Sydney Kings
Encyclopedia
The Sydney Kings are a professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 team competing in the Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...

n National Basketball League
National Basketball League (Australasia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....

. They are the only team to date to win three consecutive championships in the NBL and currently sit third behind the Adelaide 36ers
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers are Adelaide's men's professional basketball team, established as the Adelaide City Eagles when they joined the National Basketball League in 1982. The Adelaide 36ers tally of four championships is equal with the Melbourne Tigers and second behind the Perth Wildcats as the most...

 and Melbourne Tigers
Melbourne Tigers
The Melbourne Tigers are Australia's oldest and most respected basketball team, established circa 1931 in a local church hall League. Entering the National Basketball League in 1984, they are now the only Melbourne team, after the South Dragons withdrew from the league.The Melbourne Tigers are the...

 (four each) two away from the record five wins by the Perth Wildcats
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. The Wildcats are the only team in the league representing the state of Western Australia and are based in the state capital, Perth...

. The Kings play their home games at the Sydney Entertainment Centre
Sydney Entertainment Centre
The Sydney Entertainment Centre is a multi-purpose venue, located in Haymarket, Sydney, Australia. It opened in May 1983, to replace Sydney Stadium, which had been demolished to make way for a new railway. The centre is currently owned by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, which administers...

 in Haymarket
Haymarket, New South Wales
Haymarket is a locality of Sydney's city centre, New South Wales, Australia. It is located at the southern end of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney....

, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

. Since the Kings moved to the SEC in 1990 the venue has had the nickname The Kingdome during Kings home games.

First 15 Years (1988 - 2002)

The Kings were formed from a merger between the West Sydney Westars and the Sydney Supersonics in 1988. The team adopted the purple-and-gold colours traditionally linked with the most winning team in the NBA during the 1980's, the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...



Before the merger, no Sydney-based teams had even made the final four in NBL competition. That changed in 1989, when the Kings finished fifth with a 15-9 record and advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-1 win over the Melbourne Tigers
Melbourne Tigers
The Melbourne Tigers are Australia's oldest and most respected basketball team, established circa 1931 in a local church hall League. Entering the National Basketball League in 1984, they are now the only Melbourne team, after the South Dragons withdrew from the league.The Melbourne Tigers are the...

. The Kings were then humiliated by the Canberra Cannons
Canberra Cannons
The Canberra Cannons were a basketball team competing in the Australian National Basketball League. They went into financial administration in 2003 and were relocated to Newcastle, where they became the Hunter Pirates...

 142-82.

Sydney did not make the playoffs again until 1992, when, led by imports Dwayne McClain
Dwayne McClain
Dwayne Eddie McClain is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Indiana Pacers in the 2nd round of the 1985 NBA Draft....

 (who was named to the All-NBL First Team
NBL (Australia) All NBL teams
-NBL First Teams:* 1980 Cal Stamp, Danny Morseu, Brian Banks, Herb McEachin, Ian Davies and Ken Richardson* 1981 Rocky Smith, Danny Morseu, Al Green, David Nelson and Owen Wells* 1982 George Morrow, James Crawford, Leroy Loggins, Phil Smyth and Larry Sengstock...

) and Ken McClary (ranked 5th in the league in rebounds
Rebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...

), the Kings finished second on the ladder. This time they advanced to the semi-finals and were beaten by the Tigers, who would eventually lose to the South-East Melbourne Magic in the championship series.

Over the next few years the Kings, despite the rich pockets of private owner Mike Wrublewski, earned a reputation for being chronic under-achievers. They failed to make the playoffs in 1993 or 1995, and were eliminated in the first round in 1994 and 1996. The team soon received the nickname of 'the Violet Crumble
Violet Crumble
Violet Crumble is an Australian chocolate bar manufactured in Campbellfield near Melbourne, Australia, by Nestlé. It is one of the best selling chocolate bars in Australia. Violet Crumble is also common in Hawaii and is available in other places, including Hong Kong.The bar is a crumbly sponge...

s', a popular chocolate sold in purple wrapper; the joke being that the team was wrapped in purple and shattered under pressure. 'The Cardiac Kings' was another tag, for the team's frequency in getting involved in close, thrilling games.

After their 1996 elimination, the Kings would not make the NBL playoffs again until 2001, when they made it to the first round before being eliminated by the Townsville Crocodiles
Townsville Crocodiles
The Townsville Crocodiles are a professional Australian basketball team based in Townsville, Queensland. They compete in the National Basketball League...

. Australian Olympic team guard Shane Heal
Shane Heal
Shane Douglas Heal is a retired Australia professional basketball player who last played with the Gold Coast Blaze of the National Basketball League, retiring at the end of the 2008/09 season. During his early years as a player, Heal played for the Brisbane Bullets and the Geelong Supercats...

 was recruited to lead the team, and he finished second in the league in scoring average, behind Olympic teammate Andrew Gaze
Andrew Gaze
Andrew Barry Casson Gaze is Australia's best known basketball player, and one of its most successful. He is considered as the greatest player in the history of the NBL....

. Heal finished third in scoring average in the 2002 season, but the Kings again failed to make the playoffs.

Championships Era (2003 - 2008)

For the 2002/03 season, Heal was joined by talented imports Chris Williams
Chris Williams (basketball)
Chris Williams is an American professional basketball player. A 1.99 m small forward, he led the 2004-05 Euroleague in steals with 2.8 per game playing for the Frankfurt Skyliners. He had won the German championship with Frankfurt in 2004. From 2005 to 2007 he played in Korea for Ulsan Mobis...

 and Kavossy Franklin
Kavossy Franklin
Kavossy Franklin is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Harbour Heat in the New Zealand National Basketball League....

. The team also welcomed the NBL's all-time leader in coaching victories, Brian Goorjian
Brian Goorjian
Brian Goorjian is an American-Australian basketball coach. He is the most successful coach in Australian basketball history...

. The Kings finished on top of the ladder with a 22-8 record, and swept the Perth Wildcats
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team competing in the National Basketball League. The Wildcats are the only team in the league representing the state of Western Australia and are based in the state capital, Perth...

 in the grand final series to claim their first-ever championship.

With Goorijan able to implement his defensive tactics which were so successful with the Magic and Titans, in addition to finally being able to purchase high quality superstar imports he was unable to attain due to financial constraints on the team in Melbourne, there seemed to be no stopping the Kings. This included players like league MVP Chris Williams and powerhouse players such as Rolan Roberts. In addition, many Victorian groomed players who had previously played for Goorijan such as Jason Smith and Brad Sheridan followed him north to Sydney.

Heal retired after the 2003 season, and C. J. Bruton was recruited to take his place, Jason Smith was signed after returning to the NBL after playing in Europe but unfortunately was injured 13 games into the season and was replaced by import Chris Carrawell
Chris Carrawell
Chris Carrawell is an American professional basketball player who was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2nd round of the 2000 NBA Draft. Carrawell attended high school at Cardinal Ritter College Prep and played collegiately at Duke University.-External links:**...

. The Kings started the 2003/04 season with 12 successive wins, and would eventually win their second championship after their best-of-five grand final series with crosstown rivals West Sydney
West Sydney Razorbacks
The Sydney Spirit were a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League...

 went down to the deciding fifth game. Kings player Matt Nielsen
Matthew Nielsen
Matthew "Matt" Peter Nielsen is an Australian professional basketball player.-Pro career:...

 would win the regular season and finals MVP
NBL (Australia) Most Valuable Player
At the conclusion of each NBL game, both coaches award votes to the best players from that game. Each coach has 10 votes to allocate, with no more than 5 to be awarded to one player by each coach....

 this year before leaving to play overseas.

The Kings again performed strongly in the 2004/05 season despite a disastrous early game against Townsville which saw C. J. Bruton out for weeks with an elbow injury, and a season ending torn ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...

 for rookie of the year candidate Luke Kendall
Luke Kendall
Luke Kendall is an Australian professional basketball player who last played for the Gold Coast Blaze in the National Basketball League. He plays in the ABA for the Nunawading Spectres.-Professional career:...

. The Kings managed without their starting backcourt until Bruton came back and they signed import forward Mark Sanford
Mark Sanford (basketball)
Mark Sanford February 7, 1976 in Dallas, Texas), is an American professional basketball player, formerly for the University of Washington, Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings, and New Jersey Nets....

, moving Jason Smith down to shooting guard. Arguably stronger than before the Kings finished on top of the ladder and crushed the Wollongong Hawks
Wollongong Hawks
The Wollongong Hawks are a team competing in Australia's National Basketball League , based in the New South Wales city of Wollongong. They won the NBL championship in 2001 and finished as runners-up in 2005 and 2010...

 in three games to become the first team in Australian league history to win three consecutive championships. Jason Smith won the finals MVP with many Kings fans thinking he also deserved the regular season award.

In the 2005-06 season, the Kings again finished atop the ladder and made it to the grand final. Import centre Rolan Roberts suffered a torn pectorial muscle imitating a Vince Carter
Vince Carter
Vincent Lamar "Vince" Carter is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns. He is a shooting guard who can also play small forward....

 dunk during the All Star dunk competition and was replaced by Sedric Webber. In the finals they were swept 3-0 by the Chris Anstey
Chris Anstey
Christopher John Anstey is a former Australian professional basketball player. At 7'0" his career included stints in the NBA, Russia and Spain. Anstey was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 1997 NBA Draft. He played for the Melbourne Tigers in the Australian NBL...

 led Melbourne Tigers
Melbourne Tigers
The Melbourne Tigers are Australia's oldest and most respected basketball team, established circa 1931 in a local church hall League. Entering the National Basketball League in 1984, they are now the only Melbourne team, after the South Dragons withdrew from the league.The Melbourne Tigers are the...

.

The club was then purchased for $2 million by the chairman of fuel technology company Firepower International, Tim Johnston. Johnston later purchased the team outright and sold a part share in 2007 to 31 year old Dorry Kordahi, CEO and owner of DKM, one of the fastest growing companies in Australia.

Club Demise (2008 - 2010)

On 24 March 2008, coach Brian Goorjian
Brian Goorjian
Brian Goorjian is an American-Australian basketball coach. He is the most successful coach in Australian basketball history...

 quit the club after a mutual agreement. http://au.sports.yahoo.com/news/article/-/43920 He was hired by the South Dragons
South Dragons
The South Dragons is a former team in the Australasian National Basketball League . They made their début in the 2006/07 season and played their final season in 2008/09...

 on 1 April. On 12 June 2008, the NBL terminated the Sydney team's licence as Firepower collapsed and the Kings were unable to pay player salaries.

Kings Return (2010 - present)

On Wednesday, 24 April 2010, it was formally announced that the Sydney Kings would be a part of the reformed NBL
National Basketball League (Australasia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....

 competition. The reformed league was the result of a merger between Basketball Australia
Basketball Australia
Basketball Australia is the governing and controlling body of basketball in Australia, responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels.Formed in 1939 the organisation was constituted in 1946...

 and the National Basketball League.

Andrew Bogut

Due to the 2011 NBA Lockout
2011 NBA lockout
The 2011 NBA lockout is the fourth lockout in the history of the National Basketball Association . The owners began the work stoppage at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2011. The main issues dividing the owners and the players are revenue sharing and the structure of the salary cap...

 Australia's highest profile basketballer, Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....

 centre
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...

 Andrew Bogut
Andrew Bogut
Andrew Michael Bogut is an Australian professional basketball player. He plays for the Milwaukee Bucks of the United States' National Basketball Association....

 was looking to play in the NBL during the 2011-12 season. He was linked with the Adelaide 36ers
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers are Adelaide's men's professional basketball team, established as the Adelaide City Eagles when they joined the National Basketball League in 1982. The Adelaide 36ers tally of four championships is equal with the Melbourne Tigers and second behind the Perth Wildcats as the most...

, Gold Coast Blaze
Gold Coast Blaze
The Gold Coast Blaze is an Australian professional basketball team which competes in the National Basketball League . The Blaze competed in their inaugural season in 2007/08. The club is based on the Gold Coast and joins two other NBL clubs competing from Queensland...

 and the Kings, who Bogut had supported when growing up in Australia. Sydney was favored to secure his services and Bogut ultimately chose to make his NBL debut with the Kings. Unfortunately the insurance to cover his remaining USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

 $39m contract with the Bucks couldn't be resolved leaving the Kings and NBL without services of Australia's highest profile player. It was expected that Bogut's signing would see an increase in Kings membership and league attendances. Despite not being able to play Bogut has since expressed interest in joining the Kings coaching staff during the lockout to help out the club and still helping to raise the NBL's profile, though as of Round 3 of the season this is yet to happen.

Current squad

Depth Chart

Pos. Starter Bench Bench Reserve
C
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...

Julian Khazzouh
Julian Khazzouh
Julian Khazzouh in an Australian professional basketball player who currently plays for the Sydney Kings in the National Basketball League...

 
Martin Iti
Martin Iti
Martin Iti is an Australian-born New Zealand professional basketball player currently representing the Sydney Kings in the Australian National Basketball League....

 
Tanner Kerry 
PF
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...

Jerai Grant  Graeme Dann 
SF
Small forward
The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...

Kevin Ratzsch  Anatoly Bose
Anatoly Bose
Anatoly Bose is a Kazakh-born, professional Australian basketball player, currently signed with the Sydney Kings of the NBL.-External links:*...

 
Alex Gynes
SG
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...

Ben Madgen  Luke Cooper  Tom Wright  Kevin White
PG
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...

Aaron Bruce  Luke Martin
Luke Martin
Luke Martin, is a professional basketball player and former international for the Australian Boomers. Martin spent three seasons in the Australian National squad from 2003–2005 and picked up several international caps...

 
Jarrad Weeks 

Honour roll

NBL Championships: 3 (2003, 2004, 2005)
NBL Finals Appearances: Sydney Supersonics - 2 (1983, 1986)
Fosters (West Sydney) Westars - 1 (1986)
Sydney Kings - 12 (1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
NBL Grand Final appearances: 5 (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008)
NBL Most Valuable Players: Owen Wells
Owen Wells (basketball)
Owen Wells was a basketball player for the Houston Rockets. A 6'7" forward, he attended the University of Detroit Mercy and went to English High School in Boston, Massachusetts...

 (1983 - Sydney Supersonics), Chris Williams
Chris Williams (basketball)
Chris Williams is an American professional basketball player. A 1.99 m small forward, he led the 2004-05 Euroleague in steals with 2.8 per game playing for the Frankfurt Skyliners. He had won the German championship with Frankfurt in 2004. From 2005 to 2007 he played in Korea for Ulsan Mobis...

 (2003), Matthew Nielsen
Matthew Nielsen
Matthew "Matt" Peter Nielsen is an Australian professional basketball player.-Pro career:...

 (2004)
NBL Grand Final MVPs: Chris Williams
Chris Williams (basketball)
Chris Williams is an American professional basketball player. A 1.99 m small forward, he led the 2004-05 Euroleague in steals with 2.8 per game playing for the Frankfurt Skyliners. He had won the German championship with Frankfurt in 2004. From 2005 to 2007 he played in Korea for Ulsan Mobis...

 (2003), Matthew Nielsen
Matthew Nielsen
Matthew "Matt" Peter Nielsen is an Australian professional basketball player.-Pro career:...

 (2004), Jason Smith (2005)
All-NBL First Team: Tiny Pinder (1985 - Sydney Supersonics), Dwayne McClain
Dwayne McClain
Dwayne Eddie McClain is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Indiana Pacers in the 2nd round of the 1985 NBA Draft....

 (1992), Leon Trimmingham (1994), Shane Heal
Shane Heal
Shane Douglas Heal is a retired Australia professional basketball player who last played with the Gold Coast Blaze of the National Basketball League, retiring at the end of the 2008/09 season. During his early years as a player, Heal played for the Brisbane Bullets and the Geelong Supercats...

 (2003), Chris Williams
Chris Williams (basketball)
Chris Williams is an American professional basketball player. A 1.99 m small forward, he led the 2004-05 Euroleague in steals with 2.8 per game playing for the Frankfurt Skyliners. He had won the German championship with Frankfurt in 2004. From 2005 to 2007 he played in Korea for Ulsan Mobis...

 (2003), Matthew Nielsen
Matthew Nielsen
Matthew "Matt" Peter Nielsen is an Australian professional basketball player.-Pro career:...

 (2004), Jason Smith (2005), CJ Bruton
CJ Bruton
Calvin Thomas Bruton Jr., commonly known by the name C. J. Bruton , is an American-Australian professional basketball player in the National Basketball League. Bruton moved to Australia at the age of three when his father Calvin Bruton, Sr...

 (2006), Mark Worthington
Mark Worthington
Mark Worthington is an Australian professional basketball player. He was named the NBL rookie of the year in 2006 and won gold with the Australian basketball team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games....

 (2008), Julian Khazzouh
Julian Khazzouh
Julian Khazzouh in an Australian professional basketball player who currently plays for the Sydney Kings in the National Basketball League...

 (2011)
NBL Coach of the Year: Robbie Cadee (1983 - Bankstown Bruins), Brian Goorjian
Brian Goorjian
Brian Goorjian is an American-Australian basketball coach. He is the most successful coach in Australian basketball history...

 (2008)
NBL Rookie of the Year: Matt Nielsen (1997), Derek Moore (2000), Travis Lane (2002), Gary Boodnikoff (2003), Mark Worthington
Mark Worthington
Mark Worthington is an Australian professional basketball player. He was named the NBL rookie of the year in 2006 and won gold with the Australian basketball team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games....

 (2006), Ben Madgen (2011)
NBL Best Defensive Player: Isaac Burton (1996)
NBL Best Sixth Man: Dontaye Draper
Dontaye Draper
Dontaye Dominic Draper is an American professional basketball player. He is a 5'11" tall point guard.-College career:...

 (2008)
Retired numbers #23 Shane Heal
Shane Heal
Shane Douglas Heal is a retired Australia professional basketball player who last played with the Gold Coast Blaze of the National Basketball League, retiring at the end of the 2008/09 season. During his early years as a player, Heal played for the Brisbane Bullets and the Geelong Supercats...


Source: www.nbl.com.au

External links

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