Fit for a King: Breakers confirm Tall Black's signing

The New Zealand Breakers announced on Friday they have secured Tall Black and former NBA Draft pick Mojave King as an injury replacement for Josiah-Jordan James.

The club announced on Wednesday that James would be sidelined for the start of the Hungry Jack's NBL27 Season due to a torn hamstring.

Breakers President of Basketball Dillon Boucher says if there is a silver lining to losing James to a hamstring injury ahead of the season-opener at Spark Arena, it is securing a player of King's quality as a replacement.

"Our priority was to move quickly and bring in a replacement for what is a busy opening stretch to the season," Boucher said.

"But speed alone in that decision is not enough; the challenge is to bring a high-quality player, someone who will complement and strengthen the group on and off the floor, and that is not easy so close to the start of the season.

"We are certainly ticking those boxes with Mo; he is a quality player and proven performer at NBL level. He is athletic, shoots the ball at a high clip and can guard multiple positions."

Boucher said securing a player of King's ability is rare so close to the season getting underway.

"This is something of a coup to secure Mo's signature; he is a player in demand and had offers from around the world, including Europe," Boucher said.

"The bonus for us is he is a Kiwi, he has played for the club before, knows the culture, the environment, and is familiar with many of the guys on the roster, which is great, because he will need to hit the ground running."

A former NBL Next Star with Adelaide, King was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 47th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Since then, the 24-year-old has spent time in the NBA G League and the NBL with New Zealand and Cairns.

Across his 95 NBL appearances, King has career averages of 7.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists.

New Zealand opens its NBL27 campaign on Sunday at Spark Arena, hosting Illawarra from 3pm AEST, live on ESPN.