Bryce Cotton on Game 5: 'I’ll never watch it again'

• ‍Game 1: 'Saturday night slaughter' as KD's Kings fire first shot‍
• Game 2: Cotton game-winner levels series as KD loses his cool‍
• Game 3: 'All love' as KD talks Cotton clash as Kings take Game 3
• Game 4: DJ winds back the clock to keep 36ers alive‍
• Game 5: Kings crowned champions in greatest decider ever

Six-time MVP Bryce Cotton revealed “I have to move forward … I’ll never watch it again” after the Adelaide 36ers were a defensive rebound away from winning Game 5 of the NBL Grand Final Series and the championship on Sunday, April 4, 2026, in Sydney.

The Sydney Kings claimed their sixth NBL championship 113-101 in overtime.

“You probably don’t think about it too much because it’s very fresh, and there’s nothing that you can do about it, Cotton, 33, told SEN radio in South Australia today.

“You left it all out there on the floor. This was the first year a lot of us got here, and for us to get so close to the finish line but come up a little bit short … it’s bittersweet.

“We like to think that this is just the beginning, and even better things are in store as long as we don’t get complacent.”

Cotton had the opportunity to win it in regulation, but his drive to the bucket and right-handed lay-up under pressure didn’t go.

“The play was basically to get the ball and try to make something happen,” he said

“Four seconds is a lot of time. I tried to get the best shot I could.

“Just a little bit more spin on the ball, I guess it goes in.

“I live with that. I live with the things I do on the court, whether it’s the outcome I wanted or not, because I know the work that I put in.

“I don’t sit here and replay the play over in my head. I’m at peace with how everything went down.

Bryce Cotton's NBL26 Grand Final Series: By the Numbers

Game | MIN   | PTS | FGM | FGA | FG%   | 3PM | 3PA | 3P%   | FTM | FTA | FT%   | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- | EFF
-----|-------|-----|-----|-----|-------|-----|-----|-------|-----|-----|-------|------|------|-----|-----|-----|-----|----|-----|----
G1   | 32:08 | 10  | 4   | 12  | 33.33 | 1   | 5   | 20.00 | 1   | 1   | 100   | 1    | 2    | 3   | 7   | 2   | 0   | 4  | -35 | 10
G2   | 39:38 | 28  | 8   | 20  | 40.00 | 3   | 9   | 33.33 | 9   | 9   | 100   | 2    | 4    | 6   | 6   | 3   | 0   | 5  | 2   | 26
G3   | 39:29 | 15  | 5   | 15  | 33.33 | 3   | 8   | 37.50 | 2   | 2   | 100   | 1    | 2    | 3   | 12  | 1   | 1   | 5  | -7  | 17
G4   | 40:00 | 19  | 8   | 22  | 36.36 | 1   | 7   | 14.29 | 2   | 2   | 100   | 2    | 3    | 5   | 12  | 0   | 0   | 2  | 1   | 20
G5   | 45:00 | 35  | 9   | 22  | 40.91 | 6   | 13  | 46.15 | 11  | 11  | 100   | 1    | 3    | 4   | 9   | 1   | 1   | 4  | -12 | 33
-----|-------|-----|-----|-----|-------|-----|-----|-------|-----|-----|-------|------|------|-----|-----|-----|-----|----|-----|----
AVG  | 39:15 | 21.4| 6.8 | 18.2| 37.36 | 2.8 | 8.4 | 33.33 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 100   | 1.4  | 2.8  | 4.2 | 9.2 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 4.0| -10.2| 21.2

Cotton was elite in Game 5. He played every minute of the overtime thriller, finishing with 35 points, four rebounds, nine assists, a steal and a block.

“You just look at it as another game, another day,” Cotton said.

“It’s always physical from my standpoint, every game I play in.

“It’s not really rare for me to play pretty much the whole game, so it wasn’t too out of the ordinary for me.

“It’s unfortunate how it ended, but I feel like we’ll be back and we’ll have more opportunities for situations like this.”

Sydney Kings head coach Brian Goorjian said: “Besides everything everybody’s talked about – the MVP, things between the organisations – the actual basketball itself, I kept looking on the floor. There was never not really high quality, a lot of NBA, international (players).

“The level of basketball was incredible. The no love, respect, competition on the floor, and the ending of all these games — and last night — besides how overtime went, the greatness of the game was the level of play.

“I just thought that through the whole series, it was a really great showcase for the NBL.”

But Cotton had a different perspective.

“I don’t really look at it like that,” he revealed.

“When you’re in any championship series, you’re focused on getting the job done regardless of how other people perceive it.

“It’s a hollow feeling. People can say it was a great series, but we didn’t get the result we wanted, so it doesn’t mean much to me.”

He was also blunt on his assessment of a potential rivalry between the 36ers and Kings in NBL27 and beyond.

“Another team,” he declared.

“I think the way the league is set up, depending on how one game goes, all of a sudden, they can become a rival.

“I don’t throw that term around loosely, but I approach every team the same anyway.”

The nine-time NBL scoring champion played about 195 of the 205 minutes in the five-game series; the bulk of those 10 minutes came in Game 1, as the Kings dismantled the 36ers at Qudos Bank Arena.

“No, I’m not exhausted,” Cotton said.

“Surprisingly, if there was another third of the season left, my body felt fine to go through it.

“My break is here now, so I’m going to take advantage of it.

“I’ll try to do two weeks of no basketball, do other things to stay in shape, and then after that I’m right back to it.”

Cotton was already focused on NBL27 just four days after being a play or two away from winning another championship, adding to his already stacked resume.

“I’m doing good,” Cotton added.

“Just enjoying the first couple of days of the off-season as best I can, and then probably in another week or two I’ll be right back to work.”

NBL26 Grand Final Series

• ‍Game 1: 'Saturday night slaughter' as KD's Kings fire first shot‍
• Game 2: Cotton game-winner levels series as KD loses his cool‍
• Game 3: 'All love' as KD talks Cotton clash as Kings take Game 3
• Game 4: DJ winds back the clock to keep 36ers alive‍
• Game 5: Kings crowned champions in greatest decider ever