Exum plans to play in NBL

Saturday, June 8, 2024

"Hopefully one day I can play for a team and get my debut in the NBL."

He’s just four wins away from becoming the eighth Australian to win an NBA championship ring, and while Dante Exum’s short-term focus is very much in Dallas, he’s got every intention of one day playing in the NBL.

The 28-year-old has enjoyed an incredible career resurgence since joining FC Barcelona in 2021, and after claiming an ABA League championship trophy at Partizan NIS Belgrade, is now making all posts a winner at the Mavericks.

Exum, fellow Australian Josh Green and the Mavericks are currently taking on the Boston Celtics in the seven-game NBA Finals series, but every step of the way in his basketball journey, he’s kept one eye on the rapid rise of the NBL.

It would be hard for Exum not to be invested in Australia’s domestic league. After all he’s the son of former NBL champion, Cecil and a part-owner of the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

So when his burgeoning NBA career is done, could the Boomers star return to the Heartland?

“Hopefully one day I can play for a team and get my debut in the NBL,” he told Phoenix Media.

“That’s the plan. I still want to be at a good level to play and not just kind of taking a spot. So if we (South East Melbourne) haven’t won a championship by then, hopefully I can bring one.”

The NBL is making waves overseas, according to Exum, headlined by the league’s Next Stars program.

French phenom Alex Sarr is widely regarded as a potential number one pick at next month’s NBA Draft after a season at the Perth Wildcats, while the likes of LaMelo Ball and Ousmane Dieng have been successful graduates from the Next Stars program in recent years.

“Hopefully we can get a number one pick at the Phoenix. I think it’s great for the league,” Exum said.

“It’s just bringing a lot of attention and guys want to play.

“A lot of NBA guys that have talked to that and even guys that were over in Europe that played in the NBL, they loved it.

“I think it’s just about getting that exposure and getting guys over. And once they’re over, they realise that they love it and they can build a life.”