'On court enforcer and one of the nicest guys you'd meet'

By Kings historian Matt McQuade 

Championship winner. Played more than 100 games with the Kings. A guy who gave his all every time he stepped on to the floor. An intimidating enforcer on the court, yet one of the nicest guys you could hope to meet outside those white lines. 

That’s Ben Knight, whose elevation to the Ring of Honour is a just reward for someone who was always a Sydney King to his core, albeit he could also be considered one of the NBL’s classic journeymen given how many teams he played for over his stellar career. 

But Sydney has always been home to BK. It started as a Sydney junior in the mid-1990s, when he became part of the Sydney SKY team (Sydney Kings Youth) and was briefly elevated to the senior program before leaving to head off on what became quite the NBL odyssey. 

When he eventually returned to the purple and gold in 2004, he had the onerous task of replacing a man who had won two championships and established himself as the greatest Sydney Kings player ever – one Matthew Nielsen. 

That challenge could have overwhelmed a lesser athlete, but not Ben Knight, who right from the start in the 2004/2005 season became a key member of the ballclub that would create history as the first team ever to win three straight NBL titles. 

In the 04/05 regular season he averaged 13.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and shot the ball at 52.2% from the field and 75.4% from the free throw line, but in the playoffs his efficiency went to another level as he compiled 12.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, while shooting eye-popping numbers of 55.1% from the field, 50% from three-point range and 85.7% from the charity stripe in 35 minutes per contest. 

And arguably his best game in purple and gold came in a clutch situation in game two of the semi-finals in Brisbane against the Bullets, when the home team looked to send the series back to a third game in Sydney only to be denied by a spectacular performance by Ben, who had 22 points on 9 of 12 from the field and added 14 rebounds and four assists in 44 minutes. 

In a loaded 2005/2006 squad, he maintained his outstanding play as part of a group that won a franchise-record 15 straight games in the regular season and went to their fourth consecutive grand final, before he left the Kings for more opportunities. 

But his time with Sydney wasn’t done. Ben courageously fought his way back from a shocking knee injury that he suffered the previous season as a member of the Melbourne Tigers to re-join the Kings in 2010 as part of the ‘Resurrection Squad’, to provide his brand of great veteran leadership to a new group. 

And he would become a productive member of the 2010/2011 squad, especially late in the campaign when he went on an incredible shooting tear, hitting an amazing 17 consecutive shots over a two-game period against Melbourne and Townsville. 

We’re not just talking about simple lay-ups here. Knight was knocking them down from everywhere on the floor, and NBL statisticians at the time could not recall anyone else in the then 32-year history of the National Basketball League – not even the likes of the great Andrew Gaze and Leroy Loggins – who had matched or even gone close to Ben’s phenomenal shooting streak. 

Later, he would become an assistant coach of the Kings, and once his time was done, he stayed connected to the club as a Sydney Kings Ambassador, with a brief to spread the message of the Sydney Kings throughout the Sydney community, something he did with aplomb. 

And he’s still involved with the Kings as a commentator and lead analyst on Cluch Radio for all Sydney Kings home games. 

As a player, he was one of the most underrated players in NBL history. He was tough, hard-nosed, intimidating and dependable. But he also had a wide-ranging skillset. He could hit the three, knock down the midrange jumper and play tough in the post. He was a strong rebounder, he could defend multiple positions, and was a better passer than given credit for. He was an outstanding teammate and a leader wherever he played. 

As a person, you won’t find many better. Generous, funny and thoroughly decent, he’s a man you’re proud to know. 

No matter what, Ben Knight is a Sydney boy, through and through, and a worthy recipient of this year’s Ring of Honour award. 

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