The NBL has joined in the mourning of Helping Hoops founder Adam McKay, who has passed away at the age of 43 following a short battle with stage four brain cancer.

McKay founded Helping Hoops in 2009, and the organisation has since become a pillar of the Australian basketball community through offering free programs for kids who struggled to gain access to the sport.

Just two years after launching, McKay’s Helping Hoops mission had expanded into three separate programs, including targeting inclusion for people of migrant and refugee backgrounds, and people with special needs.

Helping Hoops now offers 15 free programs across greater Melbourne, and delivers over 6,000 basketball sessions per year.

2012 brought about the advent of the 24-Hour Charity Shootout, a fundraiser which continues today and is Helping Hoops’ largest community event, in which people shoot as many free throws as they can in a 15-minute timeframe.

McKay stepped down as executive director of Helping Hoops in 2019, and has remained a force of nature within Melbourne’s wider basketball community. He also worked with WNBL club Melbourne to direct, edit and produce the highly regarded documentary ‘Sidelined: The Fight for Equality in Women’s Basketball’.

He has left an amazing legacy that will continue through the Helping Hoops family.

Vale, Adam McKay.