The Sydney Kings have proudly announced the addition of another high-profile Foundation Partner.

The Star has come on board to work closely with the Kings to promote its venue as Sydney's premier entertainment destination featuring one of the best viewing platforms in the city. In return the Sydney Kings will provide guests for The Star with celebrity/VIP options that will include courtside and exclusive behind-the-scenes game experiences.

This Foundation level partnership places The Star in the upper tier of the Sydney Kings sponsorship family, reflecting both the importance of the partnership and the potential for its further growth.

Sydney Kings Managing Director Jeff Van Groningen is excited about what the partnership brings. He said: “Both The Star and our organisation are leading providers of high-quality entertainment. We thought there was a great synergy there. The significance of The Star in the Sydney landscape cannot be overstated and with us being the city's professional basketball team, this is a great fit.”

The Star Sydney Managing Director, Greg Hawkins said: “The Kings are an iconic Sydney brand and The Star also prides itself on our local spirit focus and our growing position as Sydney's premier place to play. We are delighted to support The Kings by becoming an official partner.

“The Sydney Kings and The Star have all the makings for a fantastic partnership. We will be bringing The Star brand to life courtside on game day, plus fans can soak up all the action at our 24/7 Sports Bar, Sydney's home of sport.

“The Star is pleased to continue to expand our strong affiliation with sports, as represented by our various partnerships including Premier Partner and Official Entertainment Venue Partner of the Sydney Swans, Official Partner of the Sydney Sixers and Official Partner of the NSW Blues, as well as our partnership with the Australia Open Golf and Sydney Festival.”

The agreement is initially for one year with The Star having first option to renew after the 2016/17 season finishes. The Star becomes a welcome addition to a select group of Foundation Partners of the Sydney Kings who continue this season's success both on and off the court.

It only gets better for The Kings with former NBA player Steve Blake joining the club two days ago, a resounding win last night over arch rivals Illawarra Hawks, and the team currently sitting at the top of the NBL ladder. This is the best start for The Kings since the 2007-2008 season and the fans are returning en masse, delivering crowd averages well above those of recent years.

The Kings next game is against the Brisbane Bullets, the only team to have beaten them this year, this Sunday afternoon, 30 October at Qudos Bank Arena at Sydney Olympic Park from 2:30pm.

For more information, imagery or interviews please contact:

Jeremy Hartcher - Communications Manager – Sydney Kings
Ph: +61 422 275 267 | Jeremy.hartcher@sydneykings.com.au

Diane Glasson – Director Communications and Public Relations - The Star

Ph: +61 488 353 718 | Diane.glasson@star.com.au

ABOUT THE STAR

The Star Sydney is Australia's leading integrated resort and premier place to play. The Star offers all-star chefs and over 20 restaurants and bars, five-star accommodation across three hotel towers including the luxuriously boutique hotel, The Darling Hotel, indulgent experiences at The Darling Spa, a luxury retail collection and a world-class casino. Furthermore The Star Event Centre, located on the rooftop of The Star, hosts a range of amazing events and artists from around the world including Human Nature, Alicia Keys, One Direction, Cold Play and Jessica Mauboy. At The Star, we have just one mission –– to provide thrilling experiences for our guests. www.star.com.au

ABOUT SYDNEY KINGS

The Sydney Kings current roster includes reigning NBL MVP and Rio Olympian Kevin Lisch, former Boomers Brad Newley and Aleks Maric and exciting imports Greg Whittington and Michael Bryson. The roster contains four of the team's top performers from 2015-16 in Tom Garlepp, Jason Cadee, Julian Khazzouh and Jeromie Hill as well as the first Chinese-born player in NBL history Bo Liu and former Fremantle Docker AFL player Craig Moller.

The Sydney Kings compete in the National Basketball League (NBL), Australia's elite basketball competition. The NBL, an eight-team league, has media agreements in place with FoxSports (every game, all teams, live) and SBS (game of the week), while in a groundbreaking recent move secured all of its own digital rights and broadcasts its content across any digital device both in Australia and to territories overseas, via their website and app programs. The Sydney Kings were formed via a merger between the West Sydney Westars and the Sydney Supersonics in 1988. They were the first team to win three consecutive championships in the NBL (2002/3, 2003/4, 2004/5). Previous stars have included Damian Keogh, Dwayne McClain, Shane Heal, Tim Morrissey, Bruce Bolden, Steve Carfino Dean Uthoff and Matt Nielsen. The late Mike Wrubleski is considered to be the most influential off-court figure in King's history, having provided a strong vision for dynamic game-night entertainment and recruiting rosters full of exciting stars, both American and local.

ABOUT AEG OGDEN

AEG Ogden is a joint venture between Australia-based venue management interests and AEG Facilities of the United States. AEG Ogden manages venues throughout the Asia Pacific region, including the Brisbane Entertainment Centre and adjacent Sports Centre, Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena, the Newcastle Entertainment Centre, and Perth Arena; Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane; and convention centres in Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Kuala Lumpur, Oman, Hyderabad (currently in design), International Convention Centre Sydney (opening December 2016), and the Sydney Exhibition Centre @ Glebe Island. AEG Ogden is also the owner of National Basketball League (NBL) team, the Sydney Kings. aegogden.com