Fuming Hawks slam spy claims

THE rivalry between the Sydney Kings and the Illawarra Hawks has reached breaking point after Hawks co-owner and president Dorry Kordahi fired back at Kings owner Paul Smith for making “disappointing” and “borderline defamatory” comments on radio.

Tensions between the Hawks and Kings are high after Smith went on SEN Radio on Tuesday to discuss News Corp’s exclusive story detailing Sydney accusing Kordahi of spying on a training session at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong prior to the two clubs’ cancelled pre-season game in late November.

Smith also made claims that the Hawks co-owner had been dismissive of league protocols for some time.

Kordahi released a statement on Wednesday denying Smith’s claims and expressing his dismay at his comments.

“I am extremely disappointed with the comments made by Smith, particularly those that were disrespectful to me and were nothing short of a personal attack, questioning my integrity and bordering on defamation of character,” Kordahi said.

“To accuse me of ‘spying’ is quite frankly silly and ridiculous and speaks to a Kings ‘culture’ of paranoia, distrust, and antagonism.

“Smith also made claims on radio that I ‘have been dismissive of league staff, loose with protocols, and generally disrespectful to people around the league’. This is utterly, blatantly false, and I would challenge Smith to provide any evidence of this.”

Kordahi said he had always had the utmost respect for the NBL and its partners.

He believes this was highlighted prior to Illawarra’s opening away game against the 36ers in Adelaide.

“I had a very productive breakfast meeting with the 36ers chairman and owner Grant Kelley, after which I invited Grant to attend the Hawks training session with me that day,” he said.

“As for the claims by Smith around the code of conduct and protocols – again, I would ask that Smith would provide evidence of my being ‘loose’ with protocols or ignoring the code of conduct.”

Kordahi also hit out at Smith for a “blatant” lack of understanding of the history of the Sydney Kings when he said the Hawks boss was an owner of the Kings during the 2007-2008 season before the organisation folded.

“This is incorrect – I was a part-owner of the club during the 2007-2008 season before the organisation folded,” he said. “What Paul obviously doesn’t know is that I also headed up a group that raised $1m in less than three weeks in an attempt to save the Kings prior to their expulsion from the league. I had every intention of ensuring the survival of the Kings at the time.”