The Sydney Kings have signed former NBA star Josh Childress for the 2014-15 season.
The 31-year-old heads Down Under as no stranger to international basketball after making a name for himself starring both in the NBA and abroad.
A veteran of 391 NBA games (70 starts) after becoming Stanford University’s highest ever pick in an NBA Draft, Childress threatened to turn the league upside down in 2008 when he shunned the NBA to play in the Euroleague.
After posting double figure scoring seasons in each of his first four seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, the 203cm small forward turned down a five-year, $33-million deal from the Hawks; instead signing a three-year, $20 million net income contract with Olympiacos of Greece- an unprecedented move at the time for a rising star.
The former No.6 overall pick in the 2004 Draft, Childress becomes Sydney’s second consecutive NBA acquisition, replacing former Indiana Pacer Sam Young who joined the Kings midway through last season.
“We’ve gone through an extremely thorough process with Josh and we have done a lot of research on him,” Sydney Kings Head Coach Damian Cotter said of Childress, who spent time last season with both the Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans.
“As this process has gone on, my conversations with him have been nothing but positive.”
“He wants to come in to the team and contribute, and he wants to be put in the best position to thrive and succeed.”
“His skills, his ability and his experience in the NBA speak for themselves. He’s 6’8” and incredibly long, and he’ll be very disruptive at the defensive end of the floor. But it’s his character, his attitude and his intelligence that are really impressive.”
Childress represents the latest in a string of NBA signings by NBL teams in recent seasons, including Perth’s James Ennis and DeAndre McDaniels, Young, and Melbourne Tigers’ imports Patty Mills (NBA lockout) and Johnny Flynn.
Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
