Brian Goorjian
Brian Warwick Goorjian (born 28 July 1953) is an American-Australian professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL). He is also coach of the Australia men's national basketball team. He is the most successful coach in Australian basketball and his career has been called the most successful in NBL history by Basketball Australia. In an NBL coaching career spanning over 20 years, Goorjian has won six championships: two with the South East Melbourne Magic, three with the Sydney Kings and one with the South Dragons. He previously served as the head coach of the Australia men's team from 2001 to 2008 before returning as coach in 2020.
Goorjian as head coach of the Sydney Kings in 2005 | |
| Sydney Kings | |
|---|---|
| Position | Head coach |
| League | NBL |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 28 July 1953 Glendale, California |
| Nationality | American / Australian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Crescenta Valley (La Crescenta, California) |
| College | Pepperdine (1973–1976) |
| NBA draft | 1976: undrafted |
| Playing career | 1977–1985 |
| Position | Guard |
| Coaching career | 1988–present |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1977–1985 | Melbourne Tigers |
| As coach: | |
| 1988–1991 | Eastside Spectres |
| 1992–1998 | South East Melbourne Magic |
| 1998–2002 | Victoria Titans |
| 2002–2008 | Sydney Kings |
| 2008–2009 | South Dragons |
| 2009–2015 | Dongguan Leopards |
| 2015–2016 | Guangdong Southern Tigers (assistant) |
| 2018–2019 | Xinjiang Flying Tigers (assistant) |
| 2020–2022 | Illawarra Hawks |
| 2022–2023 | Bay Area Dragons |
| 2024–present | Sydney Kings |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As coach:
| |
In 2009, Goorjian became the head coach of the Dongguan Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and stayed with the team for six seasons. He served as an assistant coach for the Guangdong Southern Tigers from 2015 to 2016 and as a special advisor to the Shanghai Sharks from 2016 to 2018. Goorjian returned to coaching duties when he joined the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in 2018 as an assistant coach for one season. After spending a decade in the CBA, he returned to the NBL in 2020 as the head coach of the Illawarra Hawks. In 2024, he returned to the Kings as head coach, returning to the team he lasted coached in 2008.