NICKNAME/S: Neon Leon, Above The Rim

BIO: Leon Leroy Trimmingham was born on the Caribbean island of Saint Croix (part of the American Virgin Islands). Trimmingham attended American University in Puerto Rico for a year before accepting a scholarship to play at Briar Cliff University (US state Iowa) in NAIA in 1993.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Leon Trimmingham made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 23 years of age. He scored 32 points in his first game.

After three seasons with import duo Dwayne McClain and Ken McClary, Sydney coach Bob Turner chose to go in a different direction in 1994. With rumours McClain’s rise in popularity had created difficulties in coaching the star, the Kings did not re-sign McClain or McClary, while Tony De Ambrosis (to Gold Coast), Wayne Womack, James Carr, John Blake and Mike Kenny also did not return. Greg Hubbard, Damian Keogh, Dean Uthoff, Mark Dalton, Tim Morrissey and Jody Austin returned from the previous season.

Turner signed swingman Mario Donaldson (via Omaha) after spotting him playing during Omaha’s 1993 CBA championship season and paired him with relatively unknown forward Leon Trimmingham (via Briar Cliff University), who had been recommended by former Hobart coach Dr David Atkins. Neil Turner (via Hobart) and Brad Williams were also added to the roster.

Sydney opened the season against defending champions South East Melbourne at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on April 9, where Trimmingham (32 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks) made 12-of-16 field goals in a spectacular NBL debut as the Kings won 110-100. Donaldson (28 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 blocks) and Hubbard (21 points and 4 assists) provided the additional scoring, while Bruce Bolden (25 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Tony Ronaldson (25 points and 7 rebounds) led the Magic.

Trimmingham (27.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 2.2 blocks across 29 games) appeared in every game this season and immediately became one of the league’s most exciting players, with his nightly pyrotechnics drawing crowds to the Kingdome like moths to a flame. Sydney won its first three games before suffering its first loss in Perth and reached the halfway mark at 8-3, looking like a title contender, but the lack of experience amongst the roster began to show as the Kings went 8-7 over the remainder of the regular season.

Trimmingham’s best game of the season came against Wollongong at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on May 14, where Trimmingham (42 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) made 17-of-23 field goals and all eight of his free throws as Sydney defeated the Hawks 120-102. Donaldson (26 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Hubbard (19 points and 8 assists) provided the support, while Butch Hays (32 points and 4 steals) was Wollongong’s best.

Six days later, Trimmingham (38 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks) produced an extraordinary shooting performance against Canberra, making 14-of-15 field goals and 10-of-12 free throws as Sydney defeated the Cannons 99-88. Donaldson (23 points, 6 assists, and 2 blocks) and Keogh (12 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals) helped the Kings to the win, while Fred Herzog (29 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists) and Jason Reese (28 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 steals) led Canberra.

Trimmingham’s highest-scoring game came against North Melbourne on June 18, where Trimmingham (43 points, 15 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks) made 17-of-22 field goals and played all 48 minutes. Hubbard (20 points) and Donaldson (10 points, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks) provided support, but Darryl McDonald (24 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 8 steals), Pat Reidy (23 points and 6 rebounds) and Rod Johnson (20 points) led the Giants to a 118-98 win.

During the season Trimmingham was also selected to play for the NBL All-Stars against the Australian Boomers in Sydney, where Trimmingham (19 points) and Lanard Copeland (19 points) led the All-Stars in scoring before Australia won 133-101. His explosive play made him a fan favourite across the league and earned him the nickname ‘Above the Rim’, with his number 42 singlet becoming one of the most recognisable jerseys around the Kingdome.

Trimmingham led Sydney in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots, finished second in NBL scoring behind league MVP Andrew Gaze, won the Kings’ club MVP award and was selected to the All-NBL First Team in his first season in the league.

Leon Trimmingham aka Neon Leon aka Above The Rim Trim aka arguably the greatest NBL dunker of all-time ?#FlashbackFriday ?: @TakuBeats 'Shut It Down' pic.twitter.com/cRQF0zpE02

— The NBL (@NBL) July 5, 2019

Donaldson (22.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.8 steals across 29 games) provided Sydney with deadly outside scoring and lockdown defence, while Hubbard (18.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.2 steals across 29 games) gave the Kings another dangerous perimeter scorer. Keogh (11.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.9 steals across 29 games) directed the offence, while Uthoff (8.3 points and 9.3 rebounds across 29 games) and Dalton (8.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals across 29 games) provided the majority of the frontcourt support.

Sydney closed the regular season against Geelong at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on September 24, where Trimmingham (29 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks), Hubbard (22 points and 3 steals) and Donaldson (18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals) led the Kings to a 102-97 win, while Everette Stephens (22 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals) and Simon Kerle (19 points and 5 assists) led Geelong. The victory left Sydney seventh with a 16-10 record.

Sydney drew second-placed North Melbourne in the quarterfinals and entered the series as decided underdogs after the Giants had beaten them in both regular-season meetings. In front of a Monday night crowd of 9,092 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, the Kings exploded to an 11-0 lead inside the opening 71 seconds and led 43-25 after the first period before receiving a standing ovation as they headed to halftime ahead 77-51. Hubbard (32 points, 4 assists, and 7 steals) made eight of nine three-pointers, Donaldson (27 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists) made three of four and Keogh (18 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists) made four of five as Sydney connected on 15 of 18 three-pointers, an incredible 83.3 per cent, while Trimmingham (26 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 4 blocks) controlled the paint. Paul Maley (26 points) and McDonald (11 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals) led North Melbourne as Sydney won 131-109.

Game two moved to Melbourne, where Trimmingham (22 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks), Donaldson (18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks) and Keogh (11 points and 5 assists) led Sydney, but Reidy (28 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists), Maley (17 points and 9 rebounds), Darryl Pearce (17 points) and McDonald (14 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals) led North Melbourne to a 112-91 win and levelled the series.

The deciding game remained in Melbourne, where Trimmingham (31 points and 10 rebounds), Keogh (21 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Dalton (16 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals) led Sydney, while Maley (33 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals), Reidy (24 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals) and McDonald (17 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists) led the eventual champions as North Melbourne won 104-95.

1995
After a great start to the 1994 season, the Kings collapsed during the second half of the year with the team’s young roster felt to be the cause. Veteran talent Phil Smyth (Adelaide), Justin Withers (Canberra) and import Bruce Bolden (SE Melbourne), who would replace fan favourite Mario Donaldson, would bring the experience required in spades.

The Kings starting lineup had increased from the average age of 28 to 31, which meant although they had added a ton of experience, this roster would only have one or two years to make it count.

The season started with a narrow 85-86 loss to Bolden’s former team, the Magic, before a up-and-down season, where the Kings defeated a number of league’s top team’s but failed to close out games against those at the bottom of the ladder. Sydney would start the season with a 3-6 record, which included wins over Perth and North Melbourne, who would finish first and third, respectively, but suffered back-to-back losses to Canberra (who would finish tenth) and lost games to Townsville (finished 12th) and Gold Coast (finished 13th).

Leon Trimmingham (27.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.1 steals and 2.2 blocks) was named Kings team MVP after leading the team in scoring, rebounds, steals and blocks as Bolden (20.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals) and captain Damian Keogh (14.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals) provided the additional scoring power. Sydney finished the season in tenth place with a record of 10-16 and failed to reach the playoffs.

Trimmingham numbers placed him in the top five in the NBL for poinnts, rebounds aand blocks and he was named second-team All-NBL.

It was during this season where Trimmingham became a household name and was featured on a “Always Jammin'” series of Coca-Cola cans.

Leon then played for the Adelaide 36ers in the NBL for the 1996 and 1997 seasons. During his two seasons with Adelaide, Leon averaged 21.5 points and 7 rebounds which was a dramatic decrease from the 27 points and 11 rebounds he averaged with Sydney but it never stemmed his popularity. He was a four-time All-Star in his four seasons in Australia and, despite being used as the 36ers sixth man during his second season with the 36ers he was still voted into the 1997 NBL All-Star game by the fans.

Although Adelaide were a fast paced, run and gun team like the Sydney Kings they weren’t able to get the best of out Leon and he was reduced to the team’s second unit for most of his second season with the 36ers and was not offered a contract to return, ending his time in Australia.

John Rillie finds Leon Trimmingham for the Stuff!!! Anyone remember how this game ended?? I will post the video of the ending later. @johnrillie @Adelaide36ers pic.twitter.com/VYifbyhOxf— RANDOM HOOPS (@HoopsRandom) March 13, 2023

ADELAIDE 36ERS
1996
Adelaide entered the 1996 offseason needing to reshape its rotation after Perth ended its previous campaign in the semifinals, with the series remembered for Chris Blakemore’s vicious elbow to the head of a Wildcats forward.

The fallout continued as Blakemore (to Canberra) and 36ers MVP Robert Rose (to Canberra) both left after falling out of favour with head coach Mike Dunlap, while long-distance specialist Mike McKay (to Brisbane) and Scott Ninnis (to Newcastle) also exited the club.

Dunlap entered his third season as coach and recruited strongly, signing slam-dunking forward Leon Trimmingham (via Sydney) and, funnily enough, Martin Cattalini (via Perth), who had been on the receiving end of Blakemore’s elbow during the previous postseason.

Reigning Rookie of the Year John Rillie (via Brisbane) and American guard Rick Brunson, who had narrowly missed selection in the NBA Draft, were also added, while Mark Davis, Brett Maher and Brett Wheeler returned from the previous season’s main rotation.

Adelaide opened the season at the Clipsal Powerhouse on April 14, where Leon (26 points) made an immediate impact above the rim as the 36ers defeated Townsville 117-77, while Clarence Tyson (22 points) led the Suns.

Trimmingham (19.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.5 steals) appeared in all 31 games, finished second on the team in scoring and led Adelaide in rebounding as his athleticism provided the 36ers with an explosive finisher around the basket.

Brunson (21.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 2.5 steals) led Adelaide in scoring and won club MVP honours, while Maher (15.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.9 steals) continued to develop into one of the league’s leading Australian guards.

Rillie (13.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.2 steals), Davis (12.7 points and 8.2 rebounds), Wheeler (9.0 points and 6.6 rebounds) and Cattalini (8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds) completed Dunlap’s main rotation.

On May 24, Trimmingham (35 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block) produced his best game of the season, shooting 14-of-24 from the field, although North Melbourne edged Adelaide 90-89 behind Pat Reidy (23 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Paul Rees (18 points and 9 rebounds).

Trimmingham was selected to the NBL All-Star Game for the third consecutive season and led all scorers for the South All-Stars, with Trimmingham (32 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks) producing a series of spectacular dunks before the North won 146-132 behind Darryl McDonald (22 points, 10 rebounds, 15 assists, and 5 steals).

Maher also earned his first NBL All-Star selection and was chosen for the Australian Boomers at the Atlanta Olympics during the NBL season, helping Australia finish fourth after losing the bronze medal game to Lithuania.

On September 14, Trimmingham (16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) supported Maher (37 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block), who shot 13-of-15 from the field and 11-of-12 from three as Adelaide defeated Brisbane 105-98, matching the club record for three-pointers made in a game.

Brunson (24 points and 9 assists) and Rillie (15 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals) also contributed, while Leroy Loggins (34 points and 2 blocks), Steve Woodberry (27 points) and Mike Mitchell (13 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 steals) led Brisbane.

One week later, Trimmingham (30 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks) returned to the Sydney Entertainment Centre for the first time since not being re-signed by the Kings, but Isaac Burton (36 points), Shane Heal (23 points and 12 assists) and Melvin Thomas (16 assists) led Sydney to a 140-120 win.

Adelaide completed the regular season in sixth place with a 16-10 record and returned to the playoffs for the third consecutive year under Dunlap.

The campaign proved Dunlap’s last with Adelaide after the sudden death of his father led him back to the United States, while the club board retained Davis after the coach requested the veteran be released to create more opportunities for the team’s younger players.

Adelaide opened the quarterfinals at home on October 4, where Brunson (27 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals), Trimmingham (20 points) and Rillie (20 points) led the 36ers to a 103-93 win, while Andrew Vlahov (30 points), Scott Fisher (15 points) and James Crawford (14 points) were Perth’s best.

Game two moved to the Perth Entertainment Centre, where Crawford (23 points and 12 rebounds), Ricky Grace (21 points and 6 rebounds), Todd Lichti (20 points and 5 rebounds) and Anthony Stewart (15 points) led the Wildcats to a 115-92 win, while Brunson (27 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists), Trimmingham (12 points and 6 rebounds) and Maher (8 points and 5 rebounds) were best for Adelaide.

Two nights later, Adelaide won the deciding game 114-104 in Perth behind Rillie (24 points), Trimmingham (22 points), Brunson (21 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals), Maher (21 points) and Davis (18 points), while Grace (28 points), Vlahov (19 points) and Crawford (17 points) led the Wildcats.

Adelaide returned home for game one against South East Melbourne, where Trimmingham (23 points and 9 rebounds), Brunson (17 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, and 2 steals) and Maher (14 points) kept the 36ers within one possession, while Tony Ronaldson (20 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists) led the Magic to an 87-86 win.

Game two moved to Melbourne Park, where Sam MacKinnon (20 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists), Chris Anstey (14 points and 6 rebounds) and Ronaldson (11 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists) led the eventual champions, while Trimmingham (10 points), Brunson (17 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists) and Maher (9 points and 3 rebounds) were Adelaide’s main scorers, with Trimmingham held to 3-of-12 shooting in a 112-81 loss.

ADELAIDE 36ERS
1997
After Adelaide’s 1996 campaign ended in the semifinals, club MVP Rick Brunson (to the United States) and Simon O’Donnell did not return, while Mike Dunlap’s three-year stint as coach also came to an end. Following the sudden death of his father, Dunlap returned to the United States to be closer to his family, while his request that Adelaide release club legend Mark Davis and focus on younger players also placed him at odds with the club board, which retained Davis and agreed Dunlap would not return. Adelaide promoted Dunlap’s assistant and former Gold Coast Rollers coach Dave Claxton as his replacement.

Brett Maher took over as captain from Davis, while Leon Trimmingham, John Rillie, Brett Wheeler, Martin Cattalini, Davis, Brad McKinnon and Nathan Hawkes returned. New additions included Rupert Sapwell (via Geelong), Scott Ninnis (via Newcastle) and import big man Jeff Brown, who replaced Brunson on the roster.

Adelaide opened the season at the Clipsal Powerhouse on April 13, where Trimmingham (15 points and 10 rebounds) recorded a double-double, while Maher (12 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) and Cattalini (11 points and 3 rebounds) provided support, but Sam MacKinnon (19 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 steals) helped South East Melbourne hold on for an 85-83 win.

Trimmingham (19.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals across 29 games) led Adelaide in both scoring and rebounding despite being moved to the second unit and used as the 36ers’ sixth man for much of his second season with the club. He appeared in 29 of Adelaide’s 30 games, with his only non-appearance coming against North Melbourne on May 3 and no confirmed injury linked to the absence. His popularity remained strong and Trimmingham was voted into the 1997 NBL All-Star Game by the fans, giving him four All-Star selections across his four seasons in Australia. The game was played at the Sydney Entertainment Centre and became the league’s final All-Star Game until the event returned in 2003/04.

John Rillie finds Leon Trimmingham for the Stuff!!! Anyone remember how this game ended?? I will post the video of the ending later. @johnrillie @Adelaide36ers pic.twitter.com/VYifbyhOxf— RANDOM HOOPS (@HoopsRandom) March 13, 2023

On April 19, Trimmingham (30 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks) delivered his first 30-point performance of the season, but Mario Donaldson (25 points and 4 assists) led Canberra to a 97-85 win at the AIS Arena despite Maher (17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) and Brown (10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals) providing support, leaving Adelaide 0-2.

Claxton had planned for Brown (7.7 points and 3.8 rebounds across 6 games) to play beside Trimmingham and Davis (9.4 points and 6 rebounds across 30 games) in a dominant frontcourt similar to those which had delivered Perth its recent championships, but the import was released after six games when it became clear he was not the player Adelaide needed. Adelaide brought back former big man Willie Simmons (via the state leagues), who had not played in the NBL since 1994 and was now 35 years old, as Brown’s replacement. Simmons (5.6 points and 4 rebounds across 23 games) added what he could to Adelaide’s frontcourt for the remainder of the season.

On June 27, Trimmingham (27 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks) made 10 of 14 field goals as Adelaide defeated North Melbourne 114-99 at the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre, with Maher (25 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals) and Rillie (20 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists) providing support, while Mike Mitchell (20 points) was North Melbourne’s leading scorer.

Trimmingham’s best game came against his former team Sydney at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on August 23, where Trimmingham (30 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) made 10 of 14 field goals and four of five three-pointers as Adelaide defeated the Kings 112-100. Maher (21 points, 7 assists, and 2 steals) and Wheeler (20 points) provided support, while Isaac Burton (30 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals) led Sydney.

Maher (18.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.9 steals across 30 games) produced his strongest season to that point, winning Adelaide’s club MVP award, earning All-NBL Second Team honours and joining Trimmingham in the NBL All-Star Game during his first year as captain. Rillie (13.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.2 steals across 30 games), Wheeler (12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds across 30 games), Cattalini (8.5 points and 3.6 rebounds across 30 games) and McKinnon (5.8 points across 26 games) completed Claxton’s other main contributors alongside Davis.

Although Trimmingham remained Adelaide’s leading scorer and rebounder, his move to the second unit was followed by the 36ers choosing not to offer him a contract for 1998, ending his four seasons in the NBL.

In what became his final NBL game, Trimmingham (11 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 block), Cattalini (30 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Wheeler (19 points and 15 rebounds) faced Melbourne at the Clipsal Powerhouse on September 27, where Andrew Gaze (36 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists) led the Tigers to a 110-104 win. Cattalini made 14 of 21 field goals and nearly forced the game into overtime as Adelaide suffered its fourth consecutive loss and finished seventh with a 14-16 record after going 7-8 at home and 7-8 away, missing the playoffs for the first time since 1992.

Leon Trimmingham played four seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Sydney Kings and the Adelaide 36ers. He averaged 23.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 115 NBL games.

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