<\/p>\n
The Sydney Kings have claimed the 2025-2026 NBL championship after a hard-fought season capped by a decisive series win, with Finals MVP Kendric Davis playing a central role in the title run. <\/p>\n
Speaking after the victory, Davis reflected on a challenging period earlier in the year in Adelaide and how stepping away from social media helped him reset, while crediting the Kings\u2019 environment, leadership and belief in him as key factors in their championship success.<\/p>\n
Watch live coverage of NBL and WNBL 2025-26 seasons with ESPN on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n \u201cIt takes a bold organisation and say, \u2018I\u2019m to work with you\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn life, relationships won\u2019t be great. You\u2019re going to go through phases in business, partners, whatever. Relationships don\u2019t be great. And you never want to be determined off one bad relationship. And that\u2019s what it felt like. And whether it was my fault, their fault, or it was both our fault, why it didn\u2019t work. just for me to get all the blame.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t even click on Instagram at the beginning of the year. You just see all the hateful things. And these guys just kept uplifting me. It was at a point where I hated Australian media. That\u2019s why I never came in here. That\u2019s why I stayed away. And I fell in love with basketball again because of these people right here on this table.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDuring this series, I got off social media. I didn\u2019t even have to look to know there\u2019s some hate going on. And it helped me. Guys like Deli, Xavier, they\u2019ve been through a lot. Deli played in an NBA final, so it\u2019s nothing he haven\u2019t seen. Xavier won before here, coach, been here forever. So they helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t find too many organisations that don\u2019t believe the hype and do their own research. And they did. And I\u2019m a loyalty guy. That meant the world to me.\u201d<\/p>\n The Kings secured their sixth championship in franchise history with the 113-101 win over the 36ers, as legendary head coach Brian Goorjian claimed a seventh title to go with his seven Coach of the Year awards. <\/p>\n \u201cToday I felt like I did before the bronze medal game, that sense of visualising a win,\u201d Goorjian said. <\/p>\n \u201cBut tonight I also thought about what it would feel like if we didn\u2019t get it done, with 20,000 people there. This is a team I love and care about deeply, and you want to share that moment when you\u2019re so close.\u201d<\/p>\n He admitted the external noise crept in before tip-off.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the way to the game, my daughter sent me something on Instagram. I hadn\u2019t looked at any media, and the first thing I saw was \u2018biggest choke in history\u2019. I just thought, this is crazy. There\u2019s been so much said throughout the series.\u201d<\/p>\n Goorjian said the pressure moments could have derailed them, but instead revealed the group\u2019s character.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re down six, Bryce makes a three-point play, there\u2019s some confusion defensively, and that can break you. But this group stayed together. To go on an 18-6 run at home and win the way we did, with everything that happened during the day, meant everything to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Sydney forward Xavier Cooks, now a three-time NBL champion, reflected on the team\u2019s journey after early-season struggles.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we started three and five and finished with, what, five losses?\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cAt every moment, someone stepped up and made a play.<\/p>\n \u201cDelly [Matthew Dellavedova] hits huge threes when people are doubting him. Makuach [Maluach] comes in during overtime and gets two massive steals. That\u2019s what makes this one special, everyone contributed.\u201d<\/p>\n Matthew Dellavedova, now both an NBA and NBL champion, echoed those sentiments and admitted relief was his first emotion.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just relieved, that\u2019s the main thing,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cBut I\u2019m really happy for this group. We faced a lot of adversity, the slow start, tough losses, injuries. The guys on the bench, their voices and energy all year, they\u2019ve been a massive part of this.\u201d<\/p>\n