The sales pitch that helped Sydney Kings heavyweight secure Andrew Bogut’s signature
THE man who has lured global acts Beyoncé, Michael Jackson and Metallica to Sydney has revealed how he secured Andrew Bogut’s prized signature at the Kings.
Kings
Don't miss out on the headlines from Kings. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE man who has lured global acts Beyoncé, Michael Jackson and Metallica to Sydney has revealed the perfect sales pitch that secured Andrew Bogut’s prized signature at the Kings.
Harvey Lister, Chairman and Chief Executive AEG Ogden who own the Kings, is a 44-year veteran of the entertainment, sport and live theatre industries.
Lister has countless stories to tell, including the day he managed to get Jackson on the stage despite five New York lawyers and two accountants attempting to renegotiate the deal in the minutes prior to the concert.
In the end, an agreement was struck and the King of Pop delivered a performance for the ages.
So when Lister had one phone call to convince Bogut following two days of face-to-face talks by Kings Managing Director Jeff Van Groningen in Melbourne, he knew he couldn’t waste his words.
“We are in a business where we have to make 60-second decisions on major things,” Lister told The Daily Telegraph.
“Jeff was meeting with Andrew from Thursday last week and he came back to us with his reading on what Andrew’s requirements where.
DON’T STUFF UP: Gaze feeling Bogut pressure
NBL BOSS: Bogut signing just the beginning
“This allowed my young and very talented team to be able to quickly convert that into a term sheet with all our figures and details, which made my phone call with Andrew on the Saturday a lot easier.
“I made it clear the deal wasn’t just about basketball, it was also about life after it and Andrew was very open about his expectations.
“We determined they were reasonable and we were able to go back to him in a very short period of time and put something on paper and the deal was done on Sunday night.
“Fortunately with Andrew we weren’t in a position where he gave us five minutes to make the decision or leave it, but in the entertainment stage that is quite often the case.
“I think that is a sign of a principled businessman who also happens to be an extraordinary athlete.”
Lister also revealed Bogut’s Sydney deal includes the prospect of being involved in a host of business opportunities through AEG Ogden’s holding company called Sydney Arena Sports Investments.
INJURIES: Glaring hole in massive Bogut coup
These post-basketball ventures could include ownership of other sporting franchises, hosting or owning eSports video game competitions or teams.
To cash in on the Bogut coup Sydney officials are planning a blockbuster season-opener against defending champions Melbourne United at Qudos Bank Arena that will give the Kings the chance to join global acts like Muse and Metallica in the attendance record books.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal Kings management have contacted NBL boss Larry Kestelman requesting they host the season’s first match against United.
This would give the Kings the opportunity to shatter the NBL’s single-game attendance record set in 1999 when 17,143 spectators attended an NBL double-header between Sydney Kings vs Canberra and West Sydney vs Brisbane.
As of February 2017 this remains the largest attendance for any basketball game played in Australia.
But with Bogut on board, there is a big chance the Kings could attract a venue capacity crowd of 21,032.