The Sydney Kings appear to have removed Australian basketball great Shane Heal’s retired jersey banner from their Wall of Legends.
The apparent removal of Heal’s banner comes after the 53-year-old’s messy exit from his position as coach of the Kings’ affiliated WNBL team, the Sydney Flames, earlier this year over bullying allegations.
This is not the first time Heal’s banner has been absent from the rafters at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, with eagle-eyed fans noticing its omission during game five of the Kings’ 3-2 grand final series over New Zealand Breakers in March.
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It is customary for the banners to be raised inside the stadium for the Kings’ home games, with the Wall of Legends honouring 13 club greats including six-time NBL champion CJ Bruton and fabled coach Brian Goorjian.
But during the Kings’ 87-85 win over the New Zealand Breakers on Sunday, fans again noticed that Heal’s banner was missing.
With the Kings having played four preceding matches at Qudos Bank Arena this season, it is unclear whether the banner was hanging for those games.
Wide World of Sports has contacted the Sydney Kings for comment.
Heal played six seasons with the Kings across three stints and was part of the team that won the 2003 NBL championship.
He also coached the Kings from 2012 to 2014 before taking on the top job at the Flames in 2021, with his daughter, Shyla, signing on as a player.
Shyla suddenly quit the Flames in January, immediately signing an end-of-season deal with the Townsville Fire.
She went on to win the WNBL championship with the Fire and is now playing in Europe.
In the lead-up to her release, Shyla was not featured for the Flames, with the club citing “personal reasons” for her absence.
During this time, Heal was also stood down from his duties as he was subjected to an undisclosed internal investigation.
Two weeks after Shyla walked out, the Flames confirmed “multiple Sydney Flames players separately approached club officials with allegations of bullying” early in January.
Heal denied any wrongdoing and filed an injunction in the federal court against the Flames which was heard in court earlier this year.
A distinguished point guard, Heal went undrafted in the 1992 NBA draft but subsequently played two stints in America’s top league with the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs.
Also enjoying a decorated career in Australia, Heal went to four Olympics with the Boomers, was the 1988 NBL rookie of the year, and is a two-time winner of the Gaze Medal.
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Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
