Predicted ’24 NBA lotto choice opts NBL over Horns

California high school guard A.J. Johnson, a forecasted 2024 NBA draft lottery game choice, informed ESPN on Thursday that he has decommitted from the Texas Longhorns and signed a handle the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League in Australia.Johnson, a 6-foot-6

senior at the Southern California Academy, is the highest-profile American possibility to jump to the NBL’s Next Stars program since Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball spent the 2019-20 season in Australia on his method to ending up being the No. 3 choice in the NBA draft.Editor’s Picks 1 Related Johnson, who will be represented by agent Costs Duffy of WME Basketball, is the projected No. 13 possibility in ESPN

‘s 2024 NBA

mock draft. Since Ball’s departure, the NBL’s Next Stars program has actually been a developmental program largely fixated Australian and European skill– including the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Josh Giddey and Ousmane Dieng.Johnson, an explosive open-court player considered to have elite playmaking capability, had initially dedicated to join Texas and coach Rodney Terry, but he altered course to pursue the expert path in Australia. Under coach Jacob Jackomas, the Hawks have developed a track record for remarkable player development.