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Sydney Kings set NBL attendance record

The Sydney Kings set a new attendance record for Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL) after 17,524 fans turned out for the team’s 92-87 win over the Illawarra Hawks at Qudos Bank Arena.

The result saw the Kings extend their league-leading mark to 9-1. The attendance topped the previous high of 17,143, which was set more than 20 years at the same arena.

Qudos Bank Arena opened ahead of the 2000 Sydney Olympics and has a capacity of 21,000.

Kings head coach Will Weaver said: “It’s big for our team, it’s big for our city, it’s big for our state, it’s big for our league.

“What we’ve all come here to try to achieve, it’s big. It’s a big symbol of what we’re trying to do, is get people excited about basketball, and help people that are already excited about basketball understand there are great things to watch here.”

Qudos Bank Arena has recently hosted acts such as Hugh Jackman, Fleetwood Mac, Shawn Mendes and Elton John. The venue is the largest indoor sports and entertainment arena in Australia.

Image: Philip Terry Graham