The Pirates competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at ASB Stadium.

The inaugural squad included imports Raheim Brown and Kevin Mickens alongside Dillon Boucher, Luke Martin and Brook Ruscoe.

For the 2012 season, the Pirates retained Boucher and Ruscoe, and acquired Lindsay Tait, Alex Pledger, Hayden Allen, Duane Bailey and Ron Dorsey.

After defeating the Manawatu Jets in the semi-finals, they faced the Wellington Saints in the final, where they won 89–83 to claim the NBL championship.

[3] On 2 November 2012, the Pirates withdrew from the NBL, with Basketball Auckland revealing their financial model was unsustainable.