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The Sydney Kings vs Illawarra Hawks NBL game scheduled for this Saturday just got extra spicy.
It comes after the Hawks co-owner and president Dorry Kordahi was accused of spying on the Sydney Kings at a training session.
According to The Daily Telegraph the incident happened at the end of November but tensions are still simmering after the Kings made a formal complaint.
Kordahi’s version of events is that the Kings training session had run overtime and he was simply in the Wollongong Entertainment Centre to attend to his corporate duties.
“It’s just the insecurities of the Kings seeing the Hawks come to life and be built into a respected force in a short period of time,” Kordahi told the Daily Telegraph.
“Of course, I wouldn’t spy on the Kings and the second time I walked in they had clearly finished their training session.
“Anyway, I’m happy to talk up the rivalry and we look forward to the game against them on the weekend.”
The Kings don’t buy that version of events and believe Kordahi was blatantly spying on the team. The Kings owner Paul Smith took to Twitter today in a not-so-subtle dig at Kordahi.
I am incredibly saddened that what is the most respected and professional boundary of this great game has been trampled on in this manner. I thank our players and staff for taking the high road on the day itself. Some people need to do better. https://t.co/0k6AP4zHjE
— Paul Smith (@psmithtse) December 6, 2021
Despite the formal complaint, the NBL is unlikely to penalise Kordahi because even if there was evidence against him there is no rule around entering a court while a rival team is training.
The Kings and Hawks are both coming off Round 1 wins and the extra tension caused by ‘spygate’ is sure to add more intrigue to the blockbuster showdown at Qudos Bank Arena.
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