Australia’s NBL ‘in pursuit’ of LaMelo Ball, Illawarra Hawks favorites to land him

After weeks of speculation, it seems Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL) is preparing to formally reach out to LaMelo Ball about joining the league’s “Next Stars” program, which offers elite high school prospects an alternative path to the NBA.

According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, the NBL is very much “in pursuit” of Ball:

League sources say Australia's @NBL remains in pursuit of LaMelo Ball — 17-year-old brother of the just-traded Lonzo Ball — to sign a "Next Stars" contract. That's the NBL program aimed at giving NBA prospects an alternative to college in the year before becoming draft eligible

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 17, 2019

Should Ball agree to sign a “Next Stars” contract with the NBL, the Illawarra Hawks are reportedly viewed as the favorites to land the 17-year-old basketball phenom, however, the league will ultimately decide where he plays:

The Illawarra Hawks of the @NBL have been mentioned as a potential landing spot for LaMelo Ball, but "Next Stars" contracts are negotiated with the league rather than individual teams and players are then placed by the league with various franchises

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 17, 2019

Through the NBL’s “Next Stars” program, Ball would earn $100,000 for one season of service. After that, Ball will declare for the 2020 NBA Draft. According to ESPN draft guru Jonathan Givony, Ball is projected to go in the early second round.

Ball announced that he will be making his decision soon via Instagram on Saturday.

View this post on Instagram

Decision Coming Soon…

A post shared by LaMelo Ball (@melo) on Jun 15, 2019 at 11:50am PDT

While China is still an option for LaMelo, according to his outspoken father LaVar Ball, it’s becoming more likely that LaMelo will join five-star prospect RJ Hampton in Australia this fall.