Nick Kyrgios opens up on accomplishment that made him 'honestly blessed and proud'

• Tennis News
• ATP Tennis

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios feels "blessed and proud" to be a part owner of an Australian basketball team. At the start of 2023, it was announced that Kyrgios was joining the ownership group of South East Melbourne Phoenix.

The team, which was founded in 2018 and has been competing in Australia's NBL since 2019, has an ownership group that includes former and present NBA players - John Wall, Dante Exum, Al Harrington, Zach Randolph, and Josh Childress.

This past Sunday, Kyrgios was sitting courtside for South East Melbourne Phoenix's game against Melbourne United. Wall also attended the game and Kyrgios got to meet and spend some time with the first overall pick of the 2010 NBA draft.

Kyrgios posted a selfie with Wall on his Instagram Story and wrote: "Man every day I look back on my journey and how far I've come, and sometimes I don't believe it. Walking into packed out stadiums watching an NBL team that I'm a part owner in, next to one of the dopest NBA players.

This stuff is a movie man, I'm honestly blessed and so grateful. Proud of myself fr (for real)."

Kyrgios is very passionate about basketball

As a kid, Kyrgios played tennis and basketball simultaneously. In the end, Kyrgios switched to tennis full-time.

In 2015, Kyrgios said his love for basketball was far bigger than the one for tennis. "I don’t really like the sport of tennis that much. I don’t love it. It was crazy when I was 14. I was all for basketball and I made the decision to play tennis.

I got pushed by my parents and to this day I can still say I don’t love the sport. It’s good when you’re out there on a tennis court. There’s nowhere to hide. It’s all you, tactically, physically, mentally.

But I just love basketball, I love the sport. I always have. I try when I’m on the road with tennis not to watch too many basketball videos and stuff like that, to keep me focused," Kyrgios said in 2015.