LaMelo Ball announces that he will play next season in the NBL

Micah Adams

LaMelo Ball announces that he will play next season in the NBL image

LaMelo Ball will play next season in the NBL for the Illawarra Hawks. The 17-year-old announced his plans while appearing on ESPN's 'The Jump'. He will play on a 'Next Stars' contract, an initiative started by the NBL aimed at giving NBA prospects an alternative to college prior to becoming eligible for the NBA draft


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Ball is the 21st-ranked prospect in the class of 2019 and becomes the second high profile prospect from the United States to announce his intention of playing in the NBL, joining RJ Hampton who signed with the New Zealand Breakers in May. This is Ball's second stint playing professionally outside of the United States as he spent four months in 2018 playing in Lithuania where, as a 16-year-old, he averaged 6.5 points and 2.4 assists per game in eight games.

LaMelo Ball played professionally last year in Lithuania.

"I am really looking forward to playing professionally this season, so that I can focus all of my time and energy on basketball," Ball said. "My experience in Lithuania will help make the adjustment easier. Playing overseas professionally at just 16-years-old put me in a place where I had to figure things out quickly and I think that experience will make a huge difference for me in Australia."

Ball's social media audience presents a unique opportunity for the NBL to gain more widespread global popularity. According to Jonathan Givony, Ball's 4.5 million followers on Instagram is more than all but 13 NBA players and significantly larger than the NBL itself which has 78,000 followers on that platform.

 

Micah Adams

Micah Adams Photo

Micah Adams is a Managing Editor and Head of Affiliate and Commercial Content at Sporting News. Prior to joining SN in 2021, Adams spent over a decade producing and leading content teams at ESPN, DAZN and The Social Institute. Adams graduated from Duke University in 2009 and remains a Cameron Crazie at heart well into his 30s. When not losing sleep or hair over the Blue Devils, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bulls, and USMNT, Adams enjoys chasing his two small children around along with his wife, losing golf balls, spending time outdoors and binging terrible movies.