Back in the day, Sydney Kings stars Dwayne McClain and Leon Trimmingham were as big as you could get in Sydney sport. Both were ubiquitous in Australian basketball in their respective eras and dominated both on the court and in the marketing arena — pulling fans to games and pushing them to spend their hard earned cash on products outside of the realms of basketball.
McClain, known as the D-Train, has been argued by many as perhaps the most talented import that Australian basketball has ever seen. He played 105 games for the Kings from 1991-1993, averaging 25.4ppg and ripping the hearts out of more than one opponent with buzzer-beating finishes. McClain had that rock-star charisma and smoothness that attracted people to him — he was the Michael Jordan of Australian basketball in many ways at that point in time. Whilst tearing apart opposing defences, he marketed his own line of D-Train Reebok Pumps off the court and appeared in commercials for brands as big as CityRail (Sydney trains) and Coca-Cola.
The D-Train paired with the hard-working Kenny McClary (father of Trevor Ariza) to form a solid import duo for the Kings, ably complemented by Aussie stars Damian “Three-o” Keogh, Tim Morrissey, the Dalton brothers (Mark and Brad) and naturalised Man Mountain, Dean Uhtoff. The team did not bring a title to Sydney, but they rallied the community around the Kings, making them the must-have ticket in a very crowded Sydney entertainment market. This was by far the most popular era of the purple and gold ballers.
The departure of the two Mcs was tough for Sydney fans, but they were greeted in 1994 by a new era of excitement with the arrival of Leon “Above the Rim” Trimmingham and Super Mario Donaldson. Trimmingham was as high-flying as imports come in the NBL. His highlight reel dunks, fuelled by his reported 42 inch vertical leap, renewed the excitement at the Sydney Entertainment Centre (aka the Kingdome). Donaldson, a smooth-shooting swingman, was the outside to Trimmo’s inside game. Kings fans would turn up weekly just waiting for the next huge dunk from Above the Rim and he would rarely disappoint. Both he and Donaldson were badly ripped off by an Elle McFeast-led judging panel at the All-Star Dunk Competition which awarded Brett Rainbow as the champion.
Trimmingham in ’94, like McClain in ’92, was an All-NBL First Team selection — proving his game was not just about excitement. These players also gave back to the community off the court. Through the leadership of then club owner, Mike Wrublewski, the Kings players visited schools and corporate sponsors, providing a greater connection between the sports stars and the fans. That connection has not been lost on these former Kings greats. Both have been in Sydney this week to honour the 63rd birthday of Wrublewski, who has been sadly stricken by cancer.
Wrublewski is worthy of a whole post of his own — which will be coming soon — as he was the man who revived the appeal of the Kings in Sydney. Both Trimmo and the D-Train feel that this appeal can return to a Kings franchise in Sydney and they state as much in the following video of their appearance on Fox Sports. The consensus between them is that they would return to Sydney if they felt that they could revive the Kings in the NBL — and they seem to think that it is possible.
The video is a good watch. It is clear that McClain, who has since been an advisor with Merrill Lynch in Philadelphia, still has that smooth charisma about him. The type of charisma that would be perfect to lead a franchise back into the league.
D-Train photo credit to Daily Telegraph
Video credit to the guy who sets the table like John Stockton: ryaninoz on youtube
