Kings vs Hawks: Ep. 6 — LaMelo Ball, Spy-Gate and 'The Hawks' lose their Illawarra name

We continue diving deeper into one of Aussie hoops’ fiercest rivalries — Sydney vs Illawarra — picking things up as LaMelo Ball and his rookie of the year season in 2019 that propelled the Hawks into the global spotlight, setting NBL viewership and attendance records, while the Kings reload under Will Weaver and push for a championship in a season that ends in chaos.

Host Dan Boyce breaks down LaMelo’s viral debut, his back-to-back triple-doubles, and the impact of the injury to Aaron Brooks to Illawarra playoff hopes, before diving into the record-setting 17,514 crowd that packed Qudos Bank Arena for Hawks v Kings — and the off-court collapse that followed.

Then it’s onto Sydney’s rise to the top of the ladder, a Grand Final showdown with Perth, and how COVID ended it all.

Finally, we trace the fallout in Wollongong — including liquidation, $2 million in debt, and the NBL’s intervention — as Dorry Kordahi steps in to rescue the franchise and rebuild from the ground up.

Featuring game and stat breakdowns from across the season, this episode blends rivalry flashpoints, behind-the-scenes turmoil, and the moment the rivalry took centre stage for the entire basketball world.

Topics include:

2018 see's the arrival of Andrew Bogut (3:30) LaMelo Ball makes his NBL debut drives millions of eyeballs to the NBL (10:30) The record-breaking Qudos Bank Arena game (12:30) The Kings reload with Ware, Tate, Bogut and dominate the regular season at 20–8 (29:00) Sydney forfeit the Grand Final to Perth with COVID looming (29:00) Illawarra collapse due to over $2 million in debt and Dorry Kordahi and Brian Goorjian rebuild the Hawks (32:30) The NBL removes 'Illawarra' from the Hawks name (34:30) Brian Goorjian on swapping sides from the Kings to the Hawks (55:00) Spy-Gate - The Kings point the finger at Sydney for spying on their practices (1:13:00)

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Head to Aussie Hoopla to check out previous podcasts featuring:

Australian Basketball Legends: Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Mark Bradtke, David Andersen, Andrew Vlahov, Phil Smyth, CJ Bruton, Chris Anstey, Brett Maher, Glen Saville, Sam MacKinnon, John Rillie, Tony Ronaldson, Damian Martin, Brad Newley Current NBL Stars: Bryce Cotton, Chris Goulding, Xavier Cooks, Tyler Harvey, Dejan Vasiljevic, Jordan Hunter, Flynn Cameron, Keli Leaupepe, Jason Cadee, Mitch McCarron, Anthony Drmic, Luke Travers, Sam Froling, Jesse Wagstaff Our Finest Coaching Minds: Brian Goorjian, Barry Barnes, Joey Wright, Adrian Hurley, Adam Forde, Aaron Fearne, Rob Beveridge, Ian Stacker, Shawn Dennis, Dean Vickerman, Trevor Gleeson, Lindsey Gaze, Ken Cole, Will Weaver, Bruce Palmer NBA Stars Past & Present: Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova, Stephen Jackson, Jack McVeigh, Randy Livingston, Torrey Craig, Jack White, Acie Earl, Josh Childress, Reggie Smith, Todd Lichti, Ryan Broekhoff, Doug Overton The NBL's Greatest Imports: Leroy Loggins, Darryl McDonald, Ricky Grace, Cal Bruton, Derek Rucker, Leon Trimmingham, Scott Fisher, Lanard Copeland, Dwayne McClain, Darnell Mee, Shawn Redhage, Al Green, Steve Woodberry, Doug Overton, Kevin Lisch The Men In Control: Larry Kestelman, Mal Speed, Paul Maley, Vince Crivelli, Jeremy Loeliger, Chris Pongrass, Jeff Van Groningen, Bob Turner, Danny Mills

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