The Sydney Kings confirmed top spot with an 11th straight win, a 117-77 victory at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, and in doing so, locked in yet another chapter of Brian Goorjian's basketball odyssey. The numbers, though, barely do the thing justice.
At 72 years old, Goorjian is not just the most successful coach in Australian basketball history. He has coached over 850 games in the NBL, achieving a winning percentage of approximately 68.5% that ranks among the highest in league history. He has won six NBL championships across two with South East Melbourne Magic, three with the Sydney Kings and one with the South Dragons. This season, Kendric Davis put together an MVP-level season averaging 24.4 points and 6.7 assists per game under now-seven-time Coach of the Year Brian Goorjian to lead the Kings to the No. 1 seed.
Yet somewhere in Australian sport, his name doesn't ring with the clarity it should. Ask the average person on the street about Australian coaching greatness and you'll hear about cricket captains and AFL legends long before basketball. Even within the sport itself, there's a persistent sense that Goorjian's extraordinary run has been taken as read rather than celebrated.
The Kings won 20 of their past 24 games after a rocky start, and Goorjian said this group may rank among the proudest he has ever coached. The Brian Goorjian coached Kings defied the record books by becoming the second team in their franchise history to make the playoffs after starting the season with a 3-5 record. That kind of turnaround, built on a coach's ability to keep a team believing when circumstances suggested otherwise, should land him in every conversation about Australian sporting excellence.
Some argue that basketball's lower profile in Australia plays a role. The NBL operates outside the media ecosystem that flows naturally toward AFL, cricket, and rugby league. Goorjian has spent the bulk of his career in a sport that, despite genuine growth, has never commanded the national conversation the way other codes do. That's not his fault, but it's part of the reality.
Others point to his humility. Goorjian has long been known as a players' coach, holding strong connections to his athletes, and this year is no different with superstar guard Kendric Davis regularly speaking about how tight the pair's connection is. He speaks more about his players than himself. He deflects accolades. In an era of personal branding and high-profile ego, Goorjian has remained a craftsman focused on the work.
The question, though, isn't whether Goorjian deserves respect. His record, replayed across half a century, answers that conclusively. It's whether Australian sport is paying enough attention to even know what it's missing. A six-time NBL championship coach, Goorjian has now secured his 11th top spot finish, and as he enters the 2026 playoffs, there's every chance another championship sits within reach. By then, perhaps the conversation will finally catch up to the reality of what he's achieved.