Kings' quest for NBL three-peat starts in Wollongong

The Sydney Kings will start their quest for their second-ever three-peat on the road in NBL24 when they travel down to Wollongong to face NSW rivals, the Illawarra Hawks.

The Saturday, September 30 showdown between The Freeway Series opponents, tipping off at 8pm, is one of the marquee fixtures during the NBL's exciting opening round - starting with Throwdown XXI between Melbourne United and South East Melbourne Phoenix on Thursday, September 28 at John Cain Arena.

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"Next season is shaping up to be a massive one for everyone at the Hoops Capital club, especially as the Kings chase a third straight title under Chase Buford," Hoops Capital CEO Sean Nicholls said.

"We started our NBL23 championship tilt with a win down in Wollongong and will be looking to tip off this campaign this same way, against one of our main rivals, Illawarra."

This will be the first of four match-ups between the Adrian Hurley Cup rivals - a trophy that Chase Buford's side won in NBL23 thanks to a 4-0 winning record against Jacob Jackomas' outfit.

Other games on the round one slate include Brisbane vs Adelaide, Perth vs Tasmania (both September 29), New Zealand vs Cairns (September 30), Adelaide vs Melbourne and South East Melbourne vs Perth (both October 1).

A number of the Hoops Capital side's other key fixtures of the NBL24 schedule, including the Christmas night showdown with Illawarra and grand final replay dates with New Zealand, have already been announced ahead of all the Kings' 28 games being unveiled on Thursday, April 20.

Keep an eye on the Kings' website and social channels for more NBL24 schedule announcements over the coming days.