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McDonald signed for North Melbourne Giants after spending time in both Canada and the Continental Basketball Association in 1993, where he was later scouted by Brett Brown.
Brown, entering his second year in charge of the Giants, identified the six-foot-four point guard while scouting another CBA standout, and once contact with McDonald was made, the rest was history.
“It was a no-brainer (to come to Australia),” McDonald told Megan Hustwaite during the latest episode of TAB Courtside 1v1 on SBS - airing on at 7pm (AEDT) on Thursday March 31.
“I played in the CBA for four years. Everybody uses the CBA to get back in the NBA but, at that time, you could use the CBA to go to other countries.
“Even to this day, with Deano [Dean Vickerman] and Melbourne United, we use the G-League; we look at players out of the G-League so it’s similar.
“So, it was a no-brainer. It wasn’t nothing to do with money - I actually didn’t care about the money - I just wanted to get out of the CBA.
“I knew about Australia because of Ricky Grace. I knew Rick and I played against Rick in college… and I knew he was over here – and I knew they took point guards.
“So yeah, it was just, ‘get me over there’ and that was it.”
McDonald would go on to spend 15 seasons in the NBL, winning three championships alongside a host of individual honours in subsequent stints with the Victoria Titans and Melbourne Tigers.
But for all the 57-year-old’s accomplishments, complete with Good Hands and All-Star Game MVP awards, it was McDonald’s first season in Australia that won his heart.
The prized import finished runner-up in both NBL MVP voting and the Best Defensive Player Award in 1994, having led the Giants to a maiden championship under the North Melbourne moniker.
It was a season to savour for the man affectionately known as “D-Mac”. One that began with a slow start and ended in a lifelong relationship with Australian basketball.
“It was eye-opening,” McDonald said. “I didn’t know what to expect coming here (in 1994).
“We had our training camp down in Warrnambool, and they’re doing two-ball drills. I couldn’t dribble with two balls – back then, I was like, ‘I don’t need two balls, you only dribble with one’.
“So, we did the camp, came back, and had our first pre-season game – it was okay.
“But then, first game of the season, I’m playing against Ricky Grace. He had 29 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists on me in the first game of the season.
“So, you know what everybody’s saying: ‘he shouldn’t be here, he’s not that good. We’ve got to get rid of him’.
“And so, you hear all this stuff, but after that game, that was it. I kind of went on a tear – scoring, assists, rebounds.
“We played against him again and he didn’t have a good game, but we just rolled through the league.
“One game I had 25 (points), 14 assists, nine rebounds and 12 steals or something – in one game!
“That was it; that first season is probably the reason I’m still here. I ended up having a good year and we ended up winning the championship.”
McDonald now spends his time as assistant coach of Melbourne United, where he has helped Dean Vickerman guide United to the title in 2021.
In the full interview with Hustwaite, McDonald reflects on the early years of his career, his move to Australia, and the NBL.
The interview is part of an SBS series - TAB Courtside 1v1, which gives fans a chance to get to know more about the unique personalities that help shape the sport of basketball in Australia.
Hustwaite, who has been covering all levels of Australian basketball for the past 13 years as a reporter, commentator and journalist, will helm the weekly show - every Thursday at 7pm (AEDT) via the SBS Sport Facebook page - where she interviews stars of the past, present and future.
How to watch TAB Courtside 1v1 Season 2 with Megan Hustwaite
• Catch up on previous episodes via the SBS Sport Facebook page
