The Qudos Bank Arena is a spectacle. As the lights dim on the seating bowl, the basketball court in the centre is illuminated, resembling a grand stage. Here, Sydney Kings players are meticulously honing their skills in the spotlight, preparing for the NBL Grand Final series opener this Saturday. Amidst this intense preparation, a figure clad in black moves with an almost predatory grace around the perimeter of the court.
This is Brian Goorjian, the head coach of the Kings. He pauses occasionally to observe a play or to demonstrate a technique, but his energy is ceaseless. A man in his seventies, Goorjian’s relentless drive is legendary. If he were fitted with a GPS tracker, his activity levels would undoubtedly rival, if not surpass, those of many of his players.
The Energiser of the Kings
“He’s the youngest 72-year-old in the world,” attests Kings star Xavier Cooks. “He walks in here bursting with energy every single day, and we truly feed off that. There are days, perhaps six months into the season on a chilly Wednesday, when everyone’s feeling the fatigue. But ‘Goorj’ is invariably the one bringing the energy, and we draw strength from that.”
Goorjian’s distinct Californian accent permeates the arena, and his attentive players absorb every syllable. It would be foolish not to. He is not merely the most decorated coach in the annals of Australian basketball, boasting an impressive collection of six NBL championship rings and counting, but he has also recently ascended to the status of the “winningest” coach across any professional sport in Australia.
With the seating bowl darkened, the basketball court in the middle of Qudos Bank Arena is lit up like a stage. And as Sydney Kings players train hard in the light, ahead of the opening game of the NBL Grand Final series on that stage on Saturday, a man in black paces around it all.
His 587th career victory in the NBL, achieved during the Kings’ regular-season win against Adelaide in January, saw him surpass the legendary NRL coach Wayne Bennett (who then had 586 wins from 962 games). This achievement cemented Goorjian’s place as the most successful coach in a national competition considered to be at the elite level. Trailing them on the list are Craig Bellamy, another prominent league coach, and VFL/AFL icon Jock McHale.
A Legacy Forged Over Decades
Goorjian’s coaching journey commenced in 1988, spanning five distinct decades. Within the NBL, he has guided six different teams across 25 seasons, a testament to his enduring impact. His teams have reached the playoffs in an astounding 23 of those seasons, appearing in the grand final on 13 occasions. His championship tally stands at six, including a remarkable three-peat with the Kings from 2003 to 2005.
This year, Goorjian earned a record seventh NBL Coach of the Year award, an accolade named in honour of Lindsay Gaze, the esteemed father of Australian basketball great Andrew Gaze, and a former Olympian as both a player and coach.
“He’s got more rings than Liberace, mate,” quips Kings co-owner Paul Smith, highlighting the sheer volume of Goorjian’s championship success.
Smith elaborates on the significance of these numbers: “Look, the numbers don’t lie. It’s a numbers game, ultimately. You can argue that there’s more games played in basketball and all this stuff, but let’s also not forget Goorj took 10 years off from the NBL. Let’s not forget he took a hiatus. Imagine what he could have racked up by now.”
“He’s the youngest 72-year-old in the world,” Kings star Xavier Cooks says. “He comes in here full of energy every day, and we really fuel off that.
“Some days, we’ll be six months into the season on a Wednesday. It’s a cold day. Everyone’s a little bit tired, but ‘Goorj’ will be the one bringing the energy, and we fuel off that.”
A Career of Constant Evolution
Much like the dynamic nature of a typical training day, Goorjian’s career has been characterised by continuous movement and adaptation. After arriving in Australia as a player in 1975, he began his coaching apprenticeship with the Ballarat Miners. His NBL coaching career officially kicked off in 1988 with the Eastside Spectres. He then led the South-East Melbourne Magic to two championship titles before a stint with the Titans and a period of sustained dominance with the Sydney Kings from 2002 to 2008. Following a return to the south, he guided the Dragons from the bottom of the ladder to a championship in 2009, only for the club to subsequently fold. This led Goorjian to pursue opportunities overseas.
For a decade, Goorjian coached in Asia, navigating various club and national team roles across China, Japan, and the Philippines. His international experience culminated in his return to Australia to coach the Boomers at the 2020 Olympics, marking his third Olympic Games appearance. Under his guidance, the team finally secured an elusive Olympic medal. Subsequently, he returned to coach the Illawarra Hawks before, in 2024, the coaching legend rejoined the Sydney Kings on a three-year contract.
Goorjian attributes his remarkable longevity and sustained success to this constant exposure to change and challenge.
In a coaching career that began in 1988 and spans five decades, Goorjian has coached six teams in 25 seasons in the NBL, making the playoffs in 23 of them, the grand final on 13 occasions, and has won six championships, including a three-peat with the Kings in 2003-05.
This year, Goorjian won a record seventh NBL coach of the year award, a gong named after Lindsay Gaze, the father of Aussie great Andrew, and a former Olympian as both a player and coach.
The Mindset of a Master Coach
“I’ve constantly been in learning environments. I’ve constantly been in change and been uncomfortable and been under pressure,” Goorjian explained at Qudos Bank Arena. “I have enjoyed it. I know you’ll know when you wake up and say, ‘Man, it’s not for me any more’. But I haven’t felt that way all the way through.”
Speaking after he had finally ceased his characteristic pacing, Goorjian revealed that this deliberate action was a conscious choice for a coach in his seventies.
“I love being around the young, and not only mentally, but the physical side of it is probably one of the biggest challenges at my age, because you can’t be sitting down and not being able to move,” he stated. “I’m not Boy Wonder or anything, but there’s been a definite mindset to being able to move and stay on my toes and not be dragging, in fairness to them.”
As exemplified by the extended career of 76-year-old Wayne Bennett, enduring success in professional sport necessitates continuous reinvention. The modern athlete is a fundamentally different proposition compared to their counterparts from the 1980s and 1990s, according to Paul Smith. Both Goorjian and Bennett have demonstrated an exceptional ability to connect with and inspire these evolving generations of athletes.
Should Goorjian lead the Kings to an NBL championship in the coming weeks, he will draw level with Bennett’s record of seven premiership rings.
The question of age loomed large around Goorjian when the Kings finished fifth last season and experienced a slow start to the current one, with a 3-5 record. However, after finding their rhythm mid-season, they have since hit a purple patch, currently riding a remarkable 13-game winning streak.
Goorjian exhibits no signs of deceleration, neither physically nor mentally. His emotional engagement also remains undimmed.
Last month, the 72-year-old was fined $775 following a heated courtside exchange with South East Melbourne Phoenix player Owen Foxwell, who had become entangled with star Kings guard Kendric Davis. Microphones captured Goorjian directing a barrage of expletives at Foxwell, to the extent that referees deemed his “legend’s leeway” to be exhausted, resulting in a technical foul.
Like any given training day, Goorjian’s career has been one of constant movement.
After moving to Australia as a player in 1975 and then cutting his teeth as a coach at the Ballarat Miners, the former Melbourne Tiger started coaching in the NBL in 1988 with the Eastside Spectres. He led the South-East Melbourne Magic to two titles, before a stint at the Titans and a dominant era with Sydney from 2002-08. After returning south and taking the Dragons from the bottom of the ladder to a championship in 2009, the club folded, and Goorjian moved overseas.
Goorjian coached in Asia for a decade, again moving between clubs and national team roles in China, Japan, and the Philippines, before returning to Australia to coach the Boomers at the 2020 Olympics; his third Games. The team finally won an elusive medal under Goorjian, who subsequently moved back to coach Illawarra, and in 2024, the legend returned to Sydney on a three-year deal.
The Intangibles of Success
So, what is the secret to Goorjian’s sustained excellence?
“It’s the darkest art – I don’t think he even knows why he’s that good,” Smith muses.
“He’s instinctive. He’s stubborn. He’s committed. And he coaches what’s in front of him, type of thing. There’s nothing formulaic. He figures out what works with a group and when he finds that magic, then he just keeps farming it.
“He’s got more rings than Liberace. The numbers don’t lie.”
“I’ve constantly been in learning environments. I’ve constantly been in change and been uncomfortable and been under pressure,” he said at Qudos Bank Arena. “I have enjoyed it. I know you’ll know when you wake up and say, ‘Man, it’s not for me any more’. But I haven’t felt all the way through.”
Talking after he’d finally stopped pacing, Goorjian explained it was a deliberate action as a coach his 70s.
“I love being around the young, and not only mentally, but the physical side of it is probably one of the biggest challenges at my age, because you can’t be sitting down and not being able to move,” he said. “I’m not Boy Wonder or anything, but there’s been a definite mindset to being able to move and stay on my toes and not be dragging, in fairness to them.”
As seen with 76-year-old Bennett’s career, longevity – and sustained success – in professional sport has also required constant re-invention. The athlete of today is a “different beast entirely” to the athletes in the 1980s and 1990s, says Smith, and both Goorjian and Bennett have figured out how to connect with and inspire all of them.
If Goorjian takes the Kings to an NBL crown in the next few weeks, he’ll equal Bennett’s seven premiership rings.
The age question swirled around Goorjian when the Kings finished fifth last season and started this one slowly, at 3-5. But after finding a groove mid-year, it fell away, and the Kings are currently on a 13-game winning streak.
Goorjian shows no sign of slowing down, physically or mentally. Or emotionally, even.
The 72-year-old was fined $775 last month after getting in a courtside slanging match with South East Melbourne Phoenix player Owen Foxwell, who had tangled with star Kings guard Kendric Davis. Microphones caught Goorjian firing F-bombs at Foxwell for long enough that the referees decided he’d used up his legends’ leeway and tech-fouled him.
Smith also points to Goorjian’s incredible work ethic: “He also doesn’t sleep. It’s unbelievable. I’ve been out with him and Luc Longley at dinner, and we’re at midnight and the waiters are hovering around, and Brian’s drawing plays on napkins, and I go, do you ever f—ing stop?”
Smith firmly believes that a seventh NBL title, coupled with his Olympic medal achievement, would finally bestow upon Goorjian the wider recognition he merits within the Australian sporting landscape.
“Within the linear basketball environment, he is a legend – and in a broader sense, there’s a recognition of who Brian Goorjian is,” Smith commented.
“But I don’t think there’s the appropriate recognition of what Brian Goorjian has achieved.
“So I think winning, it’d be … well, it’s obviously incredibly important to the club and to the players. But I think one of the big stories here, and I’m glad you’re doing it, is that aspect: what Brian’s trying to achieve. Another title would be irrefutable evidence of where he sits in Australian sport.”
So how has Goorjian been so good for so long?
“It’s the darkest art – I don’t think he even knows why he’s that good,” Smith said.
“He’s instinctive. He’s stubborn. He’s committed. And he coaches what’s in front of him, type of thing. There’s nothing formulaic. He figures out what works with a group and when he finds that magic, then he just keeps farming it.
“He’s got more rings than Liberace. The numbers don’t lie.”
Paul Smith
“He also doesn’t sleep. It’s unbelievable. I’ve been out with him and Luc Longley at dinner, and we’re at midnight and the waiters are hovering around, and Brian’s drawing plays on napkins, and I go, do you ever f—ing stop?”
Smith believes a seventh NBL title, to add to an Olympic medal, could – and should – finally see Goorjian receive the recognition he deserves on the wider Australian sport stage.
“Within the linear basketball environment, he is a legend – and in a broader sense, there’s a recognition of who Brian Goorjian is,” Smith said.
“But I don’t think there’s the appropriate recognition of what Brian Goorjian has achieved.
“So I think winning, it’d be … well, it’s obviously incredibly important to the club and to the players. But I think one of the big stories here, and I’m glad you’re doing it, is that aspect: what Brian’s trying to achieve. Another title would be irrefutable evidence of where he sits in Australian sport.”
Goorjian is currently under contract for the next season and remains optimistic about his continued involvement. Father Time has yet to catch up with him.
And, much like a typical Wednesday training session, there is no immediate plan to step away from the game.
