King Cooks Reigns Supreme

He was the talk of the NBL in the pre-season, with many experts predicting him as the league’s MVP, and two rounds in, the buzz around Xavier Cooks remains at an all-time high.

Sydney’s number 10 has recorded games of 24, 23 and 23 points in the opening fortnight, averaging eight rebounds along the way. 

If the NBL MVP voting was done right now, Cooks would be right in the mix for the top gong, alongside teammate Derrick Walton Jr. and three-time winner, Bryce Cotton.

Of course, that buzz always creates rumours of moves overseas, but Cooks says he’s firmly focused on helping his team win back-to-back championships. 

"I'm not looking to leave the Sydney Kings for anything besides the NBA and even then, I love it here (in Sydney). This is my focus right now,” he said.

Cooks has become somewhat of a highlights reel in recent seasons, with his latest dunk against Melbourne United capturing the attention of the basketball world.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">XAVIER COOKS THAT IS RIDICULOUS ????<br><br>Get that on repeat <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SydneyKings</a> fans<br><br>Catch the action on 10 Peach, 10play and Kayo Freebies <a href="https://t.co/Bv0AATP6NW">pic.twitter.com/Bv0AATP6NW</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1578984492907495426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

But despite his incredible run of form, and his team’s seamless record, he's not content. 

"(The start of the season) hasn't really gone to plan but we've won three games so we're happy about that," Cooks said.

"We're still learning to play together. We've had a lot of turnovers.

"We're not perfect but you wouldn't expect for us to be perfect right now."

Sydney’s next test comes against the Cairns Taipans on Friday night, with another big crowd set to take over Qudos Bank Arena.