New Zealand men’s softball great Nathan Nukunuku, a four-time Men’s Softball World Championship winner -- who retired from the national team in 2019 after a 20-year international career -- was named amongst the 30 most influential Maori sports people of the last 30 years.
Hoooooooooooooome Run 💪 Nathan NUKUNUKU @NateNuks
— WBSC ⚾🥎 (@WBSC) June 22, 2019
🇳🇿 NZL 1-0 JPN Top 1st Inning#batflip # #wbscmenssoftball #worldchampionship @JSAteamJAPAN @NZSoftball pic.twitter.com/mHY7MUKOaj
"In the New Zealand Men's Softball side, we are very sticking to the Maori tradition, a lot of great Maori athletes, and we use that in our team," said Nukunuku to Maori TV.
Nukunuku was part of the Black Sox National Team that dominated the men’s softball world, playing six consecutive finals and winning the world championship in 2000, 2004, 2013 and 2017. He retired after the 2019 WBSC event, with a record-setting seven world championships played.
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The Māori Sports Awards 30-30 TV show counted down the top 30 Māori sports achievers since 1991 in a three-part series screening on Māori Television and Sky Sports.
