Next Star makes history

One of the most competitive NBA Finals series ended on Monday in Oklahoma City with the home-side, the Thunder, coming up victorious in Game 7 over the Indiana Pacers, with the final score of 103-91. Ousmane Dieng, who played for the New Zealand Breakers in the 2021-2022 season as an NBL Next Star, became the first ever athlete coming out of the program to win an NBA Championship.

Australian Alex Ducas was also part of the Thunder's roster, making 21 NBA appearances across the season.

Dieng has competed in 109 regular season games for the Oklahoma City Thunder during the last three years, averaging 4.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1 assist. He scored a season-high 21 points on 9/13 shooting and 8 rebounds against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 3, 2025. 

With the New Zealand Breakers, the French forward competed in 23 games and recorded 8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1 assist in over 20 minutes per game. He was the 11th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, selected by the New York Knicks. He was immediately traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder on draft night.

The Next Stars program is a proven pathway to the NBA for young prospects across the world, with six Next Stars having been selected in the first round of the past five NBA Drafts. In total, nine Next Stars have been drafted directly from the NBL to the NBA – LaMelo Ball (pick 3, 2020), RJ Hampton (pick 24, 2020), Josh Giddey (pick 6, 2021), Ousmane Dieng (pick 11, 2022), Rayan Rupert (pick 43, 2023), Alex Sarr (pick 2, 2024), AJ Johnson (pick 23, 2024), Bobi Klintman (pick 37, 2024) and Ariel Hukporti (pick 58, 2024).

Three Next Stars currently remain in consideration for this year’s NBA Draft; Alex Toohey (Sydney Kings), Rocco Zikarsky (Brisbane Bullets) and Izan Almansa (Perth Wildcats). The 2025 NBA Draft will be held over two nights at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with the first one tipping off at 10am AEST on Thursday, June 26.