Ball arrived in Australia in August as part of the league's Next Stars programgetty images
Jermaine Jackson, the manager of potential No. 1 NBA draft pick LaMelo Ball, said that he and Ball "have purchased" Ball's Australian NBL team, the Illawarra Hawks. Ball arrived in Australia in August as part of the league's Next Stars program and enjoyed his time there "so much that he decided to make the country a part of his long-term future." Jackson said, "When we started hearing about the issues they were going through, we talked about it and decided, 'Let's own the team.'" Jackson added, "We're going to put the organization on steroids, building it into a program that guys want to play for" (ESPN.com, 4/2).
NBL Owner Larry Kestelman confirmed that Ball and Jackson had "expressed a desire to own a slice of the Hawks during their time in Australia last season." Ball’s interest in the Hawks "comes as the franchise was forced to stand down all staff and coaches due to the financial impact of the coronavirus. " Ball’s ownership would follow a "long list of former and current NBA players involved financially in the NBL, including Dante Exum, Andrew Bogut and Zach Randolph" (SYDNEY DAILY TELEGRAPH, 4/2).
