Celtics legend: Future NBA talent will turn NBL into basketball heavyweight
With millions of new eyes now firmly fixed on the NBL thanks to NBA hopefuls LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton, a Boston Celtics legend believes the league will become a basketball powerhouse in no time.
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Championship-winning Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce believes more American players will use the NBL as a pathway to the NBA in the coming years, helping to make the Australian league one of the world’s best.
Projected top six draft picks LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton have put the NBL on the global map with their Next Stars signings for this season.
Ball’s debut for the Illawarra Hawks against Brisbane last Sunday was the most watched game in NBL history, with one million people watching the live stream on Facebook in the US.
The game also posted huge numbers on social media globally, including 2.5 million views on a twitter video.
LaMelo, the younger sibling of New Orleans guard Lonzo Ball, is expected to make a significant contribution at the Hawks this season.
Hampton, a projected 2020 first-round pick that is currently sitting at No.6 in mock drafts, will make his NBL debut for the New Zealand Breakers against the Kings in Sydney on Friday, October 18.
Here's a look at @RjHampton14 at his @NZBreakers team shootarounds before facing @memgrizz tonight and @okcthunder on Thursday in front of a large contingent of #NBA scouts + GM's, including @DraftExpress + @Mike_Schmitz, who will be there live tonight pic.twitter.com/anAwDS8JvS
— DraftExpressContent (@DXContent) October 8, 2019
The point guard from Little Elm High School in Texas top scored for the Breakers in two of the franchise’s three pre-season games.
Hampton and Ball have attracted record social media numbers while their presence helped the NBL strike a deal with Facebook Watch to live stream 52 NBL games into the US involving the gun teenagers.
The Kings have also signed Brazilian small forward Didi Louzada, who was a second-round pick in the 2019 NBA draft.
Louzada was selected by Atlanta but his rights were traded to New Orleans.
He was a standout for the Kings during the pre-season and looks destined to return to the NBA.
The NBL’s influx of Americans is exciting for Pierce, who admits he didn’t know anything about the Australian league prior to guard Terrance Ferguson’s signing with the Adelaide 36ers in 2017.
Ferguson is now playing in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“Guys in America have seen that, and I think over the coming years you are going to see more and more Americans take the leap and play in Australia,” said Pierce, who won an NBA title with the Celtics in 2008.
“I think the NBL is going to become a premier league in the world in the next few years.
“The word is really getting out about the NBL.
“I truly believe that the NBL is going to be a platform for guys that want to take the next step to the NBA or even just further their career as an international.
“You are going to see more young American ballers at a high school take the leap to the NBL.
“I know guys like LaMelo and Barrett are going to be closely watched to see how they perform because those two guys could be lottery picks in next year’s draft.”
Pierce says the NBL is growing in popularity on a global stage, with NBA players, scouts and officials keen to learn more about the Australian league.
The Celtics great also wants to watch more NBL action, although he has ruled out a comeback to the court on Australian soil.
“No, my career is over - I’m done,” he grinned.
“The only appearance I’ll be doing at the NBL is as a spectator.”