Saturday night\u2019s 112-68 win to Sydney<\/a>, 36ers import Nick Rakocevic appeared to bypass Andrew Bogut, prompting a brief interaction that quickly became the dominant talking point.<\/p>\nIt did not seem accidental.<\/p>\n
Rakocevic, one of the league\u2019s most emotional competitors, has built a reputation on wearing his heart on his sleeve, much like former 36er Montrezl Harrell. This moment felt deliberate, a show of support for his teammates, but it also followed an earlier flashpoint late in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n
After picking up his fifth foul, Rakocevic was gestured off the court by Bogut, who had a few words for the 36ers import. While that incident alone could explain Rakocevic\u2019s actions, the history \u2014 both personal and through his close ties \u2014 suggests the clash may also have been fueled by long-running tensions.<\/p>\n
Adelaide firebrand Nick Rakocevic and Sydney assistant Andrew Bogut clashed after Game 1.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
VASILJEVIC\u2019S DEPARTURE FROM THE KINGS<\/p>\n
Those tensions may trace back to ongoing off-court friction involving Rakocevic\u2019s close friend Dejan Vasiljevic and the Sydney Kings.<\/p>\n
It has been nearly three years since Vasiljevic left the Kings, where he won two championships, to pursue opportunities overseas. He joined the Washington Wizards for Summer League, which led to an Exhibit 10 deal and a chance to earn an NBA roster spot.<\/p>\n
That opportunity fell short. Waived before pre-season, Vasiljevic returned to the NBL, but a clause in his Kings contract allowed the club to block a move to a rival for that season. With Sydney already carrying a full roster, his return created tension behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
He eventually signed with Adelaide, but not before a public fallout with his former club.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey made me look like a villain,\u201d Vasiljevic said at the time. \u201cThey made Adelaide look like the villain. Honestly, I\u2019m going to walk away from it and be the bigger man.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old insisted there was more to the situation, rejecting claims he had turned his back on Sydney.<\/p>\n
\u201cI took my time and wanted to make the right decision and Adelaide just came on board.\u201d<\/p>\n
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 04: Dejan Vasiljevic of the Kings comes off before half time during the round 14 NBL match between Sydney Kings and South East Melbourne Phoenix at Qudos Bank Arena, on January 04, 2023, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jenny Evans\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Nearly a year later, Bogut addressed the situation on his \u2018Rogue Bogues\u2019 podcast, offering the Kings\u2019 perspective.<\/p>\n
\u201cVasiljevic just, I\u2019m not sure what the deal is, but I don\u2019t get why there\u2019s all these stones thrown,\u201d Bogut said. \u201cHe\u2019s making comments on social media posts about ongoings that no one knows the half of what happened in Sydney.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a guy that\u2019s won two championships with us. We tried to support him all through it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bogut explained the club had backed Vasiljevic\u2019s NBA ambitions.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was contracted for this past season with the Sydney Kings. He came to us at the end of our second championship and said, \u2018Hey, I\u2019ve got an opportunity to go to the NBA on an Exhibit 10 deal with the Washington Wizards\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had some back and forth and said, look, we\u2019re not one of those teams that tries to prevent guys from going to the NBA or following their dream. We\u2019re always very supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Vasiljevic returned, the Kings made their position clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe let DJ\u2019s representatives know, look, we\u2019re not going to bring you back because we don\u2019t have the cap space. We don\u2019t want to cut someone. That\u2019s it.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe went and signed with Adelaide, but I don\u2019t know why he\u2019s mad at the organisation and throwing these kinds of shots in passing. I don\u2019t understand it.\u201d<\/p>\n
PERTH, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 14: Assistant Coach Andrew Bogut yells out instructions during game two of NBL Playoff Series between Perth Wildcats and Sydney Kings at RAC Arena, on March 14, 2026, in Perth, Australia. (Photo by James Worsfold\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
BOGUT TAKES SWIPE AT 36ERS<\/p>\n
The situation reignited this season when Bogut posted on social media, claiming there had been discussions among Adelaide players about the future of head coach Mike Wells. The post came days after the 36ers\u2019 97-77 loss to South East Melbourne, before their eventual semi-final win over the same opponent.<\/p>\n
Bogut, who is a minority owner of the Kings, did not publicly walk back the comments, despite Sydney reaching out to Adelaide\u2019s General Manager Matt Weston to apologise. The fallout was significant enough to be raised at an NBL owners\u2019 meeting, including discussion around a potential code of conduct for club officials.<\/p>\n
36ers owner Grant Kelley later addressed the issue on radio.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just thought it was very unfortunate for an assistant coach of another club to do that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 10: Nick Rakocevic of the 36ers reacts during game one of the NBL Playoff series match between Adelaide 36ers and South East Melbourne Phoenix at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, on March 10, 2026, in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Sarah Reed\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
GOORJIAN WELCOMES \u2018HEALTHY\u2019 RIVARLY<\/p>\n
Legendary Kings coach Brian Goorjian spoke on the Big Sports Breakfast on Tuesday morning, acknowledging Saturday\u2019s encounter between Rakocevic and Bogut was a continuation of what had become a tense rivarly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot (of feeling). A lot has taken place over the course of the year and I think it\u2019s healthy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s [Rakocevic] an emotional guy. I have no idea what went on there. I know he didn\u2019t want to shake Boges\u2019 hand …I don’t know anything that took place… but we haven\u2019t taken any note of that .<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been little dialogue that\u2019s gone on all year, whether it\u2019s the MVP, whether it\u2019s initially how I\u2019m using Xavier Cooks or what Bogut had to say about Mike Wells.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m aware of it but it is like water of a duck\u2019s back (for me)…. There\u2019s a game to play\u201d<\/p>\n
The rivalry rolls on in Game Two of the NBL Finals, set for Friday, March 27 at 7:30pm AEDT at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An awkward post-game exchange between two strong personalities stole the spotlight in Game One of the NBL\u2019s Championship…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":561471,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-561470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=561470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/561470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/561471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=561470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=561470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=561470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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