Sydney Kings star Xavier Cooks has signed his maiden NBA contract and will join the Washington Wizards at the conclusion of the ongoing NBL championship series.
Cooks has been the form player of the NBL this season and was named the competition's MVP after guiding the Kings to a second-straight championship series.
He is averaging 15.32 points and 7.74 rebounds per game and garnered international attention for a poster dunk on Melbourne United's Isaac Humphries in October.
The 203cm forward's two-year deal with the Wizards will make him the 11th Australian contracted to an NBA side this season.
Cooks re-signed with the Kings in June but his three-year deal contained a clause allowing him to defect to the NBA or EuroLeague if offered a contract.
The 27-year-old had previously worked out with the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns in the 2018 and 2019 NBA Summer Leagues, respectively, and joins a Wizards side vying for post-season action.
With just over a month to go in the regular season, the Wizards sit in 10th position on the eastern conference standings, putting them in line for the play-in tournament.
The Kings revealed Cooks' NBA deal in a press release early Monday morning.
"I speak for the entire Kings family when I say we are thrilled for Xavier to take this next step to the NBA and realise his childhood dream," said Kings CEO Chris Pongrass.
"It is difficult to properly articulate the impact X has had on this club. His talent, leadership and innate desire to win completely shifted our trajectory these past four seasons.
"It is obvious that he is an NBA talent and belongs among the best players in the world.
"We thank X for his contribution to our club - he will forever be a King."
Cooks will next play for the Kings in the third game of the championship series with the New Zealand Breakers on Friday night.
On Sunday, Sydney levelled the series at 1-1 with a 81-74 road win despite losing Cooks and guard Derrick Walton Jr to leg injuries early on.
The Kings told AAP they expected neither would require scans and would line up on Friday night.
