In the first meeting in the National Basketball League (NBL) regular season between R.J. Hampton’s New Zealand Breakers and LaMelo Ball’s Illawarra Hawks, over half the NBA will have representatives in attendance.
Per a report from Fox Sports in Australia, 16 teams will send representatives to Australia:
A total of 16 NBA teams have confirmed that they’ll attend the game in New Zealand on Thursday, sources told foxsports.com.au, with all eyes on the matchup between the Hawks’ LaMelo Ball and the Breakers’ R.J. Hampton.
The report identified five of the teams expected to be in attendance as the Orlando Magic, New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls.
With both Hampton and Ball projected to be lottery picks, it’s interesting to see contenders (sans the Bulls) among those expected to attend. During the NBL Blitz in the preseason, an event Ball and Hampton played in separately, 27 NBA teams showed up to scout the two.
Among the teams to show more serious interest in Ball this year is the Cleveland Cavaliers, despite having a pair of young guards on the roster already.
