It didn’t take long for one of the most anticipated National Basketball League games of all-time to live up to the hype. In a showdown between the Illawarra Hawks and New Zealand Breakers with LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton taking center for their respective teams, Hampton made a statement early.
Only 30 seconds into the first quarter of the contest, Ball found himself open under the rim after a terrific backdoor screen, gaining separation from Hampton. But as Ball began to lay the ball in, Hampton made one of the defensive plays of the year, recovering quickly enough to reject Ball at the rim with a massive block.
And in case you needed an even sweeter angle of the play, the NBL tweeted a slow-motion GIF from the far baseline and it doesn’t paint an any prettier picture for Ball.
The game drew a large share of scouts and executives from the NBA with 16 teams expected to be represented per a report from Fox Sports Australia. The two are both in DraftExpress’ top 10 for the Class of 2020.
Hampton lived up to the moment through the first quarter, helping lead the New Zealand Breakers to a 30-18 lead through one quarter. Ball, meanwhile, struggled early before heading to the bench midway through the quarter.
