Sydney sign Robertson to three-year deal

The Sydney Kings are excited to unveil another young star has joined the club for the fast-approaching NBL25 season.

Tyler Robertson, who has spent the past five seasons in the United States college system with Eastern Washington (2019-21) and Portland (2021-23), has joined the Hoops Capital club on a three-year deal - with the final year being a team option.

The 23-year-old is the Kings' third signing of the NBL25 free agency, following Keli Leaupepe and Izayah Lea'afa, and joining the returning Shaun Bruce, Alex Toohey, Kouat Noi and Makuach Maluach on Brian Goorjian's squad.

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST FOR NBL25 MEMBERSHIPS NOW

"The opportunity to play for Goorj, who is obviously the national team coach, is an amazing opportunity and one I couldn't pass up," said Robertson, who can't wait to play in front of what he labels 'the best fans in the league' at Qudos Bank Arena.

"Further to that, already having a connection and familiarity to the Goorjian family [after playing for Kevin Goorjian alongside Leaupepe at Box Hill Senior Secondary College], along with the success Brian has had wherever he's coached, it just felt like that right for this stage of my career.

"After having a few conversations with Goorj and wanting to impact wherever I went right away, I just felt his system - which suit the way I like to play - was right.

"I'm excited to work alongside him and the rest of the club in helping them get back to where they should be and that's the top of the NBL summit."

Robertson started his hoops journey in Melbourne with the Warrandyte Venom and Dandenong Rangers before going on to represent Victoria Metropolitan from 2015 to 2018 - which led to two gold and one silver medals as captain of the side.

During this time, the 6'6 guard/forward was selected to play with Australia at the 2017  under 17s Oceania Championship and the 2018 under 18s Asia Cup, which resulted in two gold medals.

The next year resulted in another gold medal with Victoria at the under 20s Australian Championships, as well as more national honours - this time with the Australian Emus.

His Emus side finished ninth at the 2019 FIBA under 19s World Cup in Heraklion, Greece, with Robertson averaging four points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in seven games.

Adding to his on-court accolades in this country was his success with Box Hill Senior Secondary College, with his school winning four straight Victorian titles and an Australian crown in 2017.

This success secured him a scholarship in the US, which resulted in the following honours while with Eastern Washington; 2x Big Sky All-Academic Team and the top reserve in Big Sky Conference (the first Eagle to earn the honour).

This was followed by three seasons with the Pilots, which resulted in an All-WCC second-team selection (in his junior season) and All-WCC honourable mention (as a senior), after leading the team in scoring (15.6) and assists (5.3) and finishing second in rebounds (5.5).

Watch Tyler Robertson's hype video via the Sydney Kings' YouTube channel above. While you're there, be sure to hit subscribe, to ensure you never miss out on any of our great videos. 

With this impressive resume behind him, Robertson is confident he can be a valuable asset to the harbour city side.

"During my time in the US, the NBL has grown massively and became a viable option for all athletes finishing college - as to me, it's honestly the second-best league in the world," said Robertson, who's excited to play closer to friends and family after five years abroad.

"Having the opportunity to put myself in that environment, after my college career, where everyone is working towards a common goal is exciting.

"While everyone's attributes are slightly different, I feel I bring a high IQ to our group, as well as being a team-first player who's committed to winning.

"I know not every night isn't going to be the greatest offensively, but I know how to impact winning in other ways, such as rebounding, passing and creating mismatches.

"[On the flipside] I want to continue to grow as a defender, especially marking the smaller, quicker guards out there, while developing my game each and every time I step on the court - which I am confident will happen by being a sponge and absorbing as much as I can from my teammates on a daily basis."

READ MORE: HOOPS CAPITAL UNVEILS 2023-24 AWARD WINNERS

Kings coach Goorjian is thrilled to add another exciting young Australian player to his squad for the coming season.

"Tyler is a multi-purpose player, who we think is only just starting to scratch the surface of his huge potential," Goorjian said.

"He's multi-skilled and due to his height, can play numerous positions on the court - not only can he create but he can score in a variety of ways which is a great asset to have.

"He gives us a different look than other guys do on this team and as he's already 23 years old, we feel like he can come in and have an impact on winning straight away.

"We're very excited to have him and I have no doubt he can be a great player in this league for a long time."

Stay up to date with all the harbour city club's off-season news here.