Record crowds see Kings set new franchise marks

As successful as the Sydney Kings have been on the court, thanks to a 19-7 record, the club has had just as strong of a campaign off it.

Sunday's five-point victory against South East Melbourne, in front of the sixth-largest crowd in franchise history (13, 273), helped break two season-long attendance records.

During the NBL23 season, Qudos Bank Arena hosted 144,307 fans, eclipsing the previous club record of 140,168, set during a 2019-20 season when LaMelo Ball’s visit with the Illawarra Hawks attracted more than 17,000 to a single game.

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It has also set a new average mark of 10,307 fans per game, thanks to six straight games in excess of 11,500 fans - including a NBL23 high of 14,232 against New Zealand in round 16.

“This season has been an amazing run for the club," said Kings chairman and co-owner Paul Smith.

“Last season, in winning the championship, we said that the Sydney Kings love Sydney and Sydney loves the Sydney Kings.

“We didn’t think Sydney loved the Kings this much - thank you.”

Kings CEO Chris Pongrass echoed the thoughts of Smith, saying it had been nothing short of an amazing campaign for the Hoops Capital club.

"We've been extremely proud of everything the club has been able to achieve this year," Pongrass said.

"Chase [Buford] and the team have done a fantastic job on the court, playing an attractive and winning style of basketball, while our whole staff have worked tirelessly to create entertaining game days, that have made the Kings the hottest ticket in town.

"This is only the start and we can't wait to keep building in the future, to help solidify the Kings as the premier club in the NBL.

"It's an exciting time for basketball in Sydney and we can't wait to see all our loyal fans over the coming weeks as we attempt to secure our second straight championship."

It's not just Smith and Pongrass who are appreciative of the crowds, with Derrick Walton Jr, who labelled them the team's sixth man, and Xavier Cooks emphasising how important they've been in helping the Kings secure a top-two finish in NBL23.

"We've been feeding off the crowd lately and they've been doing a great job [bringing that energy]," NBL23 MVP nominee Cooks said on Sunday's NBL Crossover.

Following Friday's match at Adelaide and Sunday's game at Perth, the reigning champions' Hungry Jack's NBL Finals Series is slated to run from February 15-20 (TBC) - with the harbour city side locked in to host series two of the playoffs, taking on the winner of the sudden death play-in game.

To ensure you don't miss any of the action at Qudos Bank Arena, from 9am, Sunday, February 5, full-season members will first be offered the chance to purchase their same seats (with this pre-sale ending at 7am Tuesday, February 7).

Then from 11am on February 7, all Kings members including partial season members will be able to purchase all other remaining tickets.

From 4pm Tuesday, February 7, the general public will be able to access the remaining tickets for the Kings' finals charge.

All information, including tickets, for our Hungry Jacks Finals Series tilt, can be found here.