[2] Three Waikato businessmen, Michael Redman, Dallas Fisher and Keith Ward, were persuaded to start the Breakers franchise.

[12] Penney was sidelined for nine games with a back injury in 2009–10,[13] with a mid-season slump leading to the Breakers missing the playoffs.

[16] In the grand final series, the Breakers defeated the Cairns Taipans 2–1 to win their maiden NBL championship.

[17] The team was led by Penney, Bruton, Mika Vukona, Gary Wilkinson, Paul Henare and grand final MVP Thomas Abercrombie.

[17][18] The 2011–12 season saw the Breakers claim the minor premiership with a 21–7 record and reach the NBL grand final series, where they defeated the Perth Wildcats 2–1 to win their second championship.

The team was led by Wilkinson, Abercrombie, Vukona, Daryl Corletto, Cedric Jackson and grand final MVP C. J.

[19] The 2012 off-season saw the departure of Gary Wilkinson and the elevation of Alex Pledger to the starting line-up,[20] while guard Corey Webster returned to the squad after a 12-month suspension for the use of banned substances.

[29] They finished the regular season in second place with a 19–9 record and defeated the Adelaide 36ers 2–0 in the semi-finals to return to the NBL grand final.

Ekene Ibekwe hit the game-winning buzzer beater in game two to lift the Breakers to their fourth championship in five seasons.

[34][35] The Breakers returned to the NBL grand final series for the fifth time in six years in 2015–16, where they lost 2–1 to the Perth Wildcats.

[51] The 2019–20 season saw the appointment of new coach Dan Shamir[52] and the acquisition of R. J. Hampton as part of the NBL Next Stars program.

[86] Thomas Abercrombie retired following the 2023–24 season, ending his NBL career with 429 games and finishing as the Breakers' most-capped player.

[90] The Breakers entered the FIBA break in second place with a 7–3 record and subsequently signed 7'6" Senegalese import, Tacko Fall.

To appear in this section a player must have either: In February 2019, former owners Paul and Liz Blackwell were honoured by the Breakers with a banner in the rafters at Spark Arena.