- Ball, 18, reportedly purchased the NBL’s Illawarra Hawks
- NBL countered report saying sale of team is not complete
- Brother of Lonzo Ball is potential No 1 pick in NBA draft
Australia’s National Basketball League has denied the struggling Illawarra Hawks club have been sold to teenage NBA prospect LaMelo Ball after the player’s manager said it was a “done deal”.
Ball, seen as a potential No 1 one pick in the 2020 NBA draft, had an injury-blighted stint at the Wollongong-based Hawks last year but impressed so much in his 12 games that he won the NBL’s rookie of the year award for the 2019-20 season.
Related: Andrew Bogut says NBL used players ‘like pawns’ over cut grand final series
