ONE OF the best Australian basketball prospects of the 2020s has affirmed his love for his home country, with Luke Paul joining the National Basketball League (NBL) Next Stars program as his pathway to the top level.

Paul is a highly regarded young talent, and at just 16 years of age, still has plenty of development ahead as he looks to potentially continue his journey towards the NBA in the coming years. The guard has emerged as a seriously exciting talent following some exceptional performances at international level over the past 12 months, and has cemented himself as one to watch in the coming years.

He has become the youngest ever player to sign with the program, a record which was previously held by Dash Daniels, who is currently suiting up for Melbourne United and has been able to impress in the program throughout his tenure so far.

The Perth product is a strong build for the modern basketball game, standing six-foot-six as a point guard to give himself a serious advantage at that position. His vision is immense with ball in hand, opening up plenty of scoring opportunities for his teammates with a strong ability to draw in multiple defenders and then kick out to wide open teammates.

Paul’s game is reflective of fellow Australian export Joshua Giddey, who was enjoying a career-best season at NBA level with the Chicago Bulls before suffering an ankle injury that has forced the potential All-Star to the sidelines. Both players have excellent vision and are capable of setting the tempo on the offensive end with elite passing.

The newly signed Next Star has been suiting up for the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence (BA CoE) in the NBL1, but it was his international career that saw Paul emerge as a genuine prospect for the coming years.

His breakout campaign came at the 2025 FIBA U16 Asia Cup, where he dominated in Australian colours to take home MVP honours as well as being named to the All-Star Five. Paul stepped up in the final with 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists against China in the decider, and was truly the standout player of the tournament with a terrific campaign.

At the 2025 FIBA U17 Oceania Cup, Paul was again named to the All-Star Five and cemented himself as an exciting talent who has immense potential for the future. He will don the green and gold again this year at the FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey, where he will be one of the key factors in Australia’s chase for gold.

Paul could have chosen the collegiate path, which has traditionally been the preferred option for NBA hopefuls, but continued the trend of Aussie talents staying on local shores ahead of their draft journey.

“It’s a dream come true… to sign a contract at 16 is pretty cool. I’m very excited and can’t wait to get started,” Paul said.  

“The NBL Next Stars program is a pathway that’s proven to get players to the NBA. Just being able to compete against professional players so early is going to be so beneficial for me. At this stage of my career, I want to go up against physical guys, because that can fast-track my development.”

Paul has yet to sign with a team, but he will not be short of offers given his already impressive resume, and will be one to watch in the coming seasons.