Why Next Stars is evolving beyond the NBA Draft

The NBL Next Stars program was built to get young players to the NBA. Increasingly, it’s also getting them to the biggest stages in college basketball.

Since launching in 2018, Next Stars has proven itself one of the best pathways in the world for prospects chasing the NBA, and the numbers back it up.

“Next Stars have been selected in each of the past seven NBA drafts; seven of those guys in the first round, 13 across that time,” Next Stars General Manager Liam Santamaria told ESPN.

That list includes LaMelo Ball and Australia’s own Josh Giddey, who were taken in the top six in back-to-back drafts.

The program was originally designed as an alternative route to the NBA at a time when NCAA amateurism rules were an obstacle for many prospects. But Santamaria believes the ever-evolving global landscape means Next Stars can keep broadening its scope.

“There’s always a desire to evolve and stay flexible within the global landscape and what’s going on,” he said.

“Depending on your age, you might go straight to the NBA Draft, like all those players before you. Or, if it’s going to be the next best step for your development and for the financial opportunities that exist there, the opportunity to transition to the NCAA will be there for you as well. And the opportunity to come back for a second year as a Next Star will be in place as well, like Alex Toohey, and Malique Lewis, and others have used over the journey.”

Expansion is nothing new for the program. Around the time the G League Ignite was created, Next Stars opened its doors to high-level European prospects such as Ousmane Dieng and Rayan Rupert.

Today, the landscape has shifted again. Name, image and likeness (NIL) deals have brought enormous money into college basketball, with some packages offered to top prospects rivalling an entire NBL team’s salary cap.

Santamaria sees that as a unique opportunity for Next Stars.

“It’s a legitimate, proven pathway to the NBA with the history of guys being drafted straight out of the Next Stars program but, now with the opportunities that exist in the NCAA landscape, we’re broadening the pathway to include that type of avenue as well,” he said.

Cairns Taipans star Luke Paul is a prime example, spending this season as a Next Star before he joins Duke University next year.

“From the outset, the mentality in bringing Luke in as a Next Star was ‘hey, we’re here to support you on your journey, no matter what that looks like moving forward’,” Santamaria said.

“If two years in the NBL is going to be best for you, then great; we’re ready, willing, able, and committed to supporting you. If the Next Stars program is going to help launch you to one of the top collegiate programs in the world, great; we’re ready to support you in that regard as well.”

Whatever path players take, one thing hasn’t changed: Next Stars gets them ready to make the leap.

Through an NBA lens, the chance for a teenager to spend a year in a professional environment, competing in one of the best leagues in the world and improving every day, is what sets the program apart.

“The idea of the program is to best benefit the player in their development,” Santamaria said. “What we’re trying to do now is make sure they have flexibility and opportunities moving forward as they assess what’s going to be best for them.”

Read the full story >> Broadening, not pivoting: How NBL Next Stars made room for the NIL era