Introduction
Ben King (born 7 July 2000) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has a twin brother Max King, who plays for the St Kilda.
Early life
King was born in Melbourne, Victoria. He and his twin brother Max began playing Australian rules football for the East Sandringham Football Club in the South Metro Junior Football League. The twins worked their way through the junior ranks before both being selected to represent the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup while also attending Haileybury.
Ben's draft stocks rose in his final year of junior football when his brother's ACL injury allowed him to play as the key forward for the Victoria Metro team at the U18 National Championships. He was subsequently named the All-Australian full forward for his performances during the championships. His junior football came to an end in mid-September 2018 when Sandringham fell to Dandenong in the TAC Cup preliminary final.
In November 2018, he was drafted by Gold Coast with their sixth selection in the 2018 national draft.
AFL career
King made his AFL debut for Gold Coast against Port Adelaide in the ninth round of the 2019 AFL season. In round 19 of the 2019 season, he earned a nomination for the 2019 AFL Rising Star after a four goal performance while playing on highly experienced Essendon defender Cale Hooker. King rejected offers to return to Victoria in October 2019 by signing a two-year extension with the Suns.