Born in the United States, he moved to New Zealand in 1982, where he played 15 seasons for the Wellington Saints and won four NBL championships.

[2] McFadden grew up in East Lansing, Michigan,[3] and attended J. W. Sexton High School.

The Saints went on to reach six straight NBL Grand Finals upon entering the top league.

5 jersey was retired by the Saints in 2010[8][9] and in 2021, he was named the number 2 greatest NBL player of all time.

[2][18] In 2017, McFadden was rushed to hospital with acute respiratory failure and was subsequently diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, a genetic disorder.