Goorjian: The Kings are not defending anything

Sydney owns its sixth championship forever. Brian Goorjian says NBL27 is not about protecting it, but about pursuing another one.‍

Goorj did not wait long after the final siren to begin building the next Sydney Kings team. In reality, he barely waited at all.

While players, and our fans celebrated the club’s sixth NBL championship, the work of shaping NBL27 had already begun. Roster decisions, changing roles and the availability of new players meant Goorj spent close to two months assembling the next version of the Kings before he allowed himself to properly take in what the previous group had achieved.

That moment finally came in Las Vegas. Goorj was with the New York Knicks during NBA Summer League, surrounded by friends from another championship organisation, when the two achievements briefly met.

“We clashed fists together and said, ‘The Kings won and the Knicks won,’ and it gave me an opportunity to really take it in,” Goorj said.

The reflection was brief. His message for the season ahead is already clear: Sydney is not defending the NBL26 championship.

“We won that championship ring, and it’s ours,” he said. “We wear that ring around our heart for the rest of our lives. We share something and nobody can have that. It’s about the pursuit of a championship.”

That distinction has shaped the roster. The core returns, while four new players arrived with their own ambitions to establish themselves professionally, chase national-team or NBA opportunities, and experience a championship of their own.

Harry Wessels adds the interior presence Goorj believes Sydney needed. Andrew Carr replaces some of the versatility lost with Tim Soares. Will Johnston brings local toughness and pace, while Jayden Stone was targeted during the Championship Series as a player capable of operating alongside Kendric Davis.

Goorj knows the competition is deeper and Sydney’s schedule will be unforgiving. What he has not seen is complacency.

“I don’t sense any staleness,” he said. “There’s a real energy about this group.”

The sixth banner will belong to Sydney forever. The pursuit of the seventh starts from zero.

See Goorj's new-look Kings begin that pursuit against Cairns at Afterpay Arena on Sunday 20 September.

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