Dillon gives current athletes some simple advice around what value they bring to the corporate world and being aware of the harder aspects of transitioning.
In this episode, Boucher reflects on his journey to date with host and one-time teammate, van Beek. From sharing each other’s ‘first dunk’ stories; to the moment Dillon thought he could do Basketball as a career; why young athletes are in such a rush; the 2002 World Championship run; the best players Dillon played with and against; embarrassing NBL stories; how Dillon went about successfully transitioning out of the game into new careers and advice for current athletes; setting up the first NBL draft and where Dillon sees himself in ten years time. Plenty more topics covered in this episode, Dillon sure has some stories to tell and wisdom to share.
Chapters
- Intro/How good was the Last Dance on Netflix (2:36)
- Childhood/Family influence/Key Moments/”First Dunk” (6:10)
- When was the moment you thought you could do Basketball for a career (11:12)
- Biggest learning’s early on from Tab Baldwin & Auckland Stars teammates (15:15)
- What was your ideal position in Basketball? How did you adapt your game once you realized you weren't going to be 6'10. (18:28)
- Finding out Dillon was a gun shooter… (20:59)
- Looking up to Dennis Rodman/scouting/trash talking (24:31)
- Joining up with the Tall Blacks as a video analyst (29:07)
- Why are young athletes these days in such a rush? The millennial mindset (33:36)
- The 2002 World Championship Journey - Putting New Zealand Basketball on the Map (38:37)
- Playing against USA, head to head with NBA superstars (46:04)
- Greatest assist of my life - Quarter final vs Puerto Rico (47:47)
- Semi-Final vs Yugoslavia - Still hurts today (52:04)
- Who are the best players you have played against? (54:17)
- Was Pero Cameron the best player you played with? (56:57)
- What made Tab Balwin a great coach? What do you believe makes a great Leader? (59:49)
- Using your Basketball expereinces in the corporate environment (1:02:01)
- Being a part of the first NZ Breakers side in the ANBL (1:05:19)
- Going to the 2004 Athens Olympics Games (1:06:49)
- Why did you choose to retire from the Tall Blacks in 2008? (1:09:04)
- The lowest moment in your career and how you got through it? (1:11:25)
- Logan's NBL debut embarrassing story / Dillon's similar experience… (1:14:21)
- Any routines & superstitions before games? (1:18:25)
- NZ Breakers 3-peat - Secret to the success of that team (1:19:59)
- Why not more Kiwis in the NBA? Making that jump (1:22:56)
- Why is Basketball in New Zealand not funded as well as other sports? (1:26:44)
- Becoming a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (1:29:50)
- Successfully Transitioning out of Sport (1:31:05)
- What is the hardest part of career transitioning? (1:36:36)
- What’s some transferrable skills athletes have? Advice for current athletes looking to successfully transition (1:37:47)
- Stepping down as GM of NZ Breakers... seeking a new experience. (1:40:30)
- Maanaki - being involved in helping small businesses in NZ (1:43:32)
- What advice have you given to your children? What was parenting tactic when it came to their Basketball careers (1:45:21)
- Setting up the 2020 NBL first ever Draft (1:47:45)
- Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? (1:51:09)
- How would you like to be remembered? (1:51:51)