“We just inquired at the local hospital if there were any babies available for adoption and Max was,” Karen says.
They brought him back to New Zealand, arriving in Nelson when Darling was 3 years old.
“He was hilarious, made us laugh all the time. He was very happy, very active, fit and strong. Even as a little kid, he walked at like 10 months.”
Darling enjoyed growing up in Nelson, already surrounding and immersing himself in sport.
“It was a very diverse community, and there's a lot of sports going on, so I tried to play as many as I could growing up, Max says."
However, basketball came into the picture a little later.
“When he was about year seven at school, he was at Nelson college prep school and I think that's probably the first year he picked up a basketball. He hadn't played it at primary school, but he had been very good at in lots of other sports before that.”
Darling’s natural athleticism carried over into numerous sports, Karen recalled one sport game in particular.
“I remember his first game of rugby when he was about 12. He scored four tries in about the first 15 minutes, and everyone was like… Who the hell is this kid?.”
Darling’s rise in basketball was fast. At 16, he played his first game for the Canterbury Rams. That opportunity propelled him to being given a scholarship to Christ College in Christchurch for his last year of school (year 13). He then made the decision to turn down US College offers to sign his first overseas contract with a Croatian basketball team.
“It was hard because he was only 17, but we're really proud of him making the decision to not go to college and to turn pro because he had options. He had some very good college offers, but he decided he was ready to turn pro and his agent felt he was ready as well.”
But even as a teenager overseas, he stayed grounded with his goals.
“I learned how to get yelled at by coaches and not take it personally…especially those Balkan countries over there, they're pretty crazy, and they like to yell a lot and get their point across.”
“I guess at the time, I didn't really understand the magnitude of it, like I was, 17 when I moved to Croatia…so for me, it was just basketball.”
“I was just happy to go hoop somewhere.”
Now back in New Zealand, Darling re-joined the Canterbury Rams in 2021 for the second time and has played a key role in the teams recent success, helping the team to two consecutive NZNBL titles in 2023 and 2024.
“We've got a really deep team. So my role, I guess I don't need to do as much as I'm used to, which is kind of good in a sense…we've got a great team.”
Darling says it’s always an honor to wear the Tall Blacks Jersey and is looking forward to a hit out with his team at the FIBA Asia Cup coming up in August, which is being held in Saudi Arabia.
“It's always an honor to play for my country, representing them with the highest level… I want to be a Tall Black for as long as I can.”
“I love it…It's always great to get out there with the boys.”
Looking ahead past life on the court, he’s starting to think about life off the court.
“I want to play as long as I can, so I feel like I got 11 good years in me left…and have enough money to start a family.”
From the Caribbean to the NBL stage, Max Darling’s story has come full circle, and now he’s leading the next wave of Kiwi Basketball.
“Take every chance you get, because they don’t come around too often.”
Among his biggest fans are his family and siblings who have clocked up thousands of kilometres following him, from the early 5am game time live streams at home, to stadia in Jakarta and Crete, he has support through the roof.
