About this episode

The episode explores the fierce rivalry between the Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks during the 1990s, featuring insights from key players.

We continue our deep dive into one of Aussie hoops' fiercest rivalries — Sydney vs Illawarra — looking at the success of both teams during the 1990s. Host Dan Boyce picks up where Episode 1 left off, bringing in Hawks legend Gordie McLeod to get his throughts on whether his move to Sydney in 1983 was the starting point of the Kings v Hawks rivalry, before moving their the success of both teams during the 1990s Featuring first-hand accounts from Gordie McLeod, Greg Hubbard , Dwayne McClain , and Bob Turner , this episode continues to blends personal stories of the NBL's boom period, while continuing to flesh out the history of the Hawks v Kings rivalry season by season. Topics include: McLeod on how the feud predates the Kings: state-league roots and the Snakepit lore (02:00) The early Snakepit atmosphere and crowd legends (24:00) 1988–89 Kings v Hawks: Norman Taylor's 41-point explosion as told by Greg Hubbard (33:30) Dwayne McClain and Bob Turner discuss how they helped turn Sydney into a contender (41:30) The 1993 defection: Greg Hubbard's first return to Beaton Park in purple and gold (48:30) Why the 1993 Kings imploded — McClary's exit, McClain's frustrations, and Bob…

People in this episode

Host: Dan Boyce

Guest: Gordie McLeod

Topics covered

• Sydney Kings
• Illawarra Hawks
• 1990s basketball rivalry
• NBL history
• personal stories
• team success

Keywords

• Kings vs Hawks
• basketball rivalry
• Gordie McLeod
• NBL
• 1990s
• Sydney Kings
• Illawarra Hawks
• Dwayne McClain
• Greg Hubbard

Sponsors

dunk.com.au

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sydney Kings, Illawarra Hawks, NBL

More episodes of Aussie Hoopla NBL & NBA Podcast

• Julius Hodge on Stepping on Brett Maher, NBL Pay Issues and NBA Stories · April 22, 2026 · 1h 22m
• Mick Downer on NBL Talent in Japan, NBL vs B.League, and Offensive Rebounding · April 3, 2026 · 55 min
• Remembering Ken Cole (Remastered Interview): The Invincibles, Early NBL Stories & Mitch Creek · March 19, 2026 · 1h 42m
• Bring Back the Falcons: How former Kings & Hawks owner Dorry Kordahi is trying to bring an NBL team to Newcastle · March 7, 2026 · 31 min
• Kings vs Hawks: Ep. 7 — The Hawks' 2nd Title and The Rivalry Today · February 24, 2026 · 1h 48m
• Kings vs Hawks: Ep. 6 — LaMelo Ball, Spy-Gate and 'The Hawks' lose their Illawarra name · January 29, 2026 · 1h 26m

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Aussie Hoopla NBL & NBA Podcast podcast page.