Sam MacKinnon on the burdens being tagged an NBA prospect can bring, Boomers memories and coaching philosophies

Aussie Hoopla NBL & NBA Podcast

Sam MacKinnon played sixteen seasons across five NBL teams.

This included the South East Melbourne Magic, West Sydney Razorbacks, Townsville Crocodiles, Brisbane Bullets and Melbourne Tigers. He averaged 14.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 459 NBL games.

Injuries forced him to retire at only 33 years of age but despite that, he still etched out a Hall Of Fame career where he sits in the top 10 all-time for rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.

The all-round talent also represented Australia at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.

He joins host Dan Boyce to talk about some of the highs and lows of his NBL career and experiences from playing with the Australian Boomers.

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Topics include...

• Coaching the South East Melbourne Phoenix (2:00)

• Parallels between the career of Mitch Creek and Sam MacKinnon (5:30)

• Sam gives his side of the roller-coaster season with Brisbane where Sam acted as a GM, assistant and head coach (7:30)

• Should head coaches or team GMs select players for NBL teams (12:30)

• Do people still remember ‘Slammin’ Sam MacKinnon and the South East Melbourne Magic (13:30)

• The rivalry between the Magic and the Melbourne Tigers (18:00)

• Magic win the championship in 1996 (21:00)

• How Sam leaving the Magic created a huge rift in the Magic coaching staff (27:00)

• Playing for the Boomers in 1996 and the 2000 Sydney Olympics (30:00)

• The injuries that derailed Sam’s NBL and NBA opportunities (37:00)

• Winning the championship with the Brisbane Bullets in 2007 (41:00)

• The negative elements of being an NBA prospect his entire career (44:00)

• The demise of the Brisbane Bullets and ending his career with the Melbourne Tigers (48:00)

• The biggest hurdles and highlights from his playing career (50:00)

Head to Aussie Hoopla to check out previous podcasts featuring; Australian Basketball Legends - Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Mark Bradtke, Leroy Loggins, David Andersen, Andrew Vlahov, Phil Smyth, CJ Bruton, Chris Anstey, Brett Maher, Sam MacKinnon, John Rillie, Tony Ronaldson, Damian Martin, Brad Newley

Current NBL Stars - Bryce Cotton, Chris Goulding, Tyler Harvey, Dejan Vasiljevic, Thomas Abercrombie, Daniel Johnson, Jason Cadee, Mitch McCarron, Anthony Drmic, Luke Travers, Sam Froling, Jesse Wagstaff

Our Finest Coaching Minds - Brian Goorjian, Barry Barnes, Joey Wright, Adrian Hurley, Aaron Fearne, Rob Beveridge, Ian Stacker, Shawn Dennis, Dean Vickerman, Trevor Gleeson, Lindsey Gaze, Ken Cole, Will Weaver, Bruce Palmer

NBA Stars Past & Present - Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova, Stephen Jackson, Randy Livingston, Torrey Craig, Jack White, Acie Earl, Josh Childress, Reggie Smith, Todd Lichti, Ryan Broekhoff, Doug Overton

The NBL's Greatest Imports - Darryl McDonald, Ricky Grace, Derek Rucker, Leon Trimmingham, Scott Fisher, Lanard Copeland, Dwayne McClain, Darnell Mee, Shawn Redhage, Al Green, Steve Woodberry, Doug Overton, Kevin Lisch

And the men who run things - Larry Kestelman, Mal Speed, Paul Maley, Vince Crivelli, Jeremy Loeliger, Chris Pongrass, Jeff Van Groningen, Bob Turner, Danny Mills

All that and much more.

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