NBL Next Stars: Ariel Hukporti on how the league’s brightest young talents converged on Australia with a common dream

The NBL Next Stars program has delivered several lottery picks to the NBA – but few have gone to the lengths of Melbourne’s Ariel Hukporti to reach the biggest stage in basketball.

For the seven NBA draft hopefuls who have been dotted throughout Australia as part of the NBL Next Stars program, it’s not so much a tight-knit brotherhood but more a group of elite young men with common goals who share a unique understanding.

German giant Ariel Hukporti, still just 21, is the “veteran” of the group in his third season at Melbourne United.

He has a few of the Next Stars on text but it’s usually catch-ups when they arrive in each others’ buildings for games.

“I’m cool with Bobi (Klintman), Trent (Trentyn Flowers) and Alex (Sarr),” Hukporti said.

“We usually just talking about casual stuff, not even basketball most of the time.

“Sometimes we talking about whoever gets the most shots up – most of the time it’s Bobbi because he has the ball in his hands.

“It’s quite funny to see how all the people come in from all over the world and just enjoy themselves in Australia and the Next Star program.

“You look at Bobi, he’s from Sweden, you look at Trentyn, he’s from the States, Alex from France, all over the world coming to Australia, playing for Australian teams and knowing you can get drafted to the NBA.

“It’s actually quite crazy when you think about it.”

Next Stars from all over the world are taking over the NBL.

The kid’s already lived a lifetime. He’s been a pro since age 16, first at German club BG Ludwigsburg then in Lithuania at BC Nevėžis. He’s made the 15,000km journey from Germany to Australia.

One big difference sticks out between Europe and Down Under – the coaching and support.

“Yeah, man, in Europe we’re getting screamed at, yelled at, all the time,” he said. “Here, it’s more calm, more logical.

“You make a mistake, they tell you about it, sure. You might get yelled at once or twice but the coaches work with you to correct that.”

He impressed in his rookie campaign before suffering a devastating Achilles rupture in pre-season that ruined a second stint that was to be a springboard to the NBA.

Offers did come from overseas but even with the prospect of a season out of the game, Hukporti never considered leaving United.

Hukporti ruptured his Achilles during the 2022 pre-season. Picture: Getty Images

Hukporti sports a huge scar from his surgically repaired Achilles.

“I had some offers, don’t get me wrong, and it wasn’t even the injury that made me stay,” he said.

“It was because I already know the place, I’m already used to everything, coach (Dean Vickerman) has been good to me, the whole club and players.

“Melbourne United has taught me how to be more mature and more patient about things, just not being too eager.”

Rehab tested mind and body but the 213cm centre came back bigger and stronger to produce 8.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per night, while dominating the opposite end.

He was second in the league in blocked shots at 1.5 per game and second in the defensive rating among qualified players when he conceded just 100 points per 100 possessions.

NBL24’s crop of Next Stars AJ Johnson, Rocco Zikarsky, Alex Sarr, Trentyn Flowers, Ariel Hukporti, Alex Toohey, Maqntas Rubstavicius and Bobi Klintman.

It’s a journey of ups and downs Hukporti hopes will end with a championship for his top-of-the-table team in about six weeks before a new beginning at the NBA draft.

That will start with fighting for the attention of NBA clubs against his best peers at the draft combine in May.

“I want to win (the NBL title) and then definitely going to the States. Going to try to get drafted,” he said.

“Only thing I know is I’m going to the (NBA draft) combine (in May) and play in that, work out for teams.

“I’ve done it once before, this will be my second time, so I know what to expect.

“You have to be in game shape, otherwise you’re not going to survive the combine.

“It’s a crazy experience. The level that we’re playing is quite insane and the game is just up and down, up and down. It’s not like here or overseas at all, it’s totally different.

“Combine is hard to play for bigs because we don’t get the ball that often because it’s not team basketball. Everyone’s fighting for themselves and their shot at the NBA.

“Completely understandable. You have to crash the glass to get shots and run the floor and establish your presence. It’s kind of like an All-Star game.”

Ariel Hukporti is a monster in the weightroom.

So will an NBA team come calling on draft day? One high-level NBA scout believes Hukporti’s relative youth and experience are attractive, along with the physical tools and defensive ability.

“He has a high motor and he plays hard,” said the scout, who cannot be named due to NBA rules.

“He plays hard, he rebounds, blocks shots and finishes well.

“He has to play like that, an energy big man who maybe comes into the league as a bench support big and works his way up.”

Hukporti said the NBL and United had steeled him for the next step in his journey and he was an advocate for the league to other young Europeans who were considering their own futures.

“For guys who might be thinking about coming over here, it really depends on their situation,” he said.

“But if he’s from Europe, like me, I would say it’s really good because you can prepare yourself for being by yourself for a long time.

“It’s not like you’re a two-hour flight and you’re at home, like Europe. You’re away from home, away from your friends and family for eight or nine months.

“The talent here, too, is higher than you might expect and the game out here is different so sometimes you’re going to play a lot as a young guy, sometimes you’re not and you will think stuff is unfair but it teaches you resilience and to deal with those things.”

Melbourne United's Ariel Hukporti is on a collision course with the NBA.

With the NBL pausing for the FIBA break, Hukporti faces another bump in the road before his finals campaign – surgery to fix broken teeth after some friendly fire at practice this month.

“I’m doing good but I’m going to need surgery at some point,” he said.

“I can still play and can still do what I want to do.

“The week it happened. I got hit in the mouth again in Tassie and then the worst one was in Sydney when I was trying to dunk on (Jonah) Bolden. He got me in my face.

“I’ve never played with a mouthguard and Steveo (United’s high-performance boss Steve McAdam) was like straight away, ‘Yo, you got to wear a mouthguard and you got to get that fixed (with surgery).

“The mouthguard is actually good. I never really wore one and I used to think about it during the game (getting hit in the mouth) but since I started wearing it I’ve never even thought about it.

“It’s only like four days off after the surgery so it’s not really what I wanted but it’s fine, another experience.”

Originally published as NBL Next Stars: Ariel Hukporti on how the league’s brightest young talents converged on Australia with a common dream