Who's Next to the NBA?

How long will it be until another NBL player signs an NBA contract?

According to NBL analyst Pete Hooley, the next opportunity is just around the corner.

“I think this is going to happen more and more, especially with how recognised and significant the NBL is in terms of basketball leagues around the world,” Hooley said on NBL Today.

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Xavier Cooks made his debut with the Washington Wizards on Sunday, just days after lifting the Championship trophy at the Sydney Kings, and just a few hours after landing on US soil.

While New Zealand Breakers star Jarrell Brantley has returned to the Utah Jazz on a 10-day contract - having last played for them in 2021.

“If you’ve had that taste of Summer League with the team, you’ve met the organisation on a 10-day or something like that and then gone and played in the NBL … they’re watching,” Hooley said.

“They’re going to see how you do. They’re going to make sure they have really good eyes on you … then you have a season like Jarrell Brantley did, all of a sudden they’re like ‘OK, we want to have you back and see what’s happened since we saw you last’.

“I think that’s going to be a really significant thing for the NBL going forward.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Welcome to the <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/xaviercooks10?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@xaviercooks10</a> ??? <a href="https://twitter.com/matthewdelly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@matthewdelly</a> <a href="https://t.co/wlyX519rgs">pic.twitter.com/wlyX519rgs</a></p>&mdash; NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA_AU/status/1637277694017830918?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Jock Landale, Jack White and Matthew Dellavedova are among those who've moved from the NBL to the NBA across the past few seasons. 

Cooks reportedly signed a four-year deal with the Wizards, after leading the Kings to back-to-back Championships, and claiming MVP and All-NBL First Team honours this season.