Quentin Peterson
December 16, 2025
Jackson Ball
- Nationality: NZL/AUS
- Date of Birth: 10/03/08
- Place of Birth: Napier (New Zealand)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 191
- Weight (KG): 82
- Junior Assoc: NZ - Hawke's Bay Basketball
- College: Wisconsin (2026-)
- NBL DEBUT: 18/10/25
- AGE AT DEBUT: 17
- LAST NBL GAME: 29/01/26
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 17
- NBL History: Illawarra 2026
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Jackson Ball was born in Napier (New Zealand).
FAMILY: Jackson Ball is the son of Nick and Cheree Ball and has a sibling named Kees Ball.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Jackson Ball made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 17 years of age. He scored four points in his first game.
After defeating Melbourne in five games to win its first championship in 24 years, Illawarra entered NBL26 as defending champions under coach Justin Tatum. Trey Kell III (to Toyama), Darius Days (to San-en), Lachlan Olbrich (to Chicago) and Hyunjung Lee (to Nagasaki) departed, while Tatum added JaVale McGee (via Bayamón), Jonah Bolden (via New Zealand), Harry Froling (via Melbourne), Biwali Bayles (via Sydney), Johny Narkle (via Geraldton) and JaQuori McLaughlin (via Jakarta).
Multiple teams pursued the 17-year-old New Zealand guard during the pre-season before Ball (via Hawke’s Bay) signed a one-year development player deal with Illawarra on July 28. He arrived after representing New Zealand at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup and being named the 2025 NZNBL Best Prospect, having also committed to join Wisconsin for the 2026/27 college season.
Ball (4 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist) scored his first NBL points during his debut at John Cain Arena on October 18, but South East Melbourne defeated Illawarra 116-76. McGee (22 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 blocks) and Harvey (14 points and 3 assists) led the Hawks, while Glover (26 points) was the Phoenix’s leading scorer.
Ball (1.8 points across 11 games) made four starts while balancing the Hawks’ schedule with his final year at Napier Boys’ High School. After starting two games in late October, he returned to New Zealand to complete his exams and missed five games.
His best scoring game came against Adelaide at the WIN Entertainment Centre on December 20, where Ball (7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block) made three of six shots after being elevated into the starting lineup shortly before warm-ups. Peterson (21 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists) and Swaka Lo Buluk (19 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal) led the short-handed Hawks, while Humphries (16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block) helped Adelaide escape with an 84-78 victory.
McGee (19.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks) and Harvey (16.9 points and 3.6 assists) led Illawarra’s offence, with Peterson (15.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists), Hickey (12.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists) and Froling (11 points and 6.7 rebounds across 15 games) the other main contributors. McGee was named club MVP, Grida (6.3 points across 29 games) received the Players’ Player and Most Improved awards, Swaka Lo Buluk (8 points across 33 games) was named Defensive Player of the Year and Peatling (6.1 points and 4.8 rebounds across 33 games) received the Coach’s Award.
In February, Ball travelled to Los Angeles for the NBA and FIBA Basketball Without Borders All-Star Camp, where he earned All-Star selection honours, ending his NBL campaign before Illawarra’s final three games.
Illawarra finished eighth with a 13-20 record and closed the season at MyState Bank Arena on February 18, where Harvey (21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) and Peterson (20 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists) led the Hawks, while Josh Bannan (17 points and 4 rebounds) was Tasmania’s best as Illawarra defeated the JackJumpers 103-70.
Jackson Ball played one season in the NBL. He averaged 1.8 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 11 NBL games.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Jackson Ball – 2024 New Zealand Secondary Schools National Championships
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 18 | Illawarra | 13-20 (8) | 11 | 108 | 20 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 6 | 24 | 25% | 2 | 15 | 13% | 6 | 8 | 75% | 36% | 29% | 7 | Totals | 11 | 108 | 20 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 6 | 24 | 25.0% | 2 | 15 | 13.3% | 6 | 8 | 75.0% | 36% | 29% | 7 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 18 | Illawarra | 13-20 (8) | 11 | 9.8 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 25% | 0.2 | 1.4 | 13% | 0.5 | 0.7 | 75% | 36% | 29% | 7 | Total | 11 | 9.8 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 25.0% | 0.0 | 13.3% | 0.2 | 1.4 | 75.0% | 36% | 29% | 7 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
|---|
FIBA EXPERIENCE
In 2023, Jackson Ball (4.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game across six games) represented New Zealand at the FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship.
At the 2024 FIBA Under-17 World Cup, Ball (2.9 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game across seven games) represented New Zealand.
In February 2025, Ball made his senior Tall Blacks debut during the FIBA Asia Cup qualifying campaign.
Across two qualifying appearances, Jackson Ball (2.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game) represented New Zealand.
Ball (5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist) contributed in New Zealands February 20 qualifying game against Hong Kong.
At the 2025 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, Jackson Ball (9.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game across seven games) helped New Zealand finish fourth.
Ball (17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists) contributed against Argentina before scoring 19 points against Serbia in group play.
During the qualification campaign for the 2027 FIBA World Cup, Jackson Ball (2.0 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game across two appearances) represented New Zealand.
At the 2026 FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup, Jackson Ball (20.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game across six games) represented New Zealand, helping the team win bronze.
Ball (29 points and 7 assists) led New Zealands third-place victory against South Korea and earned a place in the tournaments All-Star Five.
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- New Zealand - Hawkes Bay (2024–2026)
Ball joined Hawke’s Bay Hawks for the 2024 New Zealand NBL season, playing his first season in New Zealand, and appeared in 14 games for 3.4 points per game with a season-high six points twice.
Ball returned to Hawke’s Bay Hawks for the 2025 New Zealand NBL season, where he played alongside Dan Grida and Luca Yates, started all 16 games, and averaged 19.9 points, 34 minutes, 2.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.2 made threes per game.
Already committed to Wisconsin for the class of 2026, Ball continued to strengthen his standing as a leading young prospect, recorded a 16-point, 4-rebound, 3-assist outing on 6-of-15 shooting, and later scored a season-best 40 points against the Indian Panthers on 15-of-19 shooting with 9 rebounds and 4 assists.
At the end of the 2025 season, Ball was named the Sal’s NBL Most Improved Player and Youth Player of the Year after rising from 3.4 points per game in 2024 to a major Hawks role in 2025.
Hawke’s Bay announced Ball’s return for the 2026 Sal’s NBL season on April 3, 2026. He played eight games during his third season with the Hawks, averaging 19.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 32.7 minutes per game while shooting 47.4 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from three-point range and 81.6 percent from the free-throw line.
COLLEGE
On November 16, 2025, the University of Wisconsin announced that Jackson Ball had signed to join its incoming 2026 recruiting class under head coach Greg Gard.
Ball was recruited following his performances with the Hawke's Bay Hawks, New Zealand junior national teams and as a development player with the Illawarra Hawks.
Wisconsin highlighted his size, physicality, toughness and international experience as strengths that would help his transition to college basketball.
Ball joined Wisconsin's 2026/27 incoming freshman class alongside fellow recruit LaTrevion Fenderson.
By the start of the 2026/27 academic year, Ball was listed as a freshman guard on Wisconsin's official men's basketball roster. He arrived after completing his final high school year at Napier Boys’ High School, spending the NBL26 season with Illawarra and winning a bronze medal and All-Star Five honours for New Zealand at the 2026 FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup.
AWARDS
- 2025 New Zealand NBL Most Improved Player of the Year
- 2025 New Zealand NBL Youth Player of the Year
- 2026 FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup bronze medal (New Zealand)
- 2026 FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup All-Star Five
Related
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