The Illawarra Hawks and the NBL hit a home run with the signing of American basketball star LaMelo Ball this season. His signature was a master stroke that further validated Larry Kestelman’s Next Stars program.
Ball is a legit rising star and social media sensation who is going to be one of the top five lottery picks (if not the number one selection) in next year’s NBA Draft. No doubt, LaMelo is highly ranked as one of the best draft prospects by scouts and GM’s across the NBA. On NBA Draft Net mock drafts, Ball is currently sitting as the 4th best prospect, with his game being compared to former NBA star Penny Hardaway.
His popularity is such that immediately after announcing his signing, the NBL released LaMelo jerseys and they sold out in 24 hours. The Hawks might be breaking merchandise records by the end of the season simply because of LaMelo’s #1 jersey.
He possesses the size, length, handles, passing ability, high IQ and confidence. LaMelo has a lot of swagger in his game. In an interview with Bleacher Report last week, LaMelo said he is better than his older brother Lonzo. No wonder his new coach gave him the keys to be a starter.
The 18-year old, 6’8″, 180-pound rookie point guard has taken on the challenge of leading his new ball club against some of Australia’s best basketball players. So far, so good.
In ten games, LaMelo has been averaging 14.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 2 turnovers in just under thirty minutes.
His offensive game is strong. He can score from anywhere and create his own shot. He has a knack of finding his teammates with pin-point accurate passes for easy baskets. He looks poised and confident calling the shots last Saturday against the Sydney Kings as he dropped 16 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal in 26 minutes. His shot selection can improve but it will come with time; he likes to score and appears to have been given the green light to create for his underachieving team. It’s a match made in heaven.
What stood out last weekend was the record-breaking crowd attendance. The Sydney Kings drew 17,500+ fans, the biggest ever in NBL history. It’s not a coincidence that it also happened to be a game against LaMelo and his Hawks.
You could hear the crowd roar with excitement as LaMelo threw some dunks during the warm up. Every move he made delivered oohs and aahs, from a hard drive, a long three-point shot, a no-look pass or a pick-and-roll with his bigs. His head-to-head match up with Brazilian young gun Didi Louzada was riveting, but make no mistake, Sydneysiders came to see Ball in action.
The wins haven’t come their way yet, but LaMelo’s name delivered a major sponsor, increased merchandise sales and more eyeballs to the Hawks and the NBL.
Last August, the Hawks signed a major partnership with SLAM. The American media company took on the lucrative position of Front of Jersey Sponsor on the Illawarra Hawks Home and Away Jersey for the NBL20 season. The deal provided unprecedented international exposure to Illawarra Hawks and SLAM into an international market. This kind of sponsorship would never happen with any other player, but such is his impact that SLAM decided to explore new opportunities with LaMelo on board.
The exposure for the club has seen its social media presence grow on Instagram (69,600), Facebook (26,000) and Twitter (19,000). It also helps that their young superstar has his own online show, 5 million Instagram followers and 529,000 FB likes.
The NBL should add an All Star Game to its season to create more hype and squeeze the time it has left with LaMelo. He is only here for one season before he takes on the big boys of the NBA.
In the meantime, LaMelo continues to hone his craft and to help his team generate more wins because that is what he came here to do.
Author: Marco Selorio IG: @marcoselorio