Kings prepare for another bumper Freeway Series crowd

Ahead of the three-year anniversary of the NBL's biggest-ever, the Sydney Kings are expecting another bumper crowd at Qudos Bank Arena for their showdown with arch-rivals Illawarra.

On November 17, 2019, 17,514 fans flocked to the Kingdom to watch the Kings' Freeway Series fixture with the Hawks, headlined by now-NBA point guard LaMelo Ball.

"The LaMelo game was fun," said Kings guard Shaun Bruce, who was part of the record-breaking fixture.

"It was a weird feeling being in Qudos and the crowd being very neutral in a lot of ways.

"Having a big name like that come to Sydney, obviously brought out a lot of basketball fans, not necessarily NBL fans which led to the huge crowd."

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That mark broke the previous record of 17,143, which was for a double-header featuring West Sydney Razorbacks vs Brisbane Bullets and Sydney Kings vs Canberra Cannons in Sydney in October 1999.

"It was very special [to be part of that game] - whenever you’re a part of history like that it is," Horsham product Bruce said.

"The NBL has been around for more than 40 years now, so to be a part of the biggest crowd in league history is something I’ll remember for a long time.

"We’ve had a few more games now where we have opened up the top level like that night but that was probably the first night I saw that and felt how special it is to be in front of a sellout at Qudos."

While the crowd might not reach that lofty mark, Bruce can't wait to step on the court for round seven's Adrian Hurley Cup clash - a series the Kings lead 1-0 after winning game one in Wollongong in October.

"It [the rivalry] has been fun to be a part of," said Bruce, who recently chalked up his 100th game in Kings colours.

"I know these games against the Hawks mean a lot to our fans and also our owner Paul Smith, who has roots down there.

"I'm looking forward to adding to it [the rivalry] on Sunday.

"They are desperate for a win and I’ve got no doubt they are talking about getting their season back on track with a big win against us on the road.

"It will be another good challenge for us knowing that’s what the situation is and we want to protect our home floor."

Speaking of the home court, Bruce has been impressed by the support his defending champs have received thus far in NBL23.

"Our crowds to start the season have been phenomenal," he said.

"The last win we had against Cairns, they played a big part in creating the environment for us to feed off and to come back into that game.

"They play a huge part in making what we do special and stepping out onto the floor at Qudos is always fun knowing they are going to be loud and behind us."

Tip-off for Sunday's game is 4pm AEDT.