THE 2025/26 National Basketball League (NBL) season is around the corner, which means there will be another crop of Next Stars shining in the professional competition in a bid to make their NBA dreams come true.
Last season saw two NBL Next Stars make their dreams a reality, when the program helped Alex Toohey and Rocco Zikarsky join the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves respectively in the 2025 NBA Draft. The pair shone throughout their time in the NBL, and it is certainly seen as a strong pathway to the top level.
Recent draftees include Lamelo Ball, Joshua Giddey and Alexandre Sarr, all of whom were taken in the top 10 of their respective intakes, and played a crucial role in putting the program on the map for prospects looking to be respected for coming through a professional competition.
This year, there are four confirmed NBL Next Stars, including a pair of returning players with the quartet of players looking extremely promising ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft. Two are currently considered top-10 prospects and could finish the season around that mark on draft night.
Karim Lopez will be backing up his impressive campaign with the New Zealand Breakers, and is looming as a lottery selection at the very least, while Malique Lewis will be looking to take the next step with the SEM Phoenix after showing good traits in his debut campaign.
In terms of new faces, the name Dash Daniels will ring a few bells for Australian basketball fans, given he is the younger brother of NBA Most Improved Player Dyson, and is currently impressing for the Boomers at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup. He will join Melbourne United and look to solidify himself as a top-10 prospect.
French big man Noa Kouakou-Heugue rounds out the Next Stars for 2025, looking to follow in the footsteps of Sarr as he joins the Perth Wildcats. Having impressed at international level for his country, he will be looking to demonstrate his craft against professional opponents and boost his draft stock.
With that in mind, Rookie Me Central will be previewing each player ahead of the 2025/26 season, highlighting their strengths, improvements, and overall draft picture, to give you all you need to know for the upcoming fixture.
The series starts on Monday as we put Lopez under the microscope.
NBL Next Stars preview series starts next week
THE 2025/26 National Basketball League (NBL) season is around the corner, which means there will be another crop of Next Stars shining in the professional competition in a bid to make their NBA dreams come true. Last season saw two NBL Next Stars make their dreams a reality, when the program helped Alex Toohey and […]
Kouakou-Heugue set to wonder as Wildcats Next Star
NOA KOUAKOU-HENGUE has become the second Frenchman to join the Perth Wildcats as an NBL Next Star, after joining the pathway for the 2025/26 season following an eye-catching stint on the international stage. A big man who brings plenty of versatility to the table, Kouakou-Heugue stands a mighty six-foot-11, and is rising as a prospect […]
SCOUTING NOTES | Duke vs. Alabama
AS EXPECTED, the Duke Blue Devils have advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA National Tournament, taking care of business against the Alabama Crimson Tide to claim a 20-point win over the weekend. The Blue Devils are still the team to beat in men’s college basketball, and came into Saturday’s clash against the Crimson […]
TOP 10 – NBL Next Stars
THE NATIONAL Basketball League (NBL) Next Stars program has proved fruitful as a pathway to the NBA Draft, with plenty of players reaching the top level after honing their craft in a professional competition for a season or two. There have even been a handful of players that have been selected in the Top 10, […]
RANKED | 2024/25 NBL Next Stars
IT WAS another successful season for the National Basketball League (NBL) Next Stars program, with the five players from the year’s class all honing their craft in Australia’s top competition, and capturing the attention of NBA scouts across the globe. The NBA Draft is set to take place in June, and the 2024/25 NBL season […]
NBL25 Next Star review – Malique Lewis
CEMENTING his spot in the starting lineup throughout the 2024/25 National Basketball League (NBL), Next Star Malique Lewis certainly did his NBA Draft chances no harm with a strong campaign as a member of the SEM Phoenix. Lewis was well-utilised by mid-season coaching appointee Josh King, and saw plenty of court time throughout both the […]
NBL25 Next Star review – Karim Lopez
ALTHOUGH not draft eligible until 2026, Karim Lopez certainly made his mark during his first campaign as a Next Star in the National Basketball League (NBL), garnering international attention for his strong performances and certainly boosting his stock moving forward. Lopez joined the New Zealand Breakers for a two-year stint in the Next Stars program, […]
NBL25 Next Star review – Alex Toohey
ALTHOUGH he may not have been the most highly regarded Next Star coming into the National Basketball League (NBL) season, Alex Toohey certainly changed that with a marvellous campaign with the Sydney Kings. Although the Kings finished in sixth spot and were eliminated in the play-in tournament, Toohey was certainly the standout throughout the 2024/25 […]
NBL25 Next Star review – Rocco Zikarsky
COMING into the National Basketball League (NBL) season as one of Australia’s premier NBA Draft prospects, it was not the campaign that Rocco Zikarsky would have hoped for, but he still showed patches of promise throughout his second year as a Next Star. Entering the 2024/25 fixture, Zikarsky had loomed as a first round draft […]
