He prefers to shy away from the plaudits and accolades in basketball circles, but tonight the spotlight rests solely on former Bethlehem student Mika Vukona.

The Skycity Breakers' top of the table clash with the Perth Wildcats will see the 31-year-old equal Breakers stalwart Paul Henare's club record of 250 appearances.

Mika Vukona looks to attack against South Korea at Tauranga's ASB Arean earlier this year. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

Vukona has also made 141 consecutive appearances in the Breakers singlet – the most by a Breakers player.

Since 2000, Vukona has been an imposing figure on New Zealand's basketball courts, playing for the Nelson Giants, Manawatu Jets and Harbour Heat as well as being part of the Breakers ANBL Championship three peat between 2011 and 2013.

And according to the Breakers camp, if you want to know a little about Vukona, talk to anyone except the man himself.

The club says it is the mark of the man that he is reticent to talk about himself and his considerable achievements in the game.

These achievements are not restricted to the Breakers, with Vukona winning a championship with the South Dragons (Australia) as well as his heroics with the Tall Blacks.

Breakers assistant coach Paul Henare, the man whose record Vukona is likely to surpass, says the current captain epitomizes what it is to be a Breaker.

Henare played his 250th and final game for the club in the decider of the club's first Championship winning season, showing perfect timing and a touch of theatre on which to bow out on.

'He is a humble, hard-working family man who is a winner on the court and very humble and all round nice guy off the floor,” says Henare.

'I am honoured that it will be Mika that goes past my record. I first had anything to do with him when he was 13 or 14 in a camp in Tauranga and I have pretty much been alongside or against him ever since.

For Henare, it is Mika's mental and physical strength that marks him as one of the strongest competitors he has ever seen.

A moment sticking in Henare's mind is from the 2011 championship winning match against Perth where with a grade two tear in a knee ligament, Vukona dominated with double digit boards and had a massive impact on the game.

'He gets in the opposition's heads,” says Henare, 'and that is where so much of that respect comes from - that amazing attitude and ability to push through mental and physical barriers to do anything for the team.”

In terms of statistics, Vukona has the most wins by a Breaker with 139, leads the club in terms of rebounds with 1697 and sits in the top five in the club's history for points, steals, blocks, and assists.