While Lonzo Ball is on his way across the country after being traded from the Lakers to the Pelicans, younger brother LaMelo Ball is heading across the globe.
The 17-year-old announced Monday he will sign a “Next Stars” contract with the Illawarra Hawks of Australia's National Basketball League (NBL).
"My agents did a ton of research on the options I had to play this coming season and Australia really made sense for me," LaMelo told ESPN. "They have a really strong league, with excellent coaches and great players, including former and future NBA players, and great strength and conditioning programs. My goal is to be the top pick in next year's Draft and I feel they can help me reach that goal. Also, the timing of the season works well with the timing of next year's Draft."
The “Next Stars” program, according to the NBL, is designed to “contract overseas players and develop them in Australia to give them the best chance of being drafted into the NBA.”
"We couldn't be more excited to have LaMelo coming to join the NBL this season," NBL CEO Jeremy Loeliger told ESPN. "I think it's a real win-win situation for everyone involved. It gives him a fantastic opportunity to play against some hardened professionals, which I think will do wonders in terms of getting him ready for his rookie year in the NBA. He'll get the chance to answer a lot of questions being asked by a lot of people - and everything I've seen makes me think he's going to take a lot of them by surprise."
LaMelo Ball returned to high school basketball this past season at SPIRE Academy in Ohio after a short stint playing professionally in Lithuania. He's considered a five-star recruit by 247Sports, but his college recruitment has been virtually non-existent because his professional experience threatens his college eligibility.
RJ Hampton, a five-star recruit from in the 2019 class, could be the new model for top high school prospects after he turned down the likes of Duke, Kansas, Memphis and the rest of the NCAA to play professionally for the NBL’s New Zealand Breakers next season.
"I had already decided to play in the NBL prior to RJ's decision, I just hadn't yet narrowed down the team," LaMelo Ball said. "But having RJ there only adds to the excitement. I think it will be a good experience for both of us to be there at the same time and to be able to play against one another."
As of early April, the NBA and the league's players union have resumed talks about lowering the league's minimum age to 18 in a move that would end the so-called one-and-done era. The sides are targeting the 2022 NBA Draft for the new rule to take effect, according to ESPN.