History has been made with the New Zealand men’s 3x3 Tall Blacks crowned Asia Cup champions for the first time.
New Zealand defeated Korea 21-15 in the final in Singapore on Sunday.
On the way to the title, the Tall Blacks dethroned defending champions Australia 21-16 in the quarter-final and swept aside Japan by the same margin in the semi-final, with Te Tuhikiterangi ‘Te Tuhi’ Lewis (Ngāti Maniapoto, Waikato, Raukawa) “catching fire from deep”, according to FIBA.
Lewis was well supported by teammates Christian Martin (Tūhoe, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu), Aidan Tonge and Josh Book, who played key roles in the title run.
Lewis was named tournament MVP and selected in the Team of the Tournament alongside Korea’s Kim SeungWoo and China’s Liu Qianhao.
FIBA described Lewis as a tournament “standout”, whose clutch scoring powered a championship-winning run for the Tall Blacks.
This article was updated on 8 April 2026 with the first name Te Tuhikiterangi and iwi affiliations.
