Goorj praises Kings for controlling their 'destiny'

Sydney Kings Head Coach Brian Goorjian has lavished praise on his team for their ability to control their own ‘destiny’ after a horrid start to the season.

After starting the season with a record of three wins and five losses, the Kings attracted plenty of criticism on the back off a tough season prior.

The Kings were crowned the NBL 2025/26 regular season champions on Friday night after a dominant 117-77 away win over the last-placed Brisbane Bullets.

It was the Kings’ 11th straight victory, giving them a 24-9 record after a rocky start to the season.

After overcoming a first quarter seven-point deficit against the Bullets, the Kings defence kicked in with some strong energy from the bench as the hot hand of major MVP contender Kendric Davis saw Sydney take a 58-50 lead at the main break.

The Kings then pulled away for a commanding 30 point lead heading into the final quarter, allowing Goorjian to rest Davis and giving his bench players more valuable game time moments.

With FIBA and the new NBL play-in system now coming into play, the Kings won’t appear on court again for at least three weeks when they host an automatic semi-final at Qudos Bank Arena.

“We can do a lot during that three-week break but it’s going to be hard to simulate (a) game. Getting those guys game minutes (tonight) was a priority coming in,’’ Goorjian said post-match.

“It was the way we started, and the way the game was. The ball was in Kendric’s hands a lot, he kept us in the thing, so I’m glad that we got an opportunity to get a little bit of a cushion and get those guys quality minutes and some opportunities to make plays.”

Following the victory, Goorjian spoke of his pride for the team and the journey they shared to finish on top.

“We were getting at the start of the year a lot of negativity about the team, even in the venue there was a negative vibe to it, kind of a little boo,’’ Goorjian added.

“I know when we lost to Tassie when we were 16 up in the fourth quarter and they are dancing underneath our basket, we kind of get booed off the floor.

“Moving from there to 18,000 people and doing what we did to get here (to the top).

“We said destiny is in our hands. If you look at it, we have to win 11 in a row. If we lose a game and Adelaide wins tonight, we don’t get top spot. We’ve got to win 14 out of 16 to finish in the top two and get an automatic semi-final bid.

“(It’s) quite an achievement for a team coming into this (season) that wasn’t picked in the top four, and a lot of negativity around it after how we finished the season last year.

“I showered them with (praise). I’m very, very proud of this. Now there is another challenge, a new day starting tomorrow.

“(But) right now, finishing on top of the ladder off the season we had last year, and to where were in the first 10 games of the year, is something special.”