Darryl McDonald (3x NBL Champion) talks Melbourne cross-town rivalries then and now

Dan Boyce sits down with 3x NBL champion and the league's all-time leader in steals Darryl MacDonald to talk about his NBL career playing for Melbourne based NBL teams North Melbourne Giants, Victoria Titans/Giants, and Melbourne Tigers.

Over his career, "DMAC" played in 486 games, winning the NBL championship during his rookie NBL season with the Giants (1994), playing alongside Andrew Gaze, Mark Bradtke and Lanard Copeland with the Melbourne Tigers before notching up another two NBL titles playing alongside Chris Anstey in 2006 and 2008.

With the NBL's Throwdown III this weekend, we take the opportunity to talk about what makes a rivalry and the heated battles between Melbourne based teams during the 1990s and 2000s with one of the biggest names in Melbourne basketball.

Topics include...

• Perth isn't getting the credit they deserve (2:00)
• Coaching in the NBL1 (7:00)
• NBL coaching aspirations (11:00)
• Comparing the coaching styles of Brett Brown, Brian Goorjian and Lindsey Gaze (15:30)
• Fitting into the Melbourne Tigers and playing with Andrew Gaze and Lanard Copeland (21:00)
• The time Dmac almost signed with Wollongong (25:00)
• Being told he was "slowing down" before proving critics wrong and playing another five seasons (36:00)
• Corey "Homicide" Williams NBL commentary... good or bad? (40:00)
• The return of the Melbourne cross-town rivalries and Melbourne United Vs South East Melbourne Magic (43:00)
• Are South East Melbourne Phoenix, the real deal or overrated? (49:00)
• The Melbourne rivalries of the '90s (52:00)

Visit manikinnlabel.com and enter the promo code hoopla to receive 20% the Manikinn Aquapurse.

Visit dunk.com.au for your next set of basketball uniforms.

All of this and a whole lot more...

Listen to our previous interviews with the biggest stars in Australian Basketball, head to Aussiehoopla.com. Check out previous podcasts featuring;

Australian Basketball Legends - Luc Longley, Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Mark Bradtke, Leroy Loggins, David Andersen, Andrew Vlahov, CJ Bruton, Chris Anstey, Brett Maher, John Rillie, Tony Ronaldson, Brad Newley

Current NBL Stars - Kevin Lisch, AJ Ogilvy, Damian Martin, Daniel Kickert, Thomas Abercrombie, Jason Cadee, Bryce Cotton, Chris Goulding, Mitch McCarron, Cam Gliddon

Our Finest Coaching Minds - Brian Goorjian, Joey Wright, Adrian Hurley, Aaron Fearne, Rob Beveridge, Phil Smyth, Ian Stacker, Shawn Dennis, Dean Vickerman, Trevor Gleeson, Lindsey Gaze, Ken Cole

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

The NBL's Greatest Imports - Darryl McDonald, Ricky Grace, Derek Rucker, Leon Trimmingham, Scott Fisher, Lanard Copeland, Mike Mitchell, Darnell Mee, Isaac Burton, Shawn Redhage, Willie Farley, Al Green, Corey "Homicide" Williams, Andre Moore, Steve Woodberry, Mike Mitchell, Dusty Rychart

And the men who run things - Larry Kestelman, Paul Maley, Vince Crivelli, Jeremy Loeliger, Chuck Harmison, Jeff Van Groningen, Bob Turner

All that and much more. Follow @AussieHoopla on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and email at [e-mail]