As they prepare to square off in the first all-Melbourne Throwdown of NBL25, there’s an air of familiarity between opposing star import guards Derrick Walton Jr and Ian Clark. Call it six degrees of separation — and maybe a little sliding doors. They’re connected in the world of basketball by friendship linkages on and off the court, most notably through former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kay Felder.
Watch every game of every round this NBL Season LIVE on ESPN, via Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today > “Kay Felder and I are like brothers and then him and Ian are really close and so there was immediately a mutual respect,” Walton Jr, in his first season with the Phoenix, said. “He’s (Felder) probably my first ever teammate in organised basketball, my dad and his dad grew up together.
His mum and my mum were really close and me and him, we grew up together. “Kay told me about Ian and his relationship. I played against Ian two years ago when he was in Adelaide and it still didn’t come up until this year.
” Each was once a title-winning Sydney King, Clark’s in 2022 and Walton Jr’s one year removed — laced with the grand final series MVP. It’s the first time the Phoenix have hosted the season-tip-off Throwdown — and Walton Jr’s first taste of the burgeoning rivalry, but Clark warned it won’t just be green jerseys packing out the John Cain Arena stands. “Throwdown, for us, it’s kind of like a home game,” Clark said.
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