Kenny McFadden

Tēnā tatou katoa On behalf of the New Zealand Basketball Academy, it is with our deepest, deepest sadness, that we acknowledge the passing of our coach, ...

Kenny McFadden, who has passed away aged 61 after a battle with kidney disease, was the face of Wellington basketball for four decades.

He never strayed from the fundamentals, and popping in for a scrimmage years after attending a morning training, one would still hear Kenny telling kids to eat their veges. But the next week he was back on the court in his tracksuit, yelling out spots for shooting, looking out for the next kid who just needed someone to invest in them. Then there’s a short clip from a women’s amateur basketball game in America, showing a player hustling hard to make a steal and score a lay-up. It was always cold in there, and at 6am in the middle of winter, it was freezing. Over three decades, Kenny was the man willing to invest in young basketball players in Wellington. His consistency both in how he approached the game and in his care for the many players he coached is arguably more impressive than his 1985 overtime buzzer beater in the NBL grand final. This was in the 90s and early 2000s. It was quite literally impossible to be invested in the sport in any way without knowing who he was. Kenny would sit on one of the benches at the far end, full tracksuit with hood up, and watch. Kenny coached everyone the same. Kenny never discriminated on the court. Few people manage to become synonymous with a place, but Kenny and show buildings (the old winter showgrounds) were one and the same. After six consecutive NBL grand final appearances (with four championships), Kenny returned as an assistant coach in 2010 and again in 2019.

He won four championships with the Wellington Saints and helped coach and develop young players.

Whether it was academics or on the court. First impressions of him were always positive because of his contagious smile and swag. Beginning of dialog window.