Dellavedova delivers for Kings in superb season

One of the NBL’s greatest warriors, Matthew Dellavedova, says the ability to overcome the tough times of a poor season start now has the Sydney Kings firmly on track to claim the 2025/26 championship.

A four-time Olympian with 531 NBA games behind him at the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks and Sacramento Kings, Dellavedova signed a three-year deal with the Kings last April in one of Sydney’s biggest ever coups.

Dellavedova’s experience, knowledge and leadership skills have shone through for the Kings, especially after Sydney had only won three games from their first eight.

His strong relationship with Boomers Coach Brian Goorjian, and long-time friends Luc Longley and Andrew Bogut, made the transition from Melbourne United to Sydney a lot more comfortable.

“We felt we were making progress, but we didn’t get the results on the board,’’ Dellavedova said.

“The ability to continue to work hard even when you are not getting that immediate reward is a skill and a mindset that has helped us a lot throughout the year.

“To finally see it turn and start getting those rewards as a group felt good because we knew internally that we were on the right track, but we just weren’t getting the results.

“The thing Goorj kept talking to us was about making disappointment your friend.

“Everyone really bought into that and continued to train hard and to really find solutions on how to win games.

“That period taught the group that the only thing that matters is winning and that we can all achieve our goals if we win.

“Experiencing that early in the year was great because the only thing that mattered is winning, and it’s a lot more fun when you are winning."



At 34, Dellavedova’s 52 NBA playoff games experience will be invaluable for the Kings as they chase their sixth NBL title.

A championship ring would be another huge step in ‘Delly’ achieving his goals of representing Australia at both the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.

“The Kings are one of the biggest clubs in Australia. Growing up, I saw them win a lot of championships,’’ Dellavedova added.

“There is an expectation that you are going to be here competing for a championship every season.

“They wanted me to come in and lead by example and try to lead vocally but not try to do anything that I haven’t been doing previously in my career.

“There was a lot of belief in me that I can continue to get better and still play at a high level for a few years.

“There is a share belief in the group that we know we can do this rather than thinking we can do this, and that no matter what happens, we can fight through and win games.

“All that adversity throughout the year has made us tougher and brought us together."

Sydney Kings co-captain Xavier Cooks said Dellavedova has played such an important role in his first season at the club.

"He's probably the most professional pro I've ever been around. The way he takes care of his body, invests so much into it and the club, is the reason so many things get over the line,'' Cooks said.

“On the court, the man is an absolute leader. One of this team's strengths is playing, what we call freestyle basketball, but sometimes we get a little bit carried away.

"That's where Delly’s at his best, knowing the time and place when to play this style, when to play another style.”