If Kristian and Mackie Doolittle’s American Midwest hometown was any further away from Perth, it would be closer.

The trip from Oklahoma to Perth can take 52 hours, and the Doolittles do it with a two-year-old in tow.

Yet rather than complain about the tyranny of distance, or the challenge of keeping a seated toddler entertained for over two days, the Perth Wildcats star focuses on the privileges his lifestyle has allowed for.

“Being away from family is never easy, but when you’re with your family, it makes it easier. I consider my son and my wife my family, and everybody else is extended family,” he tells STM.

“It’s unfortunate we have to be apart, but at the same time, I think we’re in a great situation. A lot of people would want to trade places with us.

“It’s a blessing to be having the career that I’m having in a place as warm as Perth is towards myself and towards my family.”

The couple, who both grew up in Oklahoma and met seven years ago, are no strangers to travel.

As Kristian went from one of the premier players in the American collegiate system to a high-level professional, Mackie has been there for every stop on the journey — from Puerto Rico to Israel, Japan, France and now, Australia.

Thankfully for the Wildcats, they appear set on Perth for the long haul. Last year, Kristian committed to a three-year contract extension which will keep him with the team until at least the end of their 2027/28 season.

On Father’s Day the couple are taking a moment to pause, not only to reflect on their boisterous son Kristian Jr, but also how navigating parenthood without their family support network has changed them for the better.

When asked how grateful he was for Mackie’s commitment to his career and the sacrifices she had made for it, Kristian replies: “Extremely.”

“I’m extremely fortunate that I have someone with understanding of what it takes to be someone in my position — the constant packing up and moving, and sometimes, you figure yourself out last-minute in terms of wherever we’ve got to go,” he says.

There is not a more demanding set of basketball fans in Australia than Perth’s Red Army, but Doolittle immediately impressed them when he joined in September 2023 with his toughness, tenacity and willingness to do the dirty work.

Plenty of additional responsibility has been thrust onto his broad shoulders since then.

As he gears up for his fourth season with the Perth Wildcats, which tips off on September 19, the American import is dealing with the pressure and expectation that comes with his newfound role as the main man at the NBL’s most successful club.

In his third campaign wearing their famous red jersey, he led his side in scoring at an average of 17.3 points per game, earning him a place on the All-NBL First Team on the strength of his performances.

But his responsibilities on the basketball court pale in comparison with those once he steps off it.

Mackie says the parallels between her husband as an athlete and a person are easy to draw.

“Kristian doesn’t do anything halfway — it’s either all in or all out,” she says. He’s always committed to our family, committed to us, and committed to the team.

“The same way he’s a dependable teammate, he’s a dependable dad, he’s a dependable husband. The same way you can guarantee he’s going to go out and do his job, I can guarantee he’s gonna come home and do his job as a husband, as a father.

“He’s my teammate, right? We’re teammates in life. I don’t really have to tell him anything in the father role . . . I’ve never been a wife that’s had to ask for a diaper change, or the laundry done, or the dishes done.

“The same way, I think, his teammates would say you don’t have to ask for him to do more than just what’s required, he’ll always do more than what’s required of him.”

Professional athletes who become fathers often say it sharpens their performance. Doolittle is among them.

“I would say I’m calmer,” he says of how he had changed since “KJ” has entered his life.

“I used to be pretty extreme in terms of how difficult I was on myself when I didn’t reach my goals that I set for myself, and so having my son to be able to come home to, and he just wants to play, helps me get over things a lot quicker.

“He allows me to take some of the load off my shoulders and move on to the next day, to where I can go back in with the same mentality, trying to get better every single day and not dwell on a lot of things.”

Mackie could not be prouder of the man she met when he was 21 in the college town of Norman.

“He’s become more responsible. I like to say we got to see each other’s frontal lobes develop like in real life, we really did,” she says. “It’s been very fun to see him grow into all the roles, even into the role here in Perth.

“He is fortunate to have that long-term contract. But with that long-term contract comes different roles, you’re not just a new import on a new team every year. Seeing him step into these leadership roles that I think fall on him very naturally has been astonishing and amazing to watch within itself.

“The character development we can see in each other is one of my favourite things about life.”

When Kristian steps on court he is known for his steady and balanced approach, yet Mackie says that he isn’t always that serious at home.

“When he plays with our son, you hear laughs and giggles and all those things, but then, when it comes to disciplining, he’s that serious person — obviously not as intense, but still that serious person that you see on the court,” she says.

“. . . Kristian is a glass door. What you see is what you get, there’s no facade. There’s no on-court character, off-court character. He’s just Kristian. Like, he literally is just Kristian.”

The couple light up when they talk about their son, describing him as fun-loving and cheeky.

“All he does is play, all day,” Kristian says. “I don’t know what I was doing when I was two, but I can almost guarantee he’s having way more fun than I was.

“He goes to the park, the zoo. We have a nanny, and so she has different activities for him to do anytime that she’s working. All I know is whenever he goes to play and he comes back home, he’s passed out. So I know he’s playing hard.”

For American basketballers playing their trade away from home like Doolittle, stability is often a foreign concept. But in recent years, the calendar of his family has settled into a rhythm.

From August to February, the family are in WA as he lines up for the Wildcats before they head to Puerto Rico, where Kristian has played since graduating college.

Wherever possible, they return to Oklahoma to catch up with their families before the cycle starts again.

Having transitioned through different homes in their early years in Australia, the Doolittles now have a lease on a home in Perth, which Kristian says has added a “great level of comfort”.

“Whenever we come back, all of our stuff is already here,” he says.

“My wife has done a great job decorating the place, and so it definitely feels like home for us. Especially for our son — this is really the only home that he’s known for a consistent basis.

“We have been fortunate enough to have, I guess, a couple of homes . . . but still, I feel like Perth is home, just because we have a house. My son has parks he likes to go to. My wife has things that she likes to do around Perth. It just takes a lot of worry off my plate, so I can just play basketball.”

Doolittle isn’t sure what their future will hold beyond the Wildcats seasons, but he says the most important voice in where his family base themselves once he retires from the game he loves, will be that of his son.

“Especially as he gets older and as he starts to build interests of his own, ultimately, it’ll be based on what he wants to do,” he says.

“I’m gonna be here as long as Perth allows me to be here and as long as things on the court take care of themselves.

“I feel like I’ll be here for a very long time, but I can’t speak for my son.”