WATCH: Lewis erupts for career-high

During his two strong seasons in the Hungry Jack’s NBL, Next Star Malique Lewis took plenty of strides as a player.

That growth was on full display on November 6, 2025, during a Round 8 fixture between his South East Melbourne Phoenix and the Tasmania JackJumpers.

At Launceston’s Silverdome, the Trinidad and Tobago talent erupted for a career-high 23 points to guide the Phoenix to a 103-102 victory.

On his way to his career mark, the forward hit 5 of his 7 triples, while also recording 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal.

During his time in the Next Stars program, Lewis, 21, played 63 games for the Phoenix, helping them reach the post-season in both years.

In his second campaign, the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 Season, Lewis’ improvement was evident as he put up 7.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game across the regular season, on 46-39-80 shooting clips.

The Next Stars program has seen six players drafted in the first round across the last six NBA drafts, including LaMelo Ball (2020), Josh Giddey (2021), Ousmane Dieng (2022) and Alex Sarr (2024), all being selected inside the lottery.