18-year-old LaMelo Ball and his manager, Jermaine Jackson, have purchased the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League in Australia, Jackson told Jonathan Givony of ESPN on Thursday.
Ball played 12 games with the Hawks this season before a foot injury ended his stay in Australia. Ball was named the NBL Rookie of the Year after averaging 17 points, 7.5 rebounds, seven assists and 1.7 steals while he shot 37.3% from the field and 24.3% from 3-point range.
A report surfaced last week that indicated Ball and his manager were interested in purchasing the Hawks as the future of the franchise was in jeopardy. Jackson told ESPN that he and Ball now own the team and the deal is official.
“Melo loves the Illawarra fans,” Jackson told ESPN. “He loves that community. They opened their arms to him. They made us feel like we are at home. When we started hearing about the issues they were going through, we talked about it and decided, ‘Let’s own the team.'”
Ball joined the Hawks as part of the “Next Stars” initiative, a program designed to give the top high school prospects an avenue to play professionally. Though Ball was set to play just one season in the NBL, he fully committed to the team and community, even donating one month of his salary in January to help Australian wildfire relief.
Ball is considered to be in the conversation for the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. With Ball set to enter the NBA, he and Jackson will find the right group to lead the day-to-day operations of the Hawks in the NBL.
Ball is projected to be selected third in the latest 2020 Rookie Wire NBA Mock Draft.
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