David Chin
KUCHING: The local sports fraternity was saddened by the passing of former state basketball player David Chin, 58, last Friday.
David, who was in charge of security in a leading shopping complex here, had suffered a heart attack.
With his imposing stature and height at six foot three inches (1.91m), he was a top player in the state during the 1970s.
He also belonged to that generation of youth players in the early 1970s when Sarawak perenially finished at the top of the national inter-state youth championships. David had also represented Malaysia in the Asian Youth Championship.
After he completed his secondary education at St Thomas’ School, he also made his name as a police inspector.
He played the centre position for the Royal Malaysia Police team which had keen rivalry with teams from SESCO (Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation) and JKR (Jabatan Kerja Raya) in the 1970s.
Those fiercely contested matches always attracted huge crowds which packed the old Chung Hua Middle School No. 3 Indoor Stadium.
His son, Christopher Chin, inherited his father’s tall physique but did not pick up the sport.
“I know that my father really loved the game but I don’t really play basketball,” he said at the funeral service yesterday.
“Words cannot describe how much I miss him. As for me, I remember him as a someone who played an integral part in my life,” he added in tears.
David’s father Chin Hon Lim is a retired senior police officer who was an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).
After some years in the police force, David worked in the private sector and spent a few years in Cambodia.
He is affectionately remembered by his peers and sports opponents as a gentle giant who was always ready to help friends in need.