sport news Basketball team's publicity stunt insulting ex-player backfires as he tears ... trends now
A veteran trans-Tasman basketball player has exploded with his best game of the season after his former club attempted to sledge him in the lead-up to their NBL game.
Corey Webster played for the New Zealand Breakers in the Australian competition for 13 seasons and won three championships before the 34-year-old joined the Perth Wildcats this season.
The former international has struggled to find his best touch in 2022 and has largely been consigned to the bench.
However, when his former club poked the bear, he responded.
The New Zealand Breakers billboard at Spark Arena and the offending sledge aimed at former player Corey Webster that was also shared on social media. It has since been deleted
The Breakers social media team posted an image of Webster with an equals sign and an emoji of a cute cat, implying that he is soft.
The image, since deleted, was broadcast on Twitter and displayed on a large screen outside the Breakers home court at Spark Arena.
New Zealand have an 11-4 record this season and sit second on the NBL ladder, but the struggling Wildcats travelled to Auckland and posted a 94-82 win following the sledge, largely because of Webster.
He exploded with a 26 point shooting spree including a 16-point third quarter outburst that proved decisive.
Webster had his best game of the season against his former club who had sledged him online during the week
Webster said he was shocked when he learned his former club had fired a shot at him on social media after so many years as a loyal servant at the Breakers.
'I was pretty surprised by that to be honest after I've given my heart and soul to this club for many years,' he said.
'For them to personally go at me was a bit surprising, but I don't need extra motivation when it comes to basketball. This is a game I love and I'm a pro, and this is something I've done for a long time so I didn't need extra motivation.
'It was still definitely there in the back of my mind and before the game I really wanted to have a great performance, and come in here and get the win. It was a little bit of extra motivation for sure.'
