DJ reveals Sydney Kings ring ceremony snub

• ‍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

As he tries to take down the club he helped lead to two NBL titles, Dejan Vasiljevic has revealed neither he, nor his family, received an invite to Sydney’s 2023 championship ring presentation ceremony, writes Michael Randall from CODE Sports Basketball.

Vasiljevic played a key role in the Kings’ back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 but the relationship soured when he exited the club to chase an NBA dream that didn’t work out before a controversial return to the NBL as an Adelaide 36er.

“There’s a few people in that organisation (Sydney) who didn’t want me back,” Vasiljevic said.

“So I take it as a slap to the face but that’s part of the business, that’s a part of life.

“The main culprit isn’t there anymore, so I’ll keep that under wraps."

It had long been whispered the Kings’ ring ceremony snub had added further animosity but, while Vasiljevic insists he and his family did not hold a grudge, he confirmed the invite never came.

But, to this day, he doesn’t know if it was nefarious or just a terrible oversight by the Kings.

“Yeah, it is true,” Vasiljevic revealed.

“They had their ring ceremony and I don’t know what happened. All I know is there was no invitation to me or my family.

“I was in America at the time and my family asked me the question and I said: ‘no I haven’t heard anything’.

“When I returned back into the league, (former assistant) Fleur McIntyre was in town, came to watch an Adelaide game and she was the one who actually gave me my ring.

“It happened, but it was three years ago, so so-be-it.

For the full story on CODE Sports Basketball, click here.