Kings spice up roster with Curry’s former understudy Ian Clark

Sydney have boosted their backcourt mid-season by securing the services of the man who was the back-up to Steph Curry during the Golden State Warriors’ record-breaking run.

NBA championship-winning guard Ian Clark will join the Kings for the rest of the season and make his NBL debut in Sunday’s home clash against Brisbane, just a day after jetting into the Harbour City.

The fifth-placed Kings have been scouring the globe for a suitable replacement for the injured RJ Hunter, and finally got their man. Clark, who made 330 appearances in his six-year NBA career, has been tasked with providing spark to a side that has been decimated by injuries.

Clark played a crucial role off the bench for one of the greatest teams of all time, 2016-17 NBA champions Golden State. The 30-year-old played alongside Kings part-owner Andrew Bogut in 2015 and was the back-up for legendary shooter Curry.

Clark – whose NBA career also included stints at the Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans – was part of the Warriors outfit that, on April 13, 2016, broke the single-season record with 73 wins, eclipsing the 72 set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

The following season Clark and the Warriors recorded a 4-1 series win over the Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA finals. The Warriors finished the playoffs with a 16-1 record, the best post-season winning percentage in NBA history.

Steph Curry and Ian Clark at the 2017 victory parade.Credit: Getty

“We are thrilled to have Ian joining our organisation,” Kings chief executive Chris Pongrass said.

“Recruiting in an unprecedented and quite uncertain free-agent market, we made sure we took a very measured approach to find the right player that will help this team win. Ian fits exactly what we were after.

“We were intent on bringing in another shooter and playmaker who can create for himself and others. The benefit of adding an experienced NBA veteran and championship mindset to our locker room cannot be overlooked.”

The versatile 191-centimetre guard, who last played for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association, had his first and only practice session with the Kings just hours after arriving on Saturday.

After passing his medical, he met his new teammates and got straight onto the practice floor in preparation for a vital clash against the Bullets.

The Kings have been decimated by injuries this year and they hope Clark will quickly find his feet in the league. A sweet shooter when at his best – he scored a career-high 36 points against San Antonio in March 2017 – Clark will join a team buoyed by its first road win of the season, a 92-87 win over South East Melbourne Phoenix during the week.

Clark, a Memphis native, had a decorated college career, leading Belmont University to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances (2011, 2012, 2013) and was last year inducted into the school’s hall of fame.

The Kings (7-7) tip off against the Bullets (5-7) at 3pm at Qudos Bank Arena.