Meet the 2022 Sydney Kings Ring of Honour Nominees

By Matt McQuade

This year’s Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings Ring of Honour nominees cover a broad spectrum of the history of this club, from the mid-to late 1990s, to the championship seasons of the early 2000s and the post-resurrection Kings of the 2010s.

And it’s an outstanding list of individuals who not only spent years in purple and gold, but also gave tremendous service to this great organisation, both on and off the court.

To a man, they were all great basketball players.

To a man, they were all – and still are – great leaders.

To a man, they did terrific work in the community.

To a man, they were great teammates.

And maybe most importantly – to a man, they are all great human beings.

I say that last point with some authority given how much I’ve had to do with each and every one of them over the years. Fundamentally, these are all terrific individuals who just happened to play basketball extremely well.

So, asking you, the fans, to vote for just one player on this list to join the inaugural member of the Ring of Honour, Tom Garlepp, is going to be a tough task without a doubt, because each one of these guys thoroughly deserves that recognition.

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And it’s important to note that the winner doesn’t necessarily need to be the best player, or the most successful of this group.

Ultimately, as a fan’s vote, it is about you voting for your favourite player on this list who you feel is most worthy.

Maybe it’s a guy you remember making a spectacular play (or several).

Maybe it’s a guy who always sacrificed himself for the betterment of the team.

Maybe it’s a guy who made a real impact in the community.

Or maybe it’s a just a guy who you really connected with as a Sydney King.

Whatever criteria you use, know this: the winner of the 2022 Brydens Lawyers Sydney Kings Ring of Honour award will have deserved this tremendous recognition.

So, without further ado, here is the list of nominees for the Ring of Honour in alphabetical order (by first name), including some brief biographical data to help you make your decision, as selected by a panel of judges that includes myself, Sydney Kings assistant coach Daniel Kickert, television commentator Jo Healy and lead basketball writer for News Corp and the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Matt Logue.

RING OF HONOUR NOMINEES

Ben Knight

Seasons played with Kings: 5 (1997; 2004-2006; 2010-2011; 2015-2016)

Games played with Kings: 106

Career totals with Kings: 1,030 points, 635 rebounds, 247 assists, 67 steals, 36 blocked shots, 2,763 minutes, 51.5% FG, 79.2% FT

NBL championships with Kings: 1 (2004/2005)

It’s interesting that although Ben Knight played for multiple clubs during his career, he is still recognised as a Sydney King more than anything else.

Ben’s connection to the Kings runs deep. A Sydney junior, he joined the purple and gold for one season in 1997 before a circuitous NBL journey finally brought him back for his hometown in time to help the Kings win their third straight title in 2004/2005, the mythical ‘threepeat’ – his 22-point, 14-rebound masterpiece in Game Two of the semi-final series against Brisbane one of his many highlights.

He returned to the Kings again in the club’s resurrection season of 2010/2011 before becoming an assistant coach with the purple and gold and came out of retirement in 2015/2016 to help the team out in one of their darkest times.

Purple and gold to the core, Ben later became a Sydney Kings Ambassador, helping to drive the message of Kings basketball throughout the Sydney community, and these days he’s the lead analyst for all Sydney Kings games on Cluch Radio.

One of the toughest individuals to ever pull on a Kings jersey, not to mention a thoroughly decent individual, Ben Knight was one of the greatest teammates anyone could hope to play alongside.

Ben Madgen

Seasons played with Kings: 5 (2010-2015)

Games played with Kings: 139

Career totals with Kings: 2,011 points, 455 rebounds, 278 assists, 97 steals, 19 blocked shots, 4,048 minutes, 42.9% FG, 35.0% 3PT FG, 80.1% FT

It’s remarkable that a young man out of Adelaide who went to Augusta State University in the United States, came to the Kings as a virtual unknown in 2010 and was nearly released before his first NBL season had ended would become one of the most celebrated Sydney Kings players.

‘Madge’, as he was universally known, was an outstanding perimeter shooter for the purple and gold, but most importantly emerged as one of this club’s greatest leaders, both on and off the court.

A former captain of the club, he won NBL Rookie of the Year in 2011 and had a brilliant season in 2012/13, winning the league scoring title, the NBL Most Improved Award and selection to the All-NBL First Team.

Such was the esteem in which he was held, Ben was also named to the Sydney Kings 25^th Anniversary Team in 2013 while still playing for the club.

However, it was Ben’s work in the community that was truly extraordinary. He was a genuine ‘King of the Kids’, establishing Madgen’s Message of Hope for sick children, making countless visits to hospitals to brighten someone’s day or organising tickets for those kids and their families so they could attend Sydney Kings games.

Always with a smile on his face, ‘Madge’ made time for anyone who approached for a chat, an autograph, or just a kind word. He was a great player, but a better human.

Brad Rosen

Seasons played with Kings: 5 (1995-1999)

Games played with Kings: 99

Career totals with Kings: 410 points, 105 rebounds, 149 assists, 48 steals, 2 blocked shots, 1,262 minutes, 46.5% FG, 73.7% FT

Brad ‘Lightning’ Rosen is one of those stories that Hollywood loves – a kid with a dream who made that dream into a reality.

From his time as a junior at the City of Sydney association where he marvelled at the exploits of the Sydney Supersonics, to becoming a fan of the Kings from the time the team played its first season in 1988, Brad wanted nothing more than to pull on a Sydney Kings jersey.

And that, he did, in 1995, after starring with the Kings development team Sydney SKY (Sydney Kings Youth). Thanks to blazing speed, a tireless work ethic and intense competitive nature, Brad quickly became a quality backup guard and a fan favourite.

He even had a group of fans at the old Sydney Entertainment Centre create the ‘Brad Rosen Stand’ and a website dedicated to his exploits, such was his popularity.

Brad stayed with the Kings despite being recruited to Victoria by supercoach Brian Goorjian, became a team captain in 1998 and even starred in his own Tooheys TV commercial before his premature retirement from the game as a player, but his connection to the Kings didn’t stop there, as he became an assistant coach to the mighty ‘Goorj’ in 2003 and helped the purple and gold win their first two NBL championships.

These days, Brad is an outstanding commentator on NBL games, as he has been since 2013, but there’s no question this remarkable human being, one of the kindest, most generous individuals there is, remains a Sydney King, through and through.

Bruce Bolden

Seasons played with Kings: 4 (1995-1998)

Games played with Kings: 110

Career totals with Kings: 1,629 points, 922 rebounds, 213 assists, 127 steals, 79 blocked shots, 3,737 minutes, 53.1% FG, 40.7% 3PT FG, 75.6% FT

Bruce Bolden is not only one of the greatest players in the history of the National Basketball League and a man who was a brilliant contributor to the Sydney Kings, he’s also a fascinating dichotomy.

On court, he was tough, hard, and intimidating. A look from Bruce alone could stop veteran NBL players in their tracks. Yet off court, you would not meet a more decent human being, a true gentleman who engaged with the community in an exemplary manner.

Recruited to the Kings in 1995, he was part of one of the most entertaining squads in franchise history, the legendary 1996 team featuring the likes of Shane ‘The Hammer’ Heal, Isaac ‘Ice’ Burton and Melvin Thomas.

And Bruce still features in the Top Ten all-time in Sydney Kings history in field goal percentage, free throws made, free throws attempted, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, total rebounds, and career rebounds per game.

Later on, he became the lead analyst for Sydney Kings Radio for several years, and continues to work with kids through his successful basketball clinics.

Tough as they come, yet a man who everyone loves – that’s Bruce ‘Buffy’ Bolden.

Jason Smith

Seasons played with Kings: 5 (2003-2008)

Games played with Kings: 156

Career totals with Kings: 2,357 points, 801 rebounds, 372 assists, 199 steals, 91 blocked shots, 5,327 minutes, 44.9% FG, 39.0% FT, 73.3% FT

NBL championships with Kings: 2 (2003/2004, 2004/2005)

Such was the regard in which Jason Smith was held as a leader, his nickname at the Sydney Kings was ‘The Captain’.

Indeed, on and off the floor, there have been few people in NBL history who were better leaders.

Jason was an inspiration to everyone he came in contact with. He gave everything he had each time he stepped on a basketball floor and opposing teams knew they were in for a hell of a battle whenever they had to face him. He led by his deeds as well as his words. His work ethic was remarkable.

Jason’s on-court exploits with the Kings have few equals. He won two NBL championships and captained the legendary ‘threepeat’ team in 2004/2005, was the NBL Grand Final MVP in 2005, named to the All-NBL First Team in 2005 and the All-NBL Second Team in 2006, and he played in three NBL Grand Final Series.

He finished his stellar career in purple and gold as all-time Top Ten in Sydney Kings’ history in games played, points, field goals made, field goals attempted, three-point field goals made, three-point field goals attempted, three-point field goal percentage, defensive rebounds, total rebounds, assists, steals, blocked shots and minutes, was named both as a starter and the captain of the Sydney Kings 25th Anniversary Team in 2013 and is a member of the Sydney Kings Wall of Legends.

Off the floor, he is one of nature’s gentlemen – one of the classiest individuals ever to wear the Sydney Kings’ uniform.

Leon Trimmingham

Seasons played with Kings: 2 (1994-1995)

Games played with Kings: 55

Career totals with Kings: 1,509 points, 600 rebounds, 82 assists, 94 steals, 119 blocked shots, 2,133 minutes, 56.3% FG, 78.3% FT

It says a lot that even to this day, Leon Trimmingham is spoken about in almost reverential terms by long-time fans of the Sydney Kings, even though he only played two seasons in the Harbour City.

Why is that?

Well, for starters, this 6’5”, undersized power forward, who came from the US Virgin Islands, loved cricket and whose mother owned a KFC franchise at one time, burst on to the scene as a complete unknown in 1994 and immediately started terrorising the NBL as one of the greatest high-flying acts this competition has ever known.

Nicknamed ‘Above the Rim’, that’s exactly where Leon played the game – in fact, way above the rim. He was a sky-walker, a human highlight reel, a dunking machine, who played the game with such verve and joy that fans couldn’t get enough of him.

Leon’s number 42 jersey was everywhere in the Kingdome in those days and watching him was like watching a movie thriller – you were always just waiting for the moment when he would make you jump out of your seat with excitement thanks to some explosive, gravity-defying play. He was must-watch viewing, to say the very least.

Off court, he was just as beloved. He attended hundreds of clinics across New South Wales during his short time here, even making an impression on a young man in Dubbo named Matt Logue, who would grow up to be a great basketball writer.

Kids and parents alike loved Leon Trimmingham – a humble superstar who was an outstanding representative of the Sydney Kings.

VOTING CLOSES ON APRIL 7

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