LaMelo Ball has signed with the Illawarra Hawks of Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL), as part of their ‘Next Stars’ program. This is a program that the NBL has been offering as an alternate pathway for NBA prospects, as opposed to the traditional NCAA College route.
Ball is the second high profile prospect to take this route for the upcoming season, with ESPN’s 5th ranked R.J. Hampton joining the New Zealand Breakers in May. Former players to have gone through the program include Oklahoma City‘s Terrance Ferguson, who played for the Adelaide 36ers, and current draft prospect Brian Bowen II, who spent last season with the Sydney Kings.
The NBL Next Stars Program
The program offers a professional alternative to NCAA College Basketball. It allows prospects to be in and around in a professional environment. This has proved a controversial issue in America as collegiate athletes are not paid. They are also unable to earn money off of their image. This includes any sponsorships or endorsements. This issue rose to prominence during the 2018-19 NCAA season, with tickets to see Duke University, featuring global sensation Zion Williamson, surpassing $4000 USD. The players would not see a cent of those earnings. This has been a driving force in prospects considering alternative paths to the NBA.
This is not the first time that NBA prospects have foregone their college eligibility in order to play internationally. Brandon Jennings famously became the first player to do this, playing a season in the Italian league Serie A for Lottomatica Roma. Jennings went on to be selected tenth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2009. Similarly, 2015 7th pick Emmanuel Mudiay also chose to play overseas, for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. However, the NBL’s program differs as the league communicates directly with the players, before assigning them to a certain team.
Following the success of Terrance Ferguson, and the high profile signings of LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton, the ‘Next Stars’ program is sure to gain momentum, helping to develop the play of these prospects, while still raising the profile of the NBL, making it a highly beneficial system for all involved.
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PRIENAI, LITHUANIA – JANUARY 09: LaMelo Ball of Vytautas Prienai prior to the match between Vytautas Prienai and Zalgiris Kauno on January 9, 2018, in Prienai, Lithuania. (Photo by Alius Koroliovas/Getty Images)
