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Noi proud to represent his family during Indigenous Round

01 Nov
3 mins read
"I’ve always loved Indigenous Round but it's more sentimental to me now after learning the history more through my partner and obviously having two Indigenous girls."

This weekend's Indigenous Round means plenty to countless people across the Australian basketball community.

One in particular from the Hoops Capital family who is extremely proud of the initiative is Sydney Kings forward Kouat Noi.

While the 27-year-old was born in Sudan and has South Sudanese heritage, his partner Cody and two children are both Indigenous - which makes the Kings' two games during round six extremely special.

"I’ve always loved Indigenous Round but it's more sentimental to me now after learning the history more through my partner and obviously having two Indigenous girls," he said.

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"I know they’re the next generation on making a change for Sudanese and Aboriginal people."

The Kings will debut their Stewart James-designed jerseys on Friday night at Illawarra before wearing them again on Sunday, during the home fixture against New Zealand - where the club will celebrate its Indigenous culture and heritage with numerous activations at Qudos Bank Arena.

As such, the Texas Christian University alum acknowledges important rounds like this are for the community at large.

"[As a whole] Although I’m not Indigenous, I’ve seen how the people of this land are treated and [I believe] it's not fair - if I can use my status to stand up for what is right, I will," the Newcastle product said.

"I take nothing for granted, being Sudanese I don’t see any difference between us and Aboriginal people.

"My kids will grow up in both worlds, I know they’re the ones that will carry my legacy."

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This round six fixture represents game two of the Adrian Hurley Cup in NBL24, with the Kings taking the honours in game one.

Forward Noi, who had 23 points in the season-opening victory, is confident his team can make it 2-0 in this season's Freeway Series, after a strong week on the training court.

"It [Friday's match] starts with what we do during practice leading into the game, including learning from the defensive lapses we’ve had previous games and be confident shooting the ball," he said.

The Kings' game with the Hawks tips off at 7.30pm AEDT on Friday (broadcast on ESPN via Kayo Sports), before taking on the Breakers - in a NBL23 grand final replay - on Sunday from 3.450pm - with tickets still available from here.

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