Mojave King is heading to the United States to continue his push towards the NBA.
The Dunedin-born guard has signed to play for G League Ignite, a team affiliated to the league previously known as the NBA D League, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported yesterday.
The team essentially acts as a one-year development programme for prospective NBA players.
King, who grew up in Australia and turned 20 in June, spent this season with the Southland Sharks in the New Zealand NBL.
He averaged 18.1 points per game, to go with 4.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists, impressing on a struggling team.
The move follows two seasons in the Australian NBL’s next star programme.
While his numbers with the Cairns Taipans and Adelaide 36ers did not jump off the charts, he remains an enticing prospect with his length, athleticism, skill and youth.
King comes from a line of rich Otago basketball heritage.
His grandfather, the late coach John Paul, is as significant and revered as anyone in the history of the sport in the province.
His parents, Leonard and Tracey, are two of the best players the region has seen.
Mojave King played a youth tournament for North Otago, while older sister Tyla also played representative age-grade basketball for Otago.
He moved to Mackay, Queensland, aged 4 and grew up in Australia.
In 2019, he joined the NBA Global Academy at the Australian Institute of Sport, where he began to garner international attention.
He soared up mock NBA draft boards, at one point reaching as high as a projected No 6 pick.
