He’s an Australian Boomers and NBA superstar at just 20 years of age, but Josh Giddey will never forget where his professional basketball career started.

Giddey’s season in the NBL at the Adelaide 36ers provided the perfect stepping stone to the NBA Draft and he says the “world-class standard of basketball” in Australia can’t be understated.

“It’s been said of late that the NBL is the best basketball league in the world outside of the NBA and, having played in both competitions, I can honestly say this isn’t just a throwaway line or clever marketing strategy,” he told NewsCorp. 

“The NBL is a genuine pathway and the fact players can bounce straight into the NBA and have an immediate impact only reinforces just how good the league is.”

In all, 14 players with NBL experience played in the NBA last season, and even more have gone the opposite way, with around 20 players at NBL clubs boasting NBA experience.

According to Giddey, the NBL has “fast become a destination league”. 

Among the Boomers’ squad for the recent FIBA World Cup, eight of the 12 rostered players have spent time in Australia’s top-flight league. 

While Chris Goulding was the lone NBL representative from current rosters, Giddey, Xavier Cooks, Jack White and Duop Reath have all plied their trade in Australia over the past few seasons.

The NBL is giving players the perfect opportunity to thrive, and strive for a shot at the NBA. 

Former Next Star Giddey was a star for the Boomers at the World Cup, averaging 19.4 points, five rebounds and six assists, with a 25-point, eight-rebound haul against Slovenia one of the more dominant performances at the tournament.

The current crop of Next Stars is highly fancied to add to the list of players to make the move from the NBL to the NBA, with the likes of Trentyn Flowers, Bobi Klintman, Alexandre Sarr, AJ Johnson and Mantas Rubstavicius among those high on draft boards across the league. 

Read the full article here >> Josh Giddey: Why the NBL is perfect stepping stone to the NBA