EXCLUSIVE: Sydney Kings sign-up youngest player ever: Klairus Amir

An exceptional local talent has become the youngest player in history to sign a deal with the Sydney Kings.

S: So tell me a little bit more about the relationship between you and your uncle.

K: He’s my mentor, father figure, brother…he’s just he’s always been there for me. He’s a really important part of my journey, and I’m just grateful for him.

S: What was your first reaction when you found out the Sydney Kings wanted you?

K: My first reaction I was, ‘I couldn’t believe it!’ It was a blessing. Getting signed, especially to Sydney, that’s the place where I grew up. I was always watching the Sydney Kings as a young kid. So, this opportunity was very exciting. I told my whole family, everyone was excited for me. It was insane. It really didn’t feel real.

S: Let’s rewind back a little bit: why were you asked to travel to America and play basketball when you were only 14 years old?

K: It all started in 2019. I remember having a talk with an ex-NBA player, Jonah Bolden, who played for the Sixers. He went to school in the States, he started talking to my uncle and my mum and it was him who actually encouraged my mum to send me to the States. So we had a family discussion between my mum and my brother, and we all finally decided to make the move. So it started with Jonah, who I guess saw something in me, and my uncle, being a basketballer himself, supported the idea. It was a hard move, but you know, that’s what I had to do to better myself.

Q: What happened when you went to the States and what was it like over there for you as a young 14-year old Aussie?

K: It was different! Being halfway across the world from what you’re used to. We were all the way out in the suburbs of Georgia. Even the schooling over there was different from how I was used to in Australia. It was a hard adjustment, and I won’t lie, it did take time to really adjust to it.

S: So what kind of adjustments did you need to make?

K: Meeting new people, obviously schooling was different – just the way they teach, the curriculum is different, so I took some time learning that. I remember the classes were weird. I felt that the kids were sad. Everyone was so different to what I’m used to in Australia. Aussie kids are more upbeat. Oh, the food! I didn’t like McDonald’s. The food tastes so different.

S: What was going through your mind and what were some of the emotions you were feeling?

K: At the time I was feeling very homesick. Being away from family for many years and being so far away. The time difference is 16 hours, so I couldn’t talk to them as much. And my friends – same thing, I couldn’t talk to them easily. Then the basketball in the States was different to what I was used to. There’s more aggression, and they’re more skilled too. At first, I felt scared, as time went by I got homesick, I was very uncertain about what was going to happen, so it was a lot of emotions.

S: Did you ever think, ‘what if this doesn’t work?’

K: Oh yeah, all the time. I was always thinking, ‘do I want to be here? Did I make a mistake coming here?’ There were many times where I wanted to go home.

S: And how did you deal with those thoughts?

K: I would talk to my family, my mum, uncle, dad, grandma…I would just talk to all of them. Sometimes I would talk to my brother. I made sure I communicated that with my family. That’s the main way I thought things over. And also another way was knowing that I’m here for a goal: the ultimate goal is the NBA, but I’m also here to get better as a player. So playing basketball also helped a lot.

S: How did shifting that mindset affect your outlook, your personality and the way you perceived things?

K: After that, I started to get more comfortable and started to adjust easier, make more friends, meet new people over time. Even moving to Atlanta helped a lot  – we got our own place because at the time I was living with my grandma.

S: From 2019 until now, 2023, it’s been a four year journey for you. It was the adolescent stage, one of the hardest stages in life to go through. What have been some challenges you faced as a typical teenage child, and how did you manage the pressure and changes happening in your life all at the same time?

K: First and foremost, I asked God, I prayed. I love basketball, so my love for basketball got me through a lot of things because I would just play all the time. The support of my mum, my brother, my family back home all mentally helped me get through this stage. Seeing that I was getting better at my game and levelling up encouraged me. So all of that really helped. After I reached high school and started to play really well, I started to get looks from College Coaches and that lifted me up more and encouraged me more.

S: You said your family mentally helped you. How has your headspace changed compared to where it was and where it is today?

K: Oh, there was definitely a low point. The biggest low point was COVID. That whole COVID year, it really messed everyone up, including me. Not playing basketball for months really hurt. Not be able to go to the gym when I want to and not be able to play at all was a really low point in my life. And then also my transition from Atlanta to Arizona when I was 16 going on 17, that really affected me because I was already in Atlanta for two years and just starting to form my life with my friends and school; I’ve known so many coaches; that’s where I had stayed while I was in America. So making that big move, technically across the country, that really got me down a lot. I actually just stopped believing in myself, and had all those bad thoughts that really messed me up. That was a low point as well.

S: How did this incredible deal with Sydney Kings happen?

K: I was in Australia in the national competition for the under 19’s for the Australian team. It was the start of March in 2023, and I figured I would  spend some time with my family before I had to come back to school in the States and get ready for a summer ball. I also met up with my agent, which just happened, it wasn’t planned at all. So we thought that we would meet and have a het together because he’s also a long-time friend. So we had a meeting with him, talked about basketball, the college route and pro route, and as we were talking, he asked me what I felt was the best thing for me. And I told him that, realistically, I want to like go pro because I know it’s the fastest way to get to my dream. So he listened to me and two weeks later, he got me a workout with the [Sydney] Kings. It was unexpected. I didn’t come over here to Australia expecting to do that. Anyways, I had a workout with the Kings, it was actually their the whole staff in their new facility that they just built in Moore Park. So I thought I did pretty well in the training, and had a good time. And then about two weeks later, my agent hits me back and told me that Sydney Kings want to offer me a deal. This was so unexpected, this was not planned at all! I was 17 at the time, so it was crazy think that the Sydney Kings wanted me!

S: So now it’s come full circle: you started in Australia, you journeyed all the way to America to get to where you need to be, and come back to Australia where the Sydney Kings snapped you up. It seems like they wouldn’t have noticed you had you not done what you did in America – all the prepping and pushing. Do you have any regrets doing what you needed to do?

K: No, don’t have any regrets of anything I’ve done in life. It’s got me to where I am today. Going to America, that whole journey, it definitely got me ready. It got me stronger and more athletic. It gave me the Australian side: which is the IQ and the fundamentals of the game. So I had the best of both worlds, and yeah, no regrets at all.

Original article: https://keepingnewslocal.com.au/exclusive-sydney-kings-sign-up-youngest-player-ever-klairus-amir/