Bul Kuol: Timing is everything

Bul Kuol will embark on his Sydney Kings career in NBL25, but in another world, that might not have been the case.

The explosive wing has ended his time at the Cairns Taipans and has joined Brian Goorjian’s new project in the Harbour City, but had things gone a little differently, he could have been there last season playing under Mahmoud Abdelfattah.

Kuol has played the opening three seasons of his NBL career with the Taipans. The 27-year-old was recruited by Adam Forde’s side following four years with California Baptist and a season with Detroit Mercy, and has become one of the most uniquely skilled local talents in the competition.

That uniqueness of his skillset and ability made him one of the hottest free agency commodities this season, much like he was in NBL23. This time, though, he’s elected to move on to pastures new, and he’s detailed why now was the right time to take his talents to the Kings.

“Last year I let Sydney know I had to go back and finish in Cairns,” Kuol told NBL Media. “We lost to them in the semi-finals – for me, personally, I didn’t think it was right to lose to them and then join them.

“That made it difficult, and I communicated to them that as a competitor it didn’t make sense to me, and so I wanted to return to Cairns. Cairns is a place I value a lot and I wanted to give them a third opportunity, but I also let Sydney know I was only signing a one-year deal.

“Fordey, I’d been with him for three years and he’s invested a lot into the player I am today, he gave me a lot of opportunities, chances to grow, and so I think we had just reached the point where I had to take the next step and I had maxed out my time in Cairns.

“It was a pretty simple and straightforward conversation, we both understood what was next and he wished me the best.

“Sydney, from since I’ve been available, have always been there, working and trying to get me as part of the squad and part of the organisation.

“As soon as I was a free agent they had already put in the work and they wanted me to be a part of the organisation and it was something I was very interested in, and they just made it very possible and easy.”

Bul Kuol drives past Ousmane Dieng in his first season at the Taipans.

After two seasons at the pinnacle of the NBL, the Kings lost a handful of crucial pieces heading into NBL24 and couldn’t recreate the success of their back-to-back title triumphs in 2022 and 2023.  

Head coach Chase Buford was replaced by Abdelfattah, while Xavier Cooks and DJ Vasiljevic both departed the club to pursue overseas opportunities.

The side’s import trio all moved on for the second season in a row, and the returning Jaylen Adams was joined by DJ Hogg and Denzel Valentine as the side’s linchpins for the new campaign.

As a club that had built its recent title success on the calibre of local talent at its disposal, this roster build was a departure from the norm – and Kings CEO Chris Pongrass said this season’s roster is more akin to those title-winning sides.

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Kouat Noi, Shaun Bruce and Makuach Maluach have been re-signed to form the crux of Sydney’s bench unit, while Izayah Le’Afa has been added alongside a trio of collegiate talents in Keli Leaupepe, Tyler Robertson and Jason Spurgin to offer new weapons across the board.

Then, in the starting five, Kuol will almost certainly be joined by a returning Xavier Cooks, who is reportedly set to re-sign for the club, while Next Star Alex Toohey is expected to make huge strides forward in the upcoming campaign.

Above all that is the return of Brian Goorjian. The NBL super coach who masterminded a Kings three-peat in the early 2000s has returned to the club, and after almost 40 years of coaching experience, the 70-year-old has gone on record as saying he expects this Kings tenure to be his career swan song.

Every player who has signed for the Kings this season has alluded to the pull of Goorjian. That ability to be coached by one of Australia’s greatest ever basketball geniuses is strong. The six NBL titles, Olympic bronze medal, and six Coach of the Year awards speak louder than words ever could.

“I like transparency, I like genuineness, and of course Brian is someone who’s been a coach for years – longer than I’ve been alive,” Kuol said.

“His experience level is amazing and he’s someone that’s travelled the world and seen all different levels of basketball. Brian is well established, Sydney is a very established organisation with multiple championships, and I’m someone who’s hungry for a championship.

“Brian went straight to the point which was championship expectations. For me, it was a simple decision … I’m in an organisation that’s hungry for a championship, I’m hungry for a championship, so it made a lot of sense.”

The move to Sydney goes beyond that championship desire for Kuol. Now 27 years of age, he’s spent most of the past eight years away from his growing family in Canberra.

He’s been vocal about how much representing the South Sudanese national team means to his mother, and in a recent interview with SEN said representing the side “means the world” to his entire family.

He’s in the throes of moving from Canberra to Sydney ahead of NBL25, but is currently making the 280-kilometre journey between the two cities whilst he’s set up in the nation’s capital.

“I’m right next to Sydney, I’ve been driving up and down for the last week or so just trying to prepare my body, working out with the coaches, meeting the physios,” Kuol said.

“The only time I would usually get is maybe 2-3 weeks before I have to report in, but now I get to be around family frequently.

“They get to come to the games and watch me play, I get to come home when I have free time on weekends, they can come to Sydney and visit me and stay with me for a little bit.

“It’s amazing, I have so many nieces and nephews that were born while I was away. Between my two brothers and one sister I have 18 nieces and nephews, so there are a lot of them. I’ve missed a lot of their birthdays and a lot of time spent with them.

“It’s not just my experience anymore, they get to walk along with me, and I think that’s what I wanted. I wanted them to see me play, I wanted my career and what I’m doing in Sydney to impact them and inspire them. It’s a game-changer, it’s been a long, long time and I’m grateful for it.”