NBA top prospects LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton will be featured during National Basketball League games that will be streamed live on Facebook in the United States, the Australia-based league. announcement Wednesday.
The NBL’s partnership with Facebook sees 52 games involving Ball’s Illawarra Hawks and Hampton’s New Zealand Breakers being broadcast via the NBL’s Facebook page.
Both are expected to be selected in the NBA Draft next year, with Ball’s pre-season game in Australia already having some say he will be part of the discussion of who will be drafted with the No. 1 pick in the standings. general.
Now American fans can take a look as both 18-year-olds are part of the NBL’s Next Stars program.
“This partnership will provide tremendous visibility for the NBL in the biggest basketball market in the world. … There is a lot of interest in Melo and RJ ahead of next year’s NBA draft, but also in the NBL and basketball here more broadly,” NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger said in a statement.
The NBL season begins on October 3. Ball’s first game for Illawarra will be on October 6 against the Brisbane Bullets. Hampton makes his Breakers debut on October 18 against Andrew Bogut’s Sydney Kings. Both games will be available on Facebook Watch for fans in the US
A record 13 Australians played in the NBA last season and 113 NBA players have played in the NBL since its inception in 1979.
