As the NBA draft quickly approaches, millions of people throughout the world will turn on their TV’s to view the next generation of superstars be drafted to a variety of NBA franchises.
Among those talents is highly rated point guard, Australian Dante Exum, carrying the hopes of the next generation of Australian basketball.
The Melbourne-born Exum posses an enormous amount of talent and is expected to go in the Top 5 of the draft.
Exum is just one of the many Australian players that will play in the NBA, as Australian basketball continues to grow.
Patty Mills is one example of an Australian success story in the NBA, joining Andrew Gaze and Luc Longley as the only Australians to win an NBA ring.
Mills’ incredible shooting performance in the third quarter of Game 5, in which he scored 14 of his 17 points, as well as his defensive work on LeBron James earned him the praise of the coach of the San Antonio Spurs, Gregg Popovich.
Only a year earlier he gave him the nickname ‘Fatty Patty’.
Mills’ performance has made the Australian basketball community proud.
After the Spurs received the NBA Championship, Mills and fellow Aussie Aron Baynes donned the Australian and Torres Strait Islander flags respectively, showcasing the pride and respect Baynes and Mills have for their heritage.
The Australian name is growing throughout the NBA circles, with Mills and Andrew Bogut the biggest names that our country has in basketball.
But as Dante Exum enters the NBA Draft, he can easily become one of our best.
Ever the confident one, Exum has stated that he wants to go to a team that will use him immediately, rather than be stuck behind fellow guards in the backcourt.
This is evident through his rejection of the last-minute offer from Cleveland Cavaliers to train with them, instead electing to stay in New York ahead of the draft.
If Exum were to be drafted at #1, he would be stuck behind fellow Melbourne-born, Cleveland star Kyrie Irving and fellow Australian Matt Dellavedova.
Instead, it seems as though Exum will be drafted by the Orlando Magic or the Utah Jazz, whom both lack sufficient guard depth.
Wherever Exum goes in the draft, he will carry the weight of all Australia on his shoulders, as he is now the franchise player for Australian basketball.
He will lead the Boomers through the next 10 years, as well as (hopefully) starring in the NBA, and rejuvenating the following of basketball in Australia.
Australia will be watching when the NBA Draft with keen eyes, as they witness possibly Australia’s next great basketball star get drafted into the greatest league of basketball on the planet.
As Dante Exum enters the NBA, he will be one of the many Australians throughout the competition carrying the weight and hopes of a nation upon his shoulders.
Expect him the relish under that weight and become a star.
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