Rod and Gabi VS The Return of the Canberra Cannons BONUS

South Sudanese-Australian basketball star Bul Kuol joins Rod and Gabi ahead of his big return to Canberra for the NBL Blitz.

The Sydney Kings guard reflects on his journey from Lake Ginninderra College to NBL stardom, and what the Blitz means for local hoops fans.

Plus, did he hint a Canberra Cannons return?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
And Gabby g We were excited when we got the
news that the NBL is coming back to Camera, and
that's because we said, we've been saying it for too long.
We need the Cannons, that's right. And while that is
a work in progress, and I think, you know, when
it comes to all these different things that may or

(00:21):
may not happen with National Sports or Camera being represented
in national sporting comms, I think that's the one I'm
most confident about.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
It's one I'm most invested in.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
That's for sure. That's for sure. And we have some
incredible Canberrans that play in the NBL. But the NBL's
returned to Canberra is going to be in the form
of the Blitz of the pre season basketball Blitz August
twenty seven to thirty one. I got on the other day.
I tee the tickets not sold out, but there's a
chunk on and of course I suppose without the Canberra Cannons,

(00:57):
we got to go, well, who's our nearest team, Sidney
King's the La Lakers of Australian basketball. We go up
the road and we go to a can Baron who's
done very well. Who's playing up there? Bull quaal get
I mate, how are you traveling?

Speaker 3 (01:11):
I'm good. I appreciate you guys having me.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
Oh that's our pleasure. How happy are you to get
to come and play for your team in your hometown
in front of your family.

Speaker 3 (01:20):
At last, man, there's been a long time coming, especially
as a professional. My mom has never seen me play.
Most of my friends especially I've never seen me play it.
So it's a great opportunity, you know, not to just
bring the MBO level talent to the Canberra, but for

(01:41):
me it means a lot.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
Well, whoa, whoa? Your mom hasn't seen you play in
person since Churning. You've been You've played with Cans obviously
for a few seasons, and then moved to the Kings
last year, and you haven't got mom up there.

Speaker 3 (01:54):
She's come up here, but she's stubborn, so she never
saw me play. But the fact that I'm coming home
now so I'm bringing the game to her, She's got
no chance, is it?

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Because because growing up watching the Canberra Cannons play, you
would have been similar to me, and that going to
the as to see them would have been awesome. But
the Sydney Kings were like our arch enemy. Like they
were the team that we had to beat, Like you
could not go for the Sydney Kings. But now we
don't have the Cannons. The Kings are the closest thing.

(02:24):
But I still kind of have a bit of a
thing that is that coming into play.

Speaker 3 (02:29):
No, No, she's a bit more and she's just maybe
anxious about me being on the court.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Yeah, that's fair.

Speaker 3 (02:39):
Hopefully when we come back home, she she's able to
see me play and becomes a fan, and the Cannons
come back and that becomes the case.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
That's very exciting.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
Did you come home if the Cannons were to come back?

Speaker 1 (02:55):
You bet well. We fantasized. We fantasy book at all
the time and we reckon Patty Mills's due to come home,
and we just feel like if at all times out
he could be our inaugural captain coach. That's old school
when you've got a captain coach.

Speaker 3 (03:11):
Would very realistic.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
You think it could happen?

Speaker 3 (03:14):
Yeah, it's very realistic. Especially things go well a the
Blitz and the camera camera community comes out and they
show a lot of love and show why the Cannon
should come back. That creates a platform for Patty Mills
to return back home.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
Like this could actually have it your journey's extraordinary camera kid,
and then you find yourself in the backpacking capital of Australia, Cans,
playing for the Taipans for a few seasons, and now
you're in the bustling metropolis of Sydney. How is the
camera kid coping with this? You know, is bouncing around
the country for you.

Speaker 3 (03:48):
It's a change. Kans is very similar to Canbra and
it's not Camera is not as tropical. H We're freezing
in camera and it's like the perfect weather in Cans
right now. But I enjoyed Cans. It's it was the
same but different. It's small. You can get from one

(04:10):
side to the other pretty quickly. Sydney is basically on
the complete officers side. You can't there's no open land here.
The trees are right next to your house. Traffic CAUs
I parked on the main street. Yeah. So there's it's
a bigger city, a lot more going on. So I've

(04:32):
actually enjoyed the contrast, and I've had the summer to
really explore and see the city for what it is.
But I like to go home. I always like to
go home and get a break from all this noise was.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
A camera kid? Is it like Ginindari?

Speaker 3 (04:48):
Kid?

Speaker 1 (04:48):
You know we got stopped that can kill you. We
got red backs, we got stuff like that. But when
you're tapping cans, could you believe how many more things
could kill you?

Speaker 3 (04:59):
Oh yeah? The fact that you can't get in the
watery tells you not.

Speaker 1 (05:06):
A jellyfish quickly and the CROs.

Speaker 3 (05:13):
I'm gonna land animals. I never really explored the water
or go too much into the wild. I'm scared of spiders.

Speaker 1 (05:20):
We still got some here. This is not as big here.
That's this is fantastic. The basketball blists, the NBL coming
back to Canberra, and Bull's telling us we show up
for this thing that sends a message and we know
we've been saying it for ages, but I just tell
you a few sellout nights are going to lock us
in for a return of the camera cannons. And Well

(05:43):
hasn't said it, but I'm here and you coming home,
so I like the sound of this. It's August twenty
seven to thirty one. Get what tickets are left and
get them fast. These are going to be great sellout nights.
And the atmosphere of the AIS that we have missed
for years when it comes to watching live basketball is on.
Congratulations mate, this career is going fantastically. But we're very

(06:03):
very excited and I know you are too. To be
playing at the top tier of Australian basketball at home
for the first time. It's going to be really cool.

Speaker 3 (06:13):
Thank you man. I look forward to it.