Photo: Perth Wildcats Media

The Hungry Jack’s NBL’s reputation as the best basketball league outside of the NBA continues to grow, with scouts set to flock to the Gold Coast for this month’s Blitz tournament. 

While 14 ex-NBL took the court in the NBA across the past season, that number is only set to grow as more talent arrives on our shores via the Next Stars program. Locally, college players are returning to Australia in droves, as they opt for the NBL as their pathway to stardom. 

“Clearly, NBA teams believe in the value and quality of the NBL as there are more than 45 NBA scouts registered to attend the NBL’s pre-season competition, the Blitz, on the Gold Coast in a couple of weeks,” Australian Boomers and NBA star Josh Giddey told NewsCorp. 

“My agent just mentioned that it will be the most NBA executives on the ground in Australia at one time, ever.”

Giddey started his professional career with the Adelaide 36ers in the NBL, and just like NBA draft prospects Trentyn Flowers, Bobi Klintman, AJ Johnson, Alexandre Sarr, Ariel Hukporti and Mantas Rubstavicius, was part of the prestigious Next Stars setup. 

Scouts from across the NBA will no doubt be keeping an eye on the exciting talent coming through at the Blitz, or looking for an experienced star to make an immediate impact – just like Xavier Cooks, Jack White and Jock Landale in recent seasons. 

Tickets for the Blitz are selling fast, with games getting underway on September 16 at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Alongside the NBL24 crop of emerging youngsters, several players will be suiting up for new clubs, including Keanu Pinder at Perth, Luke Travers in Melbourne and DJ Hogg in Sydney, while imports like Denzel Valentine, Jamaal Franklin, Zylan Cheatham and Jordon Crawford will also be in action.

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS FOR THE BLITZ

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