How Bob Turner’s dream for the Sydney Kings became a reality
BOB Turner can’t help but smile at the sight of Andrew Bogut headlining a Sydney Kings side coached by the Australian GOAT Andrew Gaze.
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BOB Turner can’t help but smile at the sight of Andrew Bogut headlining a Sydney Kings side coached by the Australian GOAT Andrew Gaze.
“Because I remember when people told me basketball wouldn’t work in Sydney,” Turner told The Saturday Telegraph.
“They said you are wasting your time even trying.”
The year was 1988 and Turner joined the recently formed Kings as head coach and marketing manager.
Following successful basketball and business stints with Newcastle and Canberra, he wanted hoops to thrive in the Harbour City.
Only problem, the Sydney sporting public didn’t share his vision.
“Everyone said, oh you are going to Sydney – good luck,” he said.
“I had a sports marketing business in Melbourne in ’88 and every time I came to Sydney to talk to the corporates or the media they would say the same thing.
“I would tell them go to any other city and basketball is huge but they’d always tell me the sport wasn’t big in Sydney.”
Thankfully Turner didn’t listen to the outside noise and he stayed committed to helping the Sydney Kings achieve success.
He introduced corporate box packages and promotions at the Kings, which he had developed in Canberra and on National tours.
As a result, crowds, sponsorship and income in the first year doubled to ensure the Kings became one of the NBL’s profitable franchises.
Turner also facilitated the Kings move from the 4,200 seat Homebush State Sports Centre to the 10,400 seat Sydney Entertainment Centre.
In 1992, the Kings sold out the 10,400 seat entertainment centre in all but one NBL game that season.
Over seven years with Turner at the helm as coach and marketer, the Kings averaged a profit in excess of $1 million and over the six seasons at the Entertainment Centre averaged crowds of over 80 per cent capacity.
Turner also played a vital role in bringing the Kings back following three seasons of termination between 2008/2010.
“We worked our tails off to help the Kings return,” he said.
“We did 500 school visits, donated 2000 balls to charities around the state and that makes me proud because it (Sydney) was so big to conquer.
“But thankfully Lorraine (Landon) and Mike (Wrublewski) were here and the three of us formed a trilogy that I don’t think will be ever repeated in Australian basketball history.
“We all had a great skillset, we all complemented each other and we were all determined for it to work.
“The most pleasing thing about the Kings is that I think they put basketball on the map in this city but also throughout Australia.
“Until Sydney cracked it, the sport hadn’t quite arrived.”
Today, the Kings have a stable place in the Sydney sporting market despite a number of setbacks.
On Sunday, the purple and gold will celebrate the franchise’s 30-year anniversary when they host Cairns at Qudos Bank Arena.
Turner will be in attendance and says he can’t wait to watch marquee man Bogut lead the current crop of Kings.
“It’s so good to have Andrew back in our league but I never thought it would happen,” he said.
“I mean, go back 10 or 15 years ago and one player from Australia playing in the NBA was unheard of.
“Now we are playing pre-season games against NBA teams and the US are coming out in August next year to play the Boomers.
“NBL boss Larry Kestelman has done an unbelievable job to get the game back on track.
“I think every ingredient is there, which I’ve always said.
“Australian basketball should be indebted to people like Mike Wrublewski and the Sydney Kings because he put the right ingredients in place for the sport to thrive.
“Now I’m watching from a far with pride that it is the Sydney Kings.”
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