Michael Fitchett (basketball)
New Zealand basketball player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Robert Elmslie Fitchett (born 20 September 1982) is a New Zealand former professional basketball player.
Fitchett was born in Nelson, New Zealand.[1] He attended Nelson College from 1996 to 2000, where he excelled as a sportsman. He was the school's junior athletics champion in 1996 and 1997, played for the 'A' basketball team from 1996 to 2000, and was a member of the 1st XI cricket team from 1996 to 2000.[2] He played in the New Zealand NBL every year between 1999 and 2012. He also played one game in the Australian NBL with the New Zealand Breakers in January 2009.[3] He also represented the New Zealand Tall Blacks multiple times between 2008 and 2011.[4]
In October 2018, Fitchett was appointed head coach of the Nelson Giants for the 2019 season.[5][6] He was elevated to dual general manager / head coach of the Giants in 2021.[7][8] He continued in the role in 2022[9] and won the New Zealand NBL Coach of the Year Award.[10] He remained in the dual role as of the 2024 season.[11] The 2026 season marked his eighth as head coach of the Giants.[12]
Between 2016 and 2019, Fitchett served as an assistant coach with the New Zealand Breakers.[13][14] In November 2024, he was named an assistant coach for the Tall Blacks for the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.[15] In November 2025, he was named as an assistant for the Tall Blacks for the first window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers.[16] In February 2026, he was named an assistant for two more Asian qualifiers.[17]
