{"id":744523,"date":"2026-06-18T13:24:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T13:24:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/744523\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T13:24:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T13:24:16","slug":"i-wanted-to-let-the-world-know-davis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/744523\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I wanted to let the world know’: Davis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since he set foot in Australia, Bryce Cotton has taken the NBL by storm.<\/p>\n

Across his 10 seasons with Perth and Adelaide, the guard has won six MVP awards and three championships.<\/p>\n

But that balance of power has potentially started to shift, with Cotton\u2019s growing rivalry with Sydney Kings star Kendric Davis.<\/p>\n

The pair have faced off 13 times since Davis arrived in the League for the 2024\u201325 season with the Sixers.<\/p>\n

Across that span, Davis is averaging 27.1 points, 9.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals, while also leading the Kings to the NBL26 championship.<\/p>\n

It was during that epic five-game Championship Series, in which Davis won MVP, that the pair\u2019s rivalry stepped up a notch.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Bryce, and I love everything he’s done,\u201d Davis said on NBL Now.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first entered the League, I told everybody over and over how much I admired what he’s done and how much I respect his game.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut at some point, it’s time for me to take that step in my career.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I see you [Bryce] win MVP, that’s a bonus that I could have got in my cheque that I could have won.<\/p>\n

\u201cOr if you win the championship, I’ve got to see you hold that trophy up for the next seven months. I want to hold that trophy up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s love and respect, but at some point, that has to go out the door, because if you respect someone and love them too much, you’ve already lost, and I understood that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like I was the best player in the League at that time, or I was playing the best basketball in the League at that time, and I want to let the world know that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old compared his rivalry with Cotton to two of the sport\u2019s all-time greats.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt [our rivalry] is like in the NBA, [where] Steph Curry grew up watching LeBron,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut at some point, it was time for him to be better than LeBron.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeBron loved Steph Curry when he first came into the League, but when Steph figured it out, that\u2019s when they became rivals.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow they’re at the end of their career, and they\u2019re friends. They understood at that time that we can’t be friends, because you are in the way of what I want.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat doesn’t mean it’s personal; it’s just basketball. It’s not life or death, and ain’t nobody dying.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s entertainment, it’s basketball, and this is how we feed our family.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first Championship Series rematch between Davis and Cotton is on Sunday, October 11 at Qudos Bank Arena from 3pm AEDT.<\/p>\n

> READ MORE: HOW THE NBL PREPARED KARIM LOPEZ FOR THE NBA<\/a><\/p>\n

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