BIO: Hukporti was born in Stralsund, Germany to Togolese parents and was raised by a single mother. After moving to Frankfurt he grew up playing football as a defender. Hukporti stood 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) at age nine and started playing basketball when he was 11 years old, in part due to his height.

He later moved to Stuttgart and began playing in the Jugend Basketball Bundesliga, the German U16 league, with USC Freiburg.

After one season, he received offers from renowned clubs, including Bayern Munich and Brose Bamberg. He decided to continue his career with Riesen Ludwigsburg and its junior team, Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Ariel Hukporti made his NBL debut with the Melbourne United at 19 years of age. He scored three points in his first game.

After winning the 2021 championship, Melbourne United faced significant roster changes, losing leading scorer Jock Landale to an NBA opportunity with San Antonio and starting point guard Mitch McCarron, who became the league’s highest-paid local player by signing a three-year deal with Adelaide. United quickly focused on rebuilding for the NBL22 season, re-signing Jo Lual-Acuil, David Barlow, and Shea Ili. They received a boost from the return of Jack White, who had missed the second half of the previous season due to an ACL injury, and added free agents Brad Newley (via Sydney) and Dion Prewster, who had just won the NZNBL MVP award. United secured the biggest free agent of the year by signing NBA champion Matthew Dellavedova to a three-year deal. Lastly, Caleb Agada, who had just played for Nigeria at the Olympics, replaced import Scotty Hopson, and talented young German Ariel Hukporti was added to the roster under the Next Stars program.

Despite a 0-2 start, United dominated the rest of the season, winning their next three games to end December and losing only one game (5-1) in January while playing all of their games on the road. In February, United won four of their five games and, with a record of 12-4, sat atop the NBL ladder where they remained for the rest of the season. Jo Lual-Acuil (16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks) led the team in scoring and earned selection to the All-NBL First Team, while Chris Goulding (15.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) was named to the All-NBL Second Team. The impact of Shea Ili (8.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.4 steals) off the bench was also recognized around the league with him winning the Sixth Man of the Year award. Ariel Hukporti averaged 6.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 0.6 assists as a backup center to Jo Lual-Acuil. United finished the year in first place with a record of 20-8, setting up a semi-final series against the Tasmanian JackJumpers.

Tasmania lost Game One to United 74-63 but bounced back in their home semi-final game to even the series 1-1. Heading into the deciding Game Three, captain Chris Goulding was deemed unfit to play, which allowed Tasmania to clamp down on the defensive end. Without Goulding, United struggled from the perimeter, with Dellavedova (1-7), Agada (0-7), White (0-5), and Baba (0-2) combining to shoot 1-21 from beyond the arc. Overall, United went 6-29 (20 percent) from three-point range, compared to the JackJumpers’ 10-32 (31 percent). Despite keeping the game close, it was in the final moments that Tasmania secured the victory (76-73), ending Melbourne’s playoff run and making history by reaching the Grand Final in their debut season.

In his debut season, Ariel Hukporti led the league in defensive rating and became the only player to average more than a block per game before turning 20 years old.

2022/23
Hukporti missed the entire 2022/23 season after suffering a devastating Achilles injury during the pre-season.

2023/24
After a challenging season where Hukporti was sidelined and United attempted to regroup after losing starters Jo Lual-Acuil to China and Jack White and Matthew Dellavedova to the NBA, United welcomed back Lual-Acuil and Dellavedova for NBL24 and added NBA prospect Luke Travers to build a roster very similar to the team that narrowly missed out on a Grand Final berth in 2022. Looking to run things back, import Ian Clark (via Adelaide) was signed as the team’s only import, filling the bench scoring role that Scotty Hopson had previously occupied, while young, up-and-coming talents Tanner Krebs (via Brisbane), Kyle Bowen, and Flynn Cameron were also added to the roster.

An early-season wrist injury to Lual-Acuil saw veteran Rob Loe (5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) signed as an injury replacement for 8 games. With Ariel Hukporti stepping into the starting lineup during that time, averaging 7.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks, United sat atop the ladder (7-1) when Lual-Acuil returned.

In his sixteenth NBL season, Chris Goulding (16.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists) delivered one of the best seasons of his career, fueled by playing with the Boomers at the FIBA World Cup in 2023 and vying for a spot on the 2024 Olympic team.

In addition to Goulding leading the way in scoring, United were formidable throughout the season, with any of the team’s starters capable of taking over games. Lual-Acuil (14.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks), Dellavedova (12.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists), and Clark (13.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) kept the scoreboard ticking over, while versatile player Luke Travers (11.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.3 blocks) filled the stat sheet in almost every category.

Melbourne (20-8) finished the season a clear three wins ahead of the competition, and their success drew sell-out crowds almost every week. United delivered their biggest home win against Brisbane in December, winning by 35 points thanks to some lights-out shooting from Goulding (7/9 from beyond the arc) and forcing the Bullets to shoot a woeful percentage at the other end (3/26 from the perimeter).

In the semifinals against Illawarra, both teams showcased offensive firepower, with the scoreboard displaying 100 points in consecutive playoff matches. Tied at a game apiece, United survived a huge scare in Game 3 to advance to the Grand Final series.

United delivered a blowout win in Game One (104–81) behind Goulding (22 points on 7-12 shooting) and Lual-Acuil (20 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks). The JackJumpers evened the series at home (77-82), thanks to big games from Jack McVeigh (16 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Milton Doyle (13 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists). Shea Ili (20 points on 8-12 shooting) led United in the loss.

Dellavedova (21 points and 8 assists) delivered one of his best games of the season in what looked like an easy victory until a miracle shot from McVeigh (18 points and 12 rebounds) resulted in Melbourne losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.

In Game Four, United rode the hot hand of Ian Clark (18 points and 4 rebounds) to even the series at two wins apiece (88-86).

Tasmania’s Jordon Crawford had struggled through most of the playoffs but epitomized the JackJumpers’ never-say-die attitude, scoring 19 points in the first quarter and finishing the game with 32 points as the JackJumpers came from behind to win at John Cain Arena (83-81). It was the equal-third highest tally by any player in a title-series game during the 40-minute game era, which dates back to 2009.

Crawford had plenty of support from McVeigh (14 points and 8 rebounds), Doyle (11 points and 10 rebounds), and Will Magnay (11 points and 12 rebounds), combining to win Tasmania’s first NBL championship.

Each of Melbourne’s five starters reached double figures, led by Jo Lual-Acuil Jr (14 points), Matthew Dellavedova, Chris Goulding, and Luke Travers (13 each).

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Ariel Hukporti played two seasons the Melbourne United. He averaged 7.3 points, 6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 66 NBL games.

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Dan Boyce (815 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.