Farewell and thank you Kicks

Written by Matt McQuade for Kings Media 

 

There was no big emotional speech before the game.

Nothing on social media.

His teammates didn’t even know before the season-closing game against the Brisbane Bullets at Qudos Bank Arena last Saturday night – well, not really.

But when Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings team captain Daniel Kickert got up to speak at the Sydney Kings Awards dinner earlier this week, he casually dropped this nugget.

“I’ve played the last game in my professional basketball career.”

That was it. No reflections on what has been an outstanding career. No memories to recount. Just a simple statement that caught almost everyone in the room unaware.

But then again, we shouldn’t have been surprised.

Throughout his time in the sport, he’s been as understated as they come; a straight-forward guy who tells it like he sees it and doesn’t make much of a fuss about anything.

For ‘Kicks’, it’s been all about the game, nothing more, nothing less.

“I hadn’t really talked about it,” he said.

“I mean there have been discussions with guys, just talk really. I wasn’t hiding it, but there wasn’t an announcement or anything across the board saying “hey guys, I’m playing my last game”. It wasn’t anything like that.”

“It was more just chatting with the fellas, more than just making a big deal about it.”

“It’s a bit of an awkward thing, I think. I just didn’t want any hoo-ha.”

But retirement is something that’s been on his mind for a while.

“After I did my ankle in the preseason, it never got back close to where I wanted it to be,” Daniel said.

“Once you start to feel that, and the difficulty in getting back to a level that I was happy playing at, it was not realistically going to happen again for me.”

“Around that time, I started to think that I would try and play as much as I could, get the ankle as right as possible and get in the best possible shape as I could, but I knew it was something that was going to constantly bother me and I was never going to get to a level that I would have been happy playing at.”

The nature of Daniel’s retirement announcement, even though it fits who he is as a person, undersells his contribution to basketball to a large degree.

From 2002 and his arrival in the consciousness of basketball fans when he went to noted Australian basketball factory St Marys College and dominated for four seasons, to the time he finished up a career that included representing his country, playing in the highest levels in Europe and then turning into arguably the greatest three-point shooting big man the NBL has ever produced; Daniel Kickert has made a significant impact.

There are so many basketball-related stories along the way, of course. But for the 38-year-old, it’s the journey that has been the real highlight.

“I’m just really proud of the life I got to lead, more than anything else,” Daniel reflected.

“I’ve been able to travel the world and play at a high level for a long time.”

“Living in Europe for eight years, just the lifestyle and living in different countries – you get looked after financially so you get to make some fun decisions about where you’re travelling and what you are doing.”

“And first going off to college for four years – some people can’t deal with that but I was very fortunate to be in a great situation with a great college, and I met my wife there.”

“I went to Europe at a time where there were no iPhones, no FaceTime and a lot of difficulty getting the internet – I look back and I’m just proud that I made those decisions to go and live in some tough situations, be away from family and friends, and kind of just grind it out before I got to return home.”

There have been numerous people along the way who moulded ‘Kicks’ into the player he became. In many ways, he was a trailblazer and a model for the perimeter-shooting big man that has become so prevalent in today’s three-point focused game – the so-called ‘stretch five’.

Unsurprisingly, his main influences through his journey included three people whose player development ability has always been considered world class.

“When I got out of juniors and went to the A.I.S. (Australian Institute of Sport), it was Marty Clarke and Frank Arsego,” Kickert said.

“They really narrowed my focus into understanding what it would take to be a Boomer and a professional for a long period of time – how good I could actually become.”

“Probably the biggest influence on my whole career came from my time in college and my college coach Randy Bennett at St Marys. As soon as I got there, he wanted to develop my game further and my three-point shot.”

“So, I got to play my way and develop further aspects of my game. I was a four man there and played my entire college career as a four; whereas in A.I.S. and juniors I was just a centre, just playing the short corners and elbows and being one-dimensional in that sense. But in college I was able to work on things like handling the ball and shooting.”

“Playing at college for me was really the thing that made my career. It gave me the extra tools to have a successful professional career, and they served me well. As I got older it was those things that kept me in the game for longer.”

Finally heading back to Australia after his college and European stints, he played two seasons in Melbourne and two in Brisbane, a four year stretch that saw him enter an exclusive club of one as the only guy ever to shoot better than 50% from the field, 40% from three-point range and 90% from the free throw line in a single NBL season – and he did that twice – which led to his recruitment to the purple and gold prior to the 2018/19 NBL campaign.

And as far as the Sydney Kings are concerned, he made a big difference.

“Kickert’s a scheme-bender,” said highly respected NBL analyst and broadcaster Liam Santamaria.

“It’s just so unique to be his size, have his basketball IQ and be the best three-point shooter in the league.”

“His mere presence on the court bends the defence and has caused all kinds of headaches for opposition coaches.”

Indeed, there have been few more talented bigs in the history of the franchise. Daniel played 90 games for the Kings over three seasons and went to the playoffs twice, reaching the Grand Final in NBL20. He averaged 7.8 points per game for Sydney and shot the ball at 48.7% from the field, 43.4% from three-point range and 87.6% from the foul line.

And he finishes his career in purple and gold second all-time in career three-point percentage for the club, joining a Top Ten list that includes luminaries like CJ Bruton, Steve Carfino and Jason Smith.

But those are all just numbers, and don’t adequately define what ‘Kicks’ has meant to the team over his three seasons. On and off the court he’s been a leader, a great communicator, an intelligent defender and very unselfish offensively, boasting a vast skillset at that end of the floor.

“He has been the ultimate professional during my two years at the club, both as a leader and a player on the court,” Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings CEO Chris Pongrass said.

“He’s been an extension of the coaching staff; he’s assisted in developing guys like ‘Jordi’ (Jordan Hunter), the knowledge he brings – he’s been an important resource to me and the entire organisation this year.”

“Through the challenges we’ve faced, he’s the guy you want on your team and to be in the trenches with, because he’s real, he’s transparent, he’s competitive and he’s a natural leader.”

“That’s the experience I’ve had with him, but looking at his entire career, he’s built a phenomenal career here in Australia, overseas and had success with the Boomers. He’ll go down as one of the great Australian players to play the game. It has been a pleasure to have him in the purple and gold and look forward to his involvement with the club moving forward.”

And as far as ‘Kicks’ is concerned, the time he has spent at the Sydney Kings has been well worthwhile. The memories and good feelings are many.

“Basketball-wise, it’s probably the team we had and the run we had last year,” Daniel said.

“Being in first place from start to finish was pretty special, and to see the success of the guys we had on that team like JT (Jae’Sean Tate) and what he went on to do; Didi (Louzada) and obviously Will (Weaver) and then ‘Bogues’ (Andrew Bogut) in his final year – there’s a lot of really cool stories there.”

“That was a pretty special year for the city and for the club and its ownership. We really put our stamp on basketball in Sydney; setting a new attendance record of 17,514 and just the whole environment I think was a big turning point for the club. That stands out.”

“Last year’s team and what we put in place was a big reason why we had success this year and why we were so resilient. We were able to work through and fight through a lot of troubles that we had because we put our roots down last year, and that’s what I’m really proud of – being here and being part of that and seeing a turning point for the Kings. I think it’s just up and up from here.”

“I’m also very proud of this year’s team and how we stuck together through easily the worst run of any team that I’ve been on in my whole career. From Covid, to Will leaving, to a mess of injuries, living away from home – all of it.”

Now that his professional playing career is done, what’s next for Daniel?

“First and foremost, it’s spending time with my wife and family and giving them as much appreciation as I can for all the sacrifices they have made for me,” ‘Kicks’ said.

“Especially my wife. For the last 18 years she’s been by my side, everywhere since my college days and my professional career. I owe her as much as I can now in the next few months.”

“I said this the other day – people sometimes overlook the significant others, and when an athlete hangs them up, it creates a void in their lives as well. So, I’ll fill that up as much as I can at home now.”

“Other than that, I’m looking to stay involved with the Kings. We’re working that out now and what form that will take, but I’ll be staying with the club in some capacity and I’m excited by that.”

The Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings have been fortunate that Daniel Kickert stopped by for a while. He’ll be missed on the court, but there is no doubt he will be very successful in the next phase of his life.

And importantly, the fact that such an intelligent, experienced athlete won’t be lost to the club and the sport of basketball is a big win for the purple and gold.

However, on the court, it’s farewell, ‘Kicks’.

You did yourself and your family proud.