Stephens to bring the noise with Kings for 200th time

Over the better part of the past decade, Eric Stephens' incredible voice has become synonymous with the Sydney Kings.

From the club's first-ever title to the Hoops Capital club's fourth championship in NBL23 and many more unforgettable moments for the purple and gold between, Stephens has been involved with the club on 199 occasions - with 158 of them being behind the microphone and bringing the energy as the Kings' court announcer.

And now, when Chase Buford's side takes on Cairns in game three of the Playoff Semi-Final series on Sunday at Qudos Bank Arena, it'll mark his 200th game involved with the harbour city club.

"It [the milestone] means that, in a small way, I'm a part of the legacy and story of the Sydney Kings," Stephens said.

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"I have so much respect for all those who have worked endless hours building the club up from nothing - Mike, Bob and Lorraine, I'm looking at you.

"So much love for those who have volunteered and worked late nights behind the scenes, worn a lion suit, danced, documented the history, and entertained or held the mic - once a King, always a King."

Stephens wasn't always on the sideline calling the games though, originally starting his time with the club as the MC - in the crowd with fans and on the court with contestants - during the 2002-03 season (a role he did on 41 occasions).

"I had just arrived in Australia the year before from Portland, Oregon and one of the first people I met when I arrived was Adam Howarth, who is now the head of acquisition at Fox Sports," he said.

"He mentioned that the Kings were looking for talent and pointed me to Bob Turner.

"That season was an incredible ride, finishing with the team's first-ever championship - talk about good timing.

"I was also fortunate enough to do the next year as well when the Kings went back-to-back, the Sydney Entertainment Centre was absolutely rocking.

"After those seasons, I did some court announcing for local teams.

"Brad Dalton, a Kings legend, became a friend after coaching under him at St. Augustines, asked me to announce a game at Manly that featured the Kings against St. Mary's.

"After the game, David Wolf, the GM of the Kings, asked if I was interested in the role of court announcer for them that season.

"That was the 2011-12 season, and although I didn't realise it at the time, that one season would be the start of something extraordinary at the Kings and for my international announcing career."

Those worldwide court announcing opportunities include two Portland Trail Blazers pre-season games at the Rose Garden, the 2019 FIBA Men's World Cup in China (including an interview with Kobe Bryant), the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and the 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup in Sydney - all which have allowed him to grow and evolve his role with the Kings

"It [my position] has evolved so many times, but the most significant thing would be the seasons when the team struggled," said Stephens, who also is the Norths Bears NBL1 East court announcer.

"As a court announcer, you have to get clever with your calls to get fans to be involved.

"That's where the "they're working for you, are you workin' for them" call came from.

"Just a little reminder that, as fans, we have work to do.

"Another example is the integrated approach the team developed for me over the last couple of years - more voiceover on videos thanks to Sam Tolhurst, voicing radio ads thanks to Michael Johnstone and MC duties pre and post-game thanks to Chris Pongrass."

During those times, Stephens has called countless Kings legends and historic moments.

“I love them all [the players], but some of my favourites [to call] are DJ [Dejan Vasiljevic], with the uplift on the 'Va' in Vasiljevic making it unique,” he said.

“Extending the Zaaaay in Xavier Cooks is starting to sound like a thing and I miss calling Jerrell Martin because of the way the "Rellllll'' rolled off the tongue. 

“In terms of games that stand out, there are so many. 

“Taking it all the way back to game five of the 2003-04 championship, I was the MC at that time, and I was up in the crowd on the mic with the fan club chanting, 'Ooo, ahh, Ebi Ere', who was one of many players who stepped up that night to give the Kings our back-to-back championship. 

“And then, there was last season and getting the chip after 17 years was incredible. 

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“Specifically, after the win, I was on stage in the foyer of Qudos Bank Arena, sharing the moment with about 1,000 fans as we waited for the boys to come down the escalators to greet everyone.

“ Interviewing them in that situation and seeing the pure joy on everyone's faces was the best. 

“Beyond specifics, it is the friendships with the fans, players and everyone at Hoops Capital (especially the game night team) that mean the most. 

“The organisation, from top to bottom, feels like a family - that championship created a bond between us all that will endure for years to come.”

And now the Kings need just four more wins to add to that legacy and win a fifth NBL title, which he says is a big reason why the club has been attracting record numbers to match in NBL23.

“How incredible have the fans been? They've been coming out in big numbers all season long,” said Stephens, who explained that the Kings fans are the best in the league due to their high basketball IQs as well as their high expectations, which pushes the players, the coaches, the ownership and the court announcer to be better every night. 

“In all my 200 games, these are the best numbers we've had. 

“More than that, they have all been loud and engaged at every game.

“There are two types of connections I have with the fans - the first is the connection with the entire venue of Kings fans during the game. 

“Getting them involved, giving them a smile, sometimes at the expense of our opponents, I'll admit. 

“The other is the connection with fans one-on-one - kids come up during half-time and just want to talk out game situations or tell me about their favourite player.

“Others, reach out as I'm making my way around the venue and tell me their story.

“Both types are special, but getting to know the fans is the best. 

“After 200 games, there are members who go right back to my first game and I love that.”

It is because of those loyal fans, as well as owners Paul Smith, Andrew Bogut, Luc Longley and Robyn Denholm, CEO Chris Pongrass and coach Buford, that Stephens has complete faith that the Kings can secure back-to-back titles for just the second time in their history.

“Performance on the floor starts from the top and grows in the hallways and in the locker room,” he said.

“They didn't just build a team, they built an organisation focused on culture.”

Tickets to the Kings' do-or-die clash with Cairns are available here.