ROUND 1 PREVIEW – KINGS VS TAIPANS

The raising of a championship banner is a very special time in the life of any sporting organisation.

It’s a time to celebrate the extraordinary achievement of a team.

It’s for the players, the coaches, the support staff and everyone in the front office and ownership group to put a stamp on the incredible work they all did in achieving the ultimate.

And for the Sydney Kings, perhaps most importantly, it’s a chance for the best fans in the National Basketball League to acknowledge one of the greatest seasons in the history of this remarkable franchise.

As team captain Xavier Cooks said at the conclusion of a Championship Series Game Five in NBL26 that will live long in the memory:

“We don’t win that game without the crowd.”

“I don’t think people understand the influence a crowd can have on a game; the momentum, a team on the road feeling like everyone’s against you – we don’t get that done tonight without 18,000 people in the crowd yelling, screaming and making it a great experience.”

X had it spot on. That mind-blowing NBL record crowd of 18,589 created a giant purple and gold tidal wave that swept the Adelaide 36ers right out of Afterpay Arena in what was, at the very least, one of the greatest playoff games in the annals of the competition – highlighted by an atmosphere created by the fans that was nothing short of epic.

So, the NBL26 championship banner belongs to the fans as much as anyone – not just those in attendance for that historic afternoon but every single person of the more than 220,000 individuals who attended a Sydney Kings home game last season.

This Sunday, just before the Kings take to the floor at Afterpay Arena to take on the Cairns Taipans in the NBL27 season opener, the team will raise its sixth championship banner to the rafters in what will be an emotional ceremony.

And it will be for the fans.

Once the festivities have concluded, the NBL27 squad – a new-look group in some ways – will turn their attention to a Taipans unit that has struggled the past couple of years but tends to play the Kings very hard – a perfect example coming at this very point last season when Cairns stunned Sydney 77-74 at Afterpay Arena in the NBL26 season opener.

There will accordingly be no taking the Snakes lightly, particularly when you consider they have done a solid job recruiting in the offseason and approach this new campaign as potentially one of the league’s big improvers.

Start with the existing group led by star forward Jack McVeigh, one of the competition’s most lethal forwards who can drop 30 on any given night if given no respect.

Then you’ve got a deadly perimeter shooter in Reyne Smith who can light up the scoreboard in a hurry and Kyrin Galloway, whose length, athleticism and ability to stretch the floor makes him a dangerous commodity.

Add to that group an incoming class led by athletic big man Keanu Pinder and featuring two new imports in point guard Jaylon Brown and wing Malique Lewis, not to mention an old friend in former King Shaun Bruce, another ex-King in Jonah Bolden and a hyped Next Star in Luke Paul and you have a ballclub that could cause Sydney some headaches come 5pm Sunday afternoon.

Of course, the flipside to that is that the defending NBL champions have not so much rebuilt as retooled during the offseason, putting together an exciting squad that boasts enormous potential.

The biggest story of course is the return of the magnificent Kendric Davis, the NBL26 Championship Series MVP and All-NBL First Teamer who put together one of the greatest individual seasons in franchise history in 2025/2026 and has come back determined to take this team to back-to-back titles.

Then you have a superb cohort of veterans with the great Xavier Cooks, the mighty Matthew Dellavedova and a superstar import in Torrey Craig leading the way.

New import Andrew Carr and returning Kings Makuach Maluach, Robertson and Jason Spurgin will provide excellent depth.

And there’s a group of talented rookies who will make an impact for the purple and gold this season, from big man Harry Wessels to athletic swingman Jayden Stone and explosive guard Will Johnston.

Coached by none other than the G.O.A.T.himself, the legendary Brian Goorjian, looking for his eighth NBL crown and fifth with the Kings.

It all sets up for what should be a memorable Sunday afternoon at Afterpay Arena.

The Kings are ready to celebrate a championship and start a new campaign off in the right way.

This one is for the fans. You are all part of the journey.

WHO‍

Sydney Kings vs. Cairns Taipans

WHEN

Sunday 20 September, 5:00pm AEST tipoff

NBL Championship banner raising ceremony from 4:30pm AEST

LOCATION

Afterpay Arena, doors open 3:30pm

TICKETS

On sale via Ticketek

THE PLAYERS

KINGS

Projected Starters: Kendric Davis; Matthew Dellavedova; Torrey Craig; Xavier Cooks; Andrew Carr

Bench: Makuach Maluach; Tyler Robertson, Jason Spurgin, Harry Wessels, Jayden Stone, Will Johnston; Peitok Machar; Bailey Hanson

TAIPANS

Projected Starters: Jaylon Brown; Reyne Smith; Malique Lewis; Jack McVeigh; Keanu Pinder

Bench: Kyrin Galloway, Sunday Dech, Luke Paul, Jonah Bolden, Walter Brown, Shaun Bruce, Brody Nunn, Luca Yates

THE COACHES

KINGS

Brian Goorjian (9^th season withKings, record with Kings 210-86, NBL career record 598-275, 7 NBLchampionships)

TAIPANS

Adam Forde (5^th season withCairns, record with Cairns 58-86, NBL career record 77-110)

NBL26 REGULAR SEASON SERIES

Kings won2-1

KEY MATCHUP

XavierCooks vs Jack McVeigh

McVeigh is a difficult matchup for anyone in the league with his sometimes unorthodox offensive game – he has a way of making something out of nothing at times and has a variety of ways to get his shot off, plus he has extreme range well beyond the three-point line. He’ll rebound and defend, and is an absolute talisman for that Taipans lineup. Cooks is rapidly approaching legendary status as one of the greatest players ever towear purple and gold, with three titles to his name and featuring in the top 10 in franchise history in an astounding 15 categories, including points, rebounds, assists and blocked shots. His tremendous athleticism, length, undeniable work ethic and outstanding leadership make him crucial to the Kings’ fortunes, and he’s elite at both ends of the floor. This individual duel will go a fair way in determining the outcome on Sunday.

THE QUESTIONS

Can the Kings get off to a fast start and control the tempo?

Will Makuach Maluach show he is ready to take another step in his impressive development?

HISTORY

All-time Head-to-Head

87 games played; Kings lead 64-23

In Sydney

44 games played; Kings lead 36-8

At Afterpay Arena

24 games played; Kings lead 21-3

DID YOU KNOW?

Banner days have been very good to the purple and gold over the years. The Sydney Kings have raised a championship banner on five previous occasions, and on those game days are a perfect 5-0, with victories over Perth in 2003, the Melbourne Tigers in 2004, the Wollongong Hawks in 2005, Brisbane in 2022 and Adelaide in 2023.