Former Hobart Devils and Wellington Saints legend Kenny McFadden dies aged 61
March 25, 2022
Kenny McFadden
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 24/12/65
- Place of Birth: East Lansing, Michigan (USA)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 188
- Weight (KG): 84
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Washington State University
- NBL DEBUT: 4/04/92
- AGE AT DEBUT: 26
- LAST NBL GAME: 18/04/92
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 26
- NBL History: Hobart 1992
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Kenny McFadden was born in East Lansing, Michigan (USA).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Kenny McFadden made his NBL debut with the Hobart Devils at 26 years of age. He scored 37 points in his first game.
The Devils struggled to earn wins in those days and after only three games, where he averaged 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists, he was replaced with replaced by former league MVP Joe Hurst.
Kenny McFadden played one season in the NBL. He averaged 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists in 3 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 26 | Hobart | 9-15 (11) | 3 | 103 | 60 | 9 | 22 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 19 | 50 | 38% | 1 | 5 | 20% | 21 | 25 | 84% | 48% | 39% | 37 | Totals | 3 | 103 | 60 | 9 | 22 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 19 | 50 | 38.0% | 1 | 5 | 20.0% | 21 | 25 | 84.0% | 49% | 39% | 37 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 26 | Hobart | 9-15 (11) | 3 | 34.3 | 20.0 | 3.0 | 7.3 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 6.3 | 16.7 | 38% | 0.3 | 1.7 | 20% | 7.0 | 8.3 | 84% | 48% | 39% | 37 | Total | 3 | 34.3 | 20.0 | 3.0 | 7.3 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 6.3 | 16.7 | 38.0% | 0.1 | 20.0% | 0.3 | 1.7 | 84.0% | 49% | 39% | 37 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 37 | 5 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
|---|
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- New Zealand - Wellington Saints (1982–1996)
McFadden joined the Wellington Saints for the 1982 Conference Basketball League season, playing his first season in New Zealand, and he helped the club win the second-division title to secure promotion into the New Zealand NBL.
In the Saints’ debut season in the top flight in 1983, McFadden led Wellington to the NBL Grand Final and, across the 1983 and 1984 seasons, he was named both the league’s Most Outstanding Guard and scoring champion in each year, while also earning All-Star Five selection alongside players including Ben Anthony, Stan Hill, Clyde Huntley, and Thomas DeMarcus.
Wellington won NBL championships in 1984 and 1985, with the 1985 Grand Final against Auckland going to overtime before McFadden hit a three-point buzzer beater to clinch a 114–111 title win, and his Saints career ultimately included championship seasons in 1987 and 1988 as well as runner-up finishes in 1983, 1986, and 1991.
McFadden played for the Saints through to his retirement in 1996, and his New Zealand NBL record is documented at 252 games and 5,004 points for a career scoring average over 20 points per game, with additional league honours including assist-champion seasons in 1985, 1987, and 1991 and All-Star Five selections in 1983–1985 and 1988.
COLLEGE
McFadden played college basketball at Washington State University from 1980 to 1982. He arrived in Pullman in the fall of 1980 after two years of junior college basketball and joined a roster being rebuilt under head coach George Raveling in the Pacific-10 Conference.
In 1980-81, he played 27 games and handled a heavy workload of 36.9 minutes per game, producing 11.8 points and 3.2 assists per game while the Cougars went 10-17 overall and 3-15 in Pac-10 play to finish 10th in the conference standings.
That 1980-81 season also included 57 steals in 27 games, an average of 2.11 steals per game, placing him among Washington State’s single-season steals leaders and single-season steals-per-game leaders in the program’s modern record listings.
In 1981-82, McFadden played his senior season as Washington State improved to 16-14 overall and 10-8 in Pac-10 play to place 5th in the conference, and his role shifted with the arrivals of Guy Williams and Craig Ehlo while he remained part of the team’s on-court leadership group.
During that 1981-82 campaign, he averaged 5.7 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game as the Cougars took a step forward and set the platform for the program’s subsequent rise in the early 1980s.
LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL
McFadden was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease in 2017 and put on dialysis.McFadden was also a mentor to many young Kiwi basketball players, including NBA star Steven Adams. He helped develop the talents of the Kiwis and was a part of the team's development.
The New Zealand Basketball Academy and the Hoop Club are named after him.
Kenny 'Mac-Attack' McFadden passed away on March 24, 2022, aged 61, following a battle with polycystic kidney disease.
Basketball New Zealand and the Wellington Saints paid tribute to him following his passing. NBA player Steven Adams, whom McFadden had mentored, remembered him as a father figure whose support had changed his life.
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