Kieran Shannon: GAA shouldn't cry about Kobe McDonald, it wins most of these sporting battles 

Kobe McDonald will be a loss to Mayo football, just as he was a loss to Mayo basketball.

Mayo’s Kobe McDonald celebrates winning the 2024 Connacht MFC with his father and coach Ciaran McDonald. Pic: James Lawlor, Inpho

This is not the first time Kobe McDonald has been lost to a sport or a club in Crossmolina, just as it’s not the first time someone from his household has been targeted by the Australians.

The first time this column became aware of his prodigious talent was in the sport that inspired his distinctive first name. In April 2023 the equally-fabulously-named Crossmolina Lakers remarkably made it through to the top 10 of the U16 basketball All-Ireland club championships, beating established Superleague clubs like Belfast Star, Sligo All-Stars and Ballincollig along the way, thanks in no small part to young McDonald going full White Mamba, averaging 23 points a game in a tournament where matches lasted just 24 minutes.