BIO: Daniel Michael Kickert was born in Melbourne (VIC) and attended Aquinas College. He began playing basketball as a child for E Bees Junior Basketball Club and Waverley Basketball Club. He also represented Knox and Nunawading across U12s to U18s, including playing for Nunawading in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) in 2000.

He played college basketball for Saint Mary’s, leaving in 2006 as the program’s all-time scoring leader. He holds a Dutch passport and as a result spent the next eight years playing in Europe as a local player. He returned to Australia in 2014 to play for Melbourne United. Kickert received a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (Canberra) in 2001. He spent one year there and played for the program’s state league team.

FAMILY: Kickert’s parents are Rudy and Jenny. His wife’s name is Erica.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Daniel Kickert made his NBL debut with the Melbourne United at 31 years of age. He scored seven points in his first game.

On 13 August 2014, Kickert signed with Melbourne United who had rebranded from the Tigers a month earlier. The name change was a attempt to move away from the Melbourne Tigers junior program which was a team synonymous with ‘poaching’ young talent from other junior programs in Victoria and had negative connotations with much of Victoria’s basketball community. The name, attempting to symbolise a connection to all of Victorian basketball was a decision made by owner Larry Kestelman.

The team retained head coach Chris Anstey and added Tigers legend Daryl Corletto who had spent three years with the New Zealand Breakers. Australian Boomers players David Barlow, who had spent the past five years in Europe and Daniel Kickert signed on with the club as long time captain of the club Tommy Greer retired.

The team retained their Tigers core of Mark Worthington, Lucas Walker and Nate Tomlinson who were all chosen to share the captaincy this season and their last move was to complement the squad by signing their import talent, adding Jordan McRae and Stephen Dennis.

Adam Ballinger, who had signed a two-year deal the previous season, was a part of the team up until the week before the season when United chose to release him. a unfavorable situation for Ballinger as every other NBL team had completed their rosters, leaving Ballinger nowhere to negotiate. He was eventually signed by Illawarra and played the remainder of the season with the Hawks.

United’s inaugural season began with a loss to Cairns (89–61) which saw coach Chris Anstey resign and replaced by his assistant Darryl McDonald. In 28 games, Kickert would average 13.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 0.5 assists as United went on to finish the season in fifth place (13–15), missing out on the playoffs.

2015/16
On 10 June 2015, Kickert re-signed with United for the 2015/16 season. He came very close to becoming the first NBL player ever to join the exclusive 50–40–90 club. He did reach the required splits—finishing the season with figures of 52.5/47.2/90.5—but fell four made free throws short of the minimum requirements. In 28 games Kickert averaged 14.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists and helped United finish in first place (18-10) on the NBL ladder, while earning All-NBL First Team honours. Despite the strong finish under new coach Dean Demopoulos, the team lost to New Zealand in the semifinals, losing to the Breakers in two straight games.

BRISBANE BULLETS
2016/17
On 8 April 2016, Kickert signed with the Brisbane Bullets. After coming close in 2015/16, Kickert became the first player in NBL history to join the 50–40–90 club in 2016/17. He averaged 12.8 points per game and shot 54.4 percent from the field, 45.9 percent from three and 95.0 percent from the line, while Brisbane finished in eighth place (10-18).

2017/18
With the Bullets in 2017/18, Kickert recorded 50–40–90 numbers for the second consecutive year, averaging 14.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 52.2 percent from the field, 41.8 percent from three and 92.2 percent from the line.

Brisbane would finish the season in eighth place (9-19).

SYDNEY KINGS
2018/19
Sydney entered the 2018-19 season with high expectations after making several key signings, including Andrew Bogut, who returned to Australia after 14 seasons in the NBA, including winning an NBA championship in 2015 with Golden State.

The Kings were the first team to take advantage of the NBL’s newly established Next Stars program, signing highly touted prospect Brian Bowen, a McDonald’s All-American who opted to play in the NBL to develop his skills for the NBA Draft. Other key additions included Jerome Randle, David Wear (via Spain), Deng Deng (via Big V – McKinnon), Kyle Adnam (via Melbourne), and Tom Wilson (via Melbourne), and Kickert (via Brisbane), who signed a two-year deal with the Kings on April 27, 2018, with a team option for the second year.

The Kings also participated in the NBLxNBA series, where they faced the Los Angeles Clippers in a preseason game in Hawaii on September 30, 2018. Brad Newley (8 points), Kevin Lisch (16 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists), and Jerome Randle (25 points) led the Kings in scoring. Despite these efforts, the Kings ultimately fell short, losing (110-91) to the Clippers. The game was competitive, with the Kings narrowing the margin to within one point on two occasions, but they struggled to match the Clippers’ NBA-level speed and size.

Daniel Kickert (9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) was a crucial floor-spacer for the Kings, providing reliable outside shooting throughout the season. His ability to stretch the floor as a big man allowed Sydney’s guards and wings more room to operate offensively. Kickert’s best performances included his 21 points and 3 rebounds in a win (86-79) over New Zealand on November 18, 2018, 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in a win (104-91) over Cairns on December 1, 2018, and 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in a victory (89-84) over Illawarra on January 26, 2019.

Alongside Kickert, the Kings were led by Kevin Lisch (14.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists), Jerome Randle (17.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists), and Andrew Bogut (11.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.7 blocks), who anchored the defense and was named the NBL’s Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year.

Midway through the season, the Kings added Ray Turner (1.7 points, 0.7 rebounds) from Bendigo in the state league to provide additional depth, particularly in covering for injuries to Bogut.

In the playoffs, Sydney faced Melbourne United in the semifinals. In Game 1 (95-73), Kickert contributed 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists, but the Kings struggled against Melbourne’s depth, with Casper Ware (22 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists) and DJ Kennedy (20 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) leading the charge. Kevin Lisch (13 points) and Jerome Randle (13 points) also played key roles for the Kings, but Sydney fell short.

In Game 2 (90-76), Kickert added 6 points and 4 rebounds, but Melbourne’s Casper Ware (30 points, 5 rebounds) and Chris Goulding (23 points, 4 rebounds) once again proved too strong. The Kings’ playoff run ended despite strong efforts from Kickert and Andrew Bogut (10 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists).

On March 29, 2019, the Kings took up the team option on Kickert’s contract, ensuring he remained part of the squad for another season.

2019/20
With Sydney having underdelivered with Andrew Gaze as coach, the Kings went a different direction in 2019 and signed Will Weaver, a current assistant coach on the Australian Boomers, as the team’s head coach. With Melbourne deciding not to take on the optional third of Moller’s contract, he would return to Sydney, signing a two-year deal (15 April 2019).

Sydney’s other moves included re-signing Kevin Lisch on a multi-year deal, replacing imports Jerome Randle with Casper Ware (via Melbourne) and David Wear with Jae’Sean Tate. Weaver would add local talent Xavier Cooks (Winthrop University), Shaun Bruce (via Adelaide) and Lucas Walker (via Cairns).

With the NBL ramping up it’s ‘Next Stars’ program, the Kings also acquired Didi Louzada, who had just been drafted by the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, as a additional part of their roster.

The team suffered a major injury set-back when Kevin Lisch (6.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 steals) suffered a left ankle fracture in Round 2 of the season and was subsequently ruled out for two months. Sydney added import Deshon Taylor (6.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1 assists), who had been released by the Adelaide 36ers in the pre-season until Lisch was able to return in February. He managed to play the final three games of the regular season to help the Kings finish in first-place (20–8).

During Moller’s second stint with the Kings, He appeared in the first 11 games of the 2019/20 season before missing the next 16 games with a right ankle injury. Moller (7.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists) returned to play in the Kings’ final regular season game, just in time for the playoffs.

Weaver had constructed a Kings team that delivered a well-balanced attack, proving almost unstoppable during the regular season. Casper Ware (19.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists) led the team in scoring, while Jae’Sean Tate (16.4 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists 1.1 steals) showcased a all-around game that not only saw him named in the All-NBL First Team, and Kings club MVP but resulted in him gaining a NBA contract with Houston the following year.

Andrew Bogut (8.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks), who showed clear signs of slowing down, was still able to make a huge impact at the defensive end and was named to the league’s All-NBL second team.

Sydney went on to defeat Melbourne in the semifinals (2-1), and would face off against Perth in the Grand Final.

Game one saw the Kings lose a nailbiter (86-88), with Lisch (17 points) leading the team in scoring. As the team’s prepared for game two in Perth, it was decided that the remaining games would all take place with no fans in the building. Without a single fan in the building, the Kings evened the series (1-1) thanks to Jae’Sean Tate (21 points) nailing seven of his nine shots and Andrew Bogut (24 points and 14 rebounds) having one of his best games of the season.

In game three of the grand final series against the Sydney Kings, Kay (30 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists) delivered a career high scoring effort, including seven three-pointers alongside Cotton (31 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists) to propel Perth to a game three victory (111–96).

Prior to game four, the Sydney Kings chose to withdraw from the series due to uncertainties of the coronavirus and travel restrictions. With multiple Kings players based overseas, many were concerned the restrictions would prevent any return home. After a week spent deliberating, it was decided Perth would be awarded the championship due to holding a 2-1 lead at the time, securing their tenth title. After averaging 30.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists over the three games, Cotton was named Grand Final MVP for the second time in four years, becoming the first player in Wildcats history to be named league MVP, Grand Final MVP and win a championship all in the same season. Kickert would average 8.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists.

2020/21
On 3 September 2020, Kickert re-signed with the Kings on a one-year deal. At age 37, he was the oldest player playing in the NBL.

This season, Sydney faced a major roster turnover after finishing runners-up to Perth in a Covid induced conclusion to the 2020 Grand Final. The team looked to recover from the loss of both All-NBL First Team forward Jae’Sean Tate and head coach Will Weaver, who both inked contracts with the NBA’s Houston Rockets while veterans Kevin Lisch, Andrew Bogut and Lucas Walker all retired. Kings assistant Adam Forde took up the reigns this season after being with the organisation since 2019 and replaced the outgoing talent with import Jarell Martin, Angus Glover (via Illawarra), and rookie Dejan Vasiljevic (via Miami University). During the preseason, Sydney lost promising forward Xavier Cooks to a foot injury and signed Tom Vodanovich (via New Zealand) as an injury replacement just before their opening game. The team’s injury woes continued when Angus Glover tore his ACL and would miss all but two games for the season.

As the season kicked off, the Kings looked to their young core to step up in the loss of key veterans and struggled early as a result. Losing three of their first four games, the team sat at the bottom of the ladder in seventh place. Mid-season, the league made the decisions to move all teams to Melbourne for a in-season tournament (NBL Cup) created to avoid COVID-related travel issues. It was here Sydney began to find some form, winning as many as they lost during the Cup (4-4) and then once the tournament was over, consecutive wins at home saw Sydney reach the top four by round 12.

Co-captain Casper Ware (17.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists) and Martin (17.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists) became the focal points on offence. Martin’s best game coming against New Zealand, where he finished with 29 points.

Dejan Vasiljevic (15.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) and Jordan Hunter (9.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks) both became major parts of the King’s core rotation, Hunter finishing runner-up in the voting for the Most Improved Player award and Vasiljevic being selected as Rookie of the Year. Xavier Cooks (10.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 blocks) also showed what type of impact he could have during the King’s back end of the season win the league, producing a career high 19 points and 11 rebounds against the Hawks in Round 21.

The Kings’ limitations this season were primarily their perimeter shooting, where they were equal worst in three-point percentage (tied with Illawarra with 33.4%) and inability to win on the road, where they lost 50% of their games away from home. With four rounds to go, Sydney was firmly entrenched inside the top four but a stretch of five losses in seven games that included two by over 20 points ultimately saw them fall short. Sydney ended the season on a three-game winning streak but would finish in fifth place (19-17) and fail to qualify for the playoffs.

Daniel Kickert (6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists) and Brad Newley (6.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1 assists) both celebrated their 200th and 250th games, respectively in the Kings final game of the season, a one-point win against the Brisbane Bullets.

On 11 June 2021, Kickert announced his retirement from professional basketball, finishing as a career 51 percent field goal shooter, 45 percent three-point shooter and 88 percent free throw shooter. Kickert has the best three-point percentage of any player in NBL history with at least 200 career makes.

Daniel Kickert played seven seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Melbourne United, Brisbane Bullets and Sydney Kings. He averaged 11.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 199 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (833 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.