| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1983-05-29)29 May 1983 (age 41) Melbourne,Victoria, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 208 cm (6 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 109 kg (240 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Aquinas College (Melbourne, Victoria) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Saint Mary's (2002–2006) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2006:undrafted | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2000–2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Power forward /center | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2021–present | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||
| As player: | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Nunawading Spectres | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Australian Institute of Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Livorno | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Breogán | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Gran Canaria | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Turów Zgorzelec | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Dnipro | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Budivelnyk | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Azovmash | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Iberostar Tenerife | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Melbourne United | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Brisbane Bullets | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | South West Metro Pirates | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2021 | Sydney Kings | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Hawke's Bay Hawks | ||||||||||||||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2025 | Sydney Kings (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||
As player:
As coach:
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Daniel Michael Kickert (born 29 May 1983) is an Australian professionalbasketball coach and former player who most recently served as an assistant coach for theSydney Kings of theNational Basketball League (NBL). He played professionally for 15 seasons throughout Europe and Australia, with his stints in the NBL includingMelbourne United (2014–16),Brisbane Bullets (2016–18) and Sydney Kings (2018–21). In 2017, he became the first player in NBL history to join the exclusive50–40–90 club, an achievement he replicated the following year.
Kickert playedcollege basketball forSaint Mary's, leaving in 2006 as the program's all-time scoring leader. He spent the next eight years playing in Europe, winning aUkrainian SuperLeague championship in 2013 withBC Budivelnyk. He also played forAustralia at the2017 FIBA Asia Cup and2018 Commonwealth Games. He retired from basketball in June 2021.
Kickert was born inMelbourne,Victoria,[1] where he attendedAquinas College.[2] In 2000, he played five games for theNunawading Spectres in theSouth East Australian Basketball League (SEABL).[3][4]
In 2001, Kickert moved toCanberra on a scholarship with theAustralian Institute of Sport (AIS).[1] He played for theAIS men's team in the SEABL in 2001 and 2002,[5] where in his second year, he averaged 18 points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes per game while being named to the All-SEABL Eastern Conference team.[6]
In his freshman season atSaint Mary's in 2002–03, Kickert earned All-Freshman team honours byCollegeInsider.com. He finished the season as the only Gael to start all 30 games, tied for 11th in the conference in scoring and had the third-best field goal percentage (52.0%) in the conference. In those 30 games, he averaged 12.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.[6][7]
In his sophomore season, Kickert was named to the All-West Coast Conference first team and earned the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic Most Valuable Player award. He was also named to the Top of the World Classic All-Tournament team. In 31 games (all starts), he averaged 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.[6][7]
In his junior season, Kickert was named to the All-West Coast Conference first team for the second straight year. He was also named to the USBWA All-District 9 first team and the NABC District 14 second team, while earning WCC Player of the Year honours byCollegeInsider.com. In addition, he was named to the WCC All-Tournament team after averaging 22.0 points and 4.5 rebounds against Santa Clara and Gonzaga. In 34 games (all starts), he averaged 16.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.[6][7]
In his senior season, Kickert was named to the All-West Coast Conference first team for the third straight year and earned the Shamrock Office Solutions Classic Most Valuable Player award for the second time in his career. In 28 games (all starts), he averaged 16.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. He finished his career ranked as the all-time scorer in SMC history with 1,874 points.[6][7][8]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Saint Mary's | 30 | 30 | 25.5 | .520 | .447 | .782 | 3.7 | .7 | .3 | .6 | 12.7 |
| 2003–04 | Saint Mary's | 31 | 31 | 28.1 | .506 | .390 | .766 | 5.9 | .7 | .4 | .5 | 14.9 |
| 2004–05 | Saint Mary's | 34 | 34 | 30.9 | .538 | .471 | .846 | 6.6 | 1.0 | .4 | .7 | 16.6 |
| 2005–06 | Saint Mary's | 28 | 28 | 33.5 | .454 | .457 | .880 | 5.6 | 1.0 | .6 | .7 | 16.7 |
| Career | 123 | 123 | 29.5 | .504 | .447 | .816 | 5.5 | .9 | .4 | .6 | 15.2 | |
After going undrafted in the2006 NBA draft, Kickert played in Italy for his first professional season,[9] averaging 10 points per game forBasket Livorno during the 2006–07 season. He spent the next three seasons in Spain, playing the 2007–08 season withCB Breogán[10] before joiningGran Canaria. He parted ways with Canaria in July 2010 after two seasons.[11]
On 2 February 2011, Kickert joined Polish teamTurów Zgorzelec for a three-day trial.[12] Following the trial period, he signed with Turów for the rest of the 2010–11 season.[13] He averaged 9.3 points and 2.8 rebounds over 25 games. Though he came off the bench for most of the season, Kickert moved into the starting lineup for thePolish League finals and produced 13.6 points and 4.9 boards in the seven-game series as Turów nearly upsetAsseco Prokom for the title.[14] On 25 July 2011, he re-signed with Turów for the 2011–12 season.[14][15]
In 2012, Kickert moved toUkraine, where he spent the next two years. He began the 2012–13 season withBC Dnipro,[16] before finishing the season withBC Budivelnyk.[17] He played the majority of the 2013–14 season withBC Azovmash,[18] but left the country to return to Spain in March 2014 due to the Ukraine's military conflict with Russia.[19][20] He finished the 2013–14 season withIberostar Tenerife.[21]
On 13 August 2014, Kickert signed withMelbourne United for the2014–15 NBL season.[22] In 28 games for Melbourne, he averaged 13.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.[23]
On 10 June 2015, Kickert re-signed with United for the2015–16 season.[24] He came very close to becoming the first NBL player ever to join the exclusive50–40–90 club.[25] He did reach the required splits—finishing the season with figures of 52.5/47.2/90.5—but fell four made free throws short of the minimum requirements.[26] Kickert helped United win the minor premiership in 2015–16 with a first-place finish and an 18–10 record, while earningAll-NBL First Team honours.[27] In 28 games, he averaged 14.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
On 8 April 2016, Kickert signed with theBrisbane Bullets.[28] After coming close in 2015–16, Kickert became the first player in NBL history to join the 50–40–90 club in2016–17. He averaged 12.8 points per game and shot 54.4 percent from the field, 45.9 percent from three and 95.0 percent from the line.[29]
In the 2017 off-season, Kickert had a stint with the South West Metro Pirates of theQueensland Basketball League,[30] and competed at the2017 FIBA Asia Cup with theAustralian Boomers.[31]
With the Bullets in2017–18, Kickert recorded 50–40–90 numbers for the second consecutive year,[32] averaging 14 points per game while shooting 52.2 percent from the field, 41.8 percent from three and 92.2 percent from the line.[33]
On 27 April 2018, Kickert signed a two-year deal with theSydney Kings, with a team option for the second year.[34] The Kings took up that option on 29 March 2019.[35]
In April 2019, Kickert joined theHawke's Bay Hawks for the2019 New Zealand NBL season,[36] but injured his back in the first game.[37] He returned to action in mid-May,[38] but only managed seven games for the season due to the back injury.[39]
On 3 September 2020, Kickert re-signed with the Kings on a one-year deal.[40] At age 37, he was the league's oldest player in the2020–21 NBL season.[41]
On 11 June 2021, Kickert announced his retirement from professional basketball.[42]
Kickert competed for theAustralian Boomers at the2006 Stanković Continental Champions' Cup,2006 FIBA World Championship,2011 London Invitational Tournament,2017 FIBA Asia Cup, and2018 Commonwealth Games.[43] In July 2018, Kickert was involved in thePhilippines–Australia basketball brawl during theFIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualification. As a result, he was suspended for five games.[44]
In September 2021, Kickert joined theSydney Kings coaching staff as an assistant coach and player development coordinator.[45] He won two NBL championships during his time as an assistant coach, parting ways with the Kings in March 2025.[46]
Kickert's parents are Rudy and Jenny.[47] His wife's name is Erica.[47] He holds aDutch passport.[48]
As of February 2020, Kickert was studying aMaster of Business (Sport Management) atDeakin University.[49]
Daniel Kickert, 2002-06: All-time leading scorer (1,874 points)
The league's oldest player Daniel Kickert returned for the first time this season and showed how valuable a big man who can shoot is by hitting 3/5 from deep for 11 points.
