New Zealand

The team's first test was played against Singapore as part of their Asian 1962 tour. The tour included several practice games in Australia and other games against select teams from Malaysia and Thailand.^[]

In 1970, New Zealand hosted the world number 6 Czechoslovakia for a test series. The Tall Blacks lost both games, 115–60 and 118–62.

In 1971, New Zealand hosted the first FIBA Oceania Championship. The Oceania qualification zone was created by FIBA so Australia and New Zealand could compete every two years to decide which country would represent the zone at the Olympic Games or the world championships. The Tall Blacks lost the inaugural series 0–3.

In 1974, New Zealand played against Australia, the Philippines and Tahiti. They split the series 2–2, with both wins coming against Tahiti.^[]

In the 1975 FIBA Oceania Championship, the Tall Blacks lost 0–3 to Australia.

In the 1978 FIBA Oceania Championship, the Tall Blacks recorded their first win against Australia, 67–65. They lost the series 1–2. That same year, the Tall Blacks won the silver medal at the Commonwealth championships in Britain.

In the 1979 FIBA Oceania Championship, the Tall Blacks again lost 0–3 to Australia.

The Tall Blacks participated in the William Jones Cup in 1980, 1981 and 1982.^[]

In 1983, they participated in the Kirin Invitational and Taiwan Tournament.^[] That same year, New Zealand hosted the Commonwealth Basketball Championships (men's and women's). Both teams finished without medals, and the New Zealand Basketball Federation (NZBF), hoping to make a profit, suffered a $50,000 loss.

The Tall Blacks gained a wild card entry to the 1986 FIBA World Championship in Spain. They managed one win against Malaysia to finish 21st in the 24-team tournament. Stan Hill announced his retirement following the tournament after 131 games.

In 1987, Russia played a two-match series against the Tall Blacks in New Zealand. The Tall Blacks lost both games.^[] That same year, New Zealand finished second in the Oceania series, beating French Polynesia and losing to Australia.^[]

Throughout the 1990s, the Tall Blacks were invited to a number of tournaments:^[]

• 1994 Tour of Japan won the series 4–2
• 1997 Harlem Basketball Tournament, Netherlands
• 1997 Portugal and Madrid Xmas Tournaments, Europe
• 1998 Anhui Tournament, China
• 1998 Nanjing Tournament, China
• 1998 Ningbo Tournament, China
• 1998 Heife Tournament, China

New Zealand also hosted Japan (won series 3–0, 1991), Croatia (lost series 0–1, 1997) and Canada (tied series 1–1, 1998).

In 1997, New Caledonia joined the Tall Blacks and Australia for the Oceania Championship that was held in New Zealand. It was in this tournament that the Tall Blacks registered their largest ever win margin and score, defeating New Caledonia 136–41. However, they lost to Australia in pool play and the final to once again miss out on the 1998 World Championships.^[]

The Tall Blacks returned to Taiwan for the 1999 William Jones Cup, finishing third after going 5–3.^[] The 1999 FIBA Oceania Championship was a one-off game between the Tall Blacks and Guam, with New Zealand winning 125–43 and qualifying for the Olympic Games for the first time. Future NBA players Kirk Penney and Sean Marks debuted for the Tall Blacks in 1999.

In 2000, the Tall Blacks participated in the Slam Down Under tournament in Sydney in June, the William Jones Cup in Taiwan in July, and the Summer Olympics in September. In their first ever Olympic appearance, the Tall Blacks were placed in Group A alongside the United States, Italy, China, Latvia and France. They finished 11th with a 1–6 record, picking up their first Olympic win against Angola (70–60). Sean Marks finished the tournament second in rebounds (7.3 per game) and Pero Cameron finished the tournament second in steals (1.7 per game).^[]

In 2001, the Tall Blacks participated in the Goodwill Games in Brisbane. Kirk Penney averaged a team-leading 14.8 points as New Zealand finished sixth. In the FIBA Oceania Championship, the Tall Blacks won the first fixture of the three-game series against Australia 85–78 but lost the second game 81–79 in overtime. In the third game, New Zealand made history with an 89–78 win, beating Australia 2–1 to qualify for the 2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis.

The Tall Blacks had a prolonged Europe tour prior to the 2002 FIBA World Championship that included a victory over world champs Yugoslavia. They entered the World Championship with a level of confidence under coach Tab Baldwin. The team had Sean Marks and Pero Cameron in career-best form alongside two world-class sharpshooters in Phill Jones and Kirk Penney. There was also Mark Dickel, Paul Henare, Ed Book and Dillon Boucher. The Tall Blacks pushed into the second round after beating China, Venezuela and Russia. Losses came at the hands of the United States, Argentina and Germany in Group D. In the quarter-finals, they beat Puerto Rico 65–63 to earn a spot in the semi-final against Yugoslavia. They went on to lose 89–78 to Yugoslavia and then lost 117–94 to Germany in the bronze medal match. Fourth place is still the team's best finish at a World Cup / World Championship as of 2022. Cameron was named to the All-Tournament team and Jones finished the tournament as its ninth-leading scorer with 18.2 points per game.

In 2003, the Tall Blacks participated in the Efes Pilsen World Cup in Turkey and lost 0–3 to Australia in the FIBA Oceania Championship. The Oceania series determined seedings for the 2004 Athens Olympics.

In the lead up to the Olympics, the Tall Blacks had a series against Australia and then toured the U.S. and Europe. They finished the Athens Olympics with a 1–5 record in group A against Italy, China, Serbia and Montenegro, Argentina and Spain. In the play-off for 9th position they lost to Australia 98–80, finishing 10th. Phill Jones' 21 points per game left him as the Games' second-leading scorer behind Pau Gasol of Spain.

In 2005, the Tall Blacks won the Shuang Feng Cup in China and participated in the inaugural Gaze Cup in Australia. In the FIBA Oceania Championship, they lost 0–3 to Australia.

At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the Tall Blacks reached the gold medal game, where they lost 81–76 to Australia. Later that year at the FIBA World Championship, New Zealand were considered a long shot for a medal following the retirements of Sean Marks and Ed Book. They were on the verge of not advancing out of the first round after losing its first three games and being down 18 points at halftime to Japan in the fourth game. They came back to win that game 60–57 and beat Panama to advance to the second round, where they lost to the reigning Olympic champions, Argentina. Tab Baldwin subsequently resigned as the head coach of the Tall Blacks, replaced by then assistant coach Nenad Vučinić.

In 2007, the Tall Blacks went 2–3 at the Stanković Cup and went 1–2 at the FIBA Oceania Championship against Australia.

In 2008, the Tall Blacks went 0-2 against Australia in the Al Ramsay Shield series in Melbourne and 2–1 at the Jack Donohue International Classic tournament in Toronto. At the Olympic qualifying tournament, the team reached the quarterfinal, where they lost to Greece and subsequently missed the Beijing Olympics.

In the 2009 FIBA Oceania Championship, the Tall Blacks defeated Australia on aggregate, winning game two 100–78.

At the 2010 FIBA World Championship, the Tall Blacks lost in the round of 16. It saw them drop five places to 18th in the FIBA world rankings.

In 2011, the Tall Blacks won the Stanković Cup in China after beating Russia in the final. Kirk Penney and Thomas Abercrombie named in the tournament All-Star five. At the FIBA Oceania Championship, the team lost 0–3 to Australia.

In the lead up to the 2012 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the Tall Blacks suffered heavy defeats in Brazil without injured duo Penney and Abercrombie. They went on to finish 10th in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

In the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship, the Tall Blacks lost 0–2 to Australia. They went on to reach the final 16 of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. After this tournament, Penney, Casey Frank and coach Vucinic retired from international basketball.^[]

In 2015, the Tall Blacks had a European tour under new head coach Paul Henare. They went on to win the Stanković Cup and lose 0–2 to Australia in the FIBA Oceania Championship.

In 2016, the Tall Blacks finished third at the Atlas Challenge in China. They also had a European tour. At the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, they finished third.

At the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup, the Tall Blacks were defeated in the semi-finals by Australia. They went on to lose to Korea in the bronze medal match. Shea Ili was named to the All-Star Team. That year, Pero Cameron was inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame.

At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the Tall Blacks finished third with a 79-69 win over Scotland in the bronze medal match. Despite boasting a 7–1 record in the FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifying campaign, on the back of seven straight wins, the Tall Blacks remained in 38th place on the FIBA World Ranking list as of September 2018.

In August 2019, the Tall Blacks had a two-game series in Japan and before heading to Australia to play Canada. Later at the FIBA World Cup, the Tall Blacks missed out on the second round with a 103–97 loss to Greece in their final pool game. In December 2019, Pero Cameron was appointed as head coach following Paul Henare's decision to step down.

In February 2020, the Tall Blacks had secured wins over Australia and Guam in the first round of Asia Cup qualifiers. Following this, however, the team was heavily disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2020, games against Australia and Hong Kong were postponed, with the next FIBA window being in February 2021.

In February 2021, the Tall Blacks played Australia in Cairns, Queensland. A number of regular players were unavailable due to Australian NBL commitments, and due to the pandemic, quarantine periods also forced the Tall Blacks to create an Australian-based team, with many being based in Queensland. They lost 52–81. It marked Mika Vukona's final game for the Tall Blacks. Following the game, Basketball New Zealand withdrew the Tall Blacks from the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Serbia.

The Tall Blacks made history in their first game of the 2022 Asia Cup Qualifiers, beating the Boomers in Australia for the first time in over 10 years. They followed up that win with another against Guam. They subsequently played in the FIBA Asia Cup in July 2022, where they won bronze.

In August 2023, the Tall Blacks competed in the Super Cup in Hamburg against China, Canada and hosts Germany. That same month, they competed at the FIBA Solidarity Cup in China. New Zealand was one of the first countries to qualify for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, having secured a spot in the 32-team tournament a year earlier. It marked their seventh world cup appearance. They finished the tournament with a 2–3 record and gained entry into one of the 2024 Olympic Qualifying tournaments.

Confirmed for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Piraeus, Greece, the Tall Blacks prepared by facing Finland and Poland in June 2024. The team beat Croatia but lost to Serbia in the Qualifying Tournament, which ended their contention for the Paris Olympics.