Likely NBA lottery pick LaMelo Ball and his manager Jermaine Jackson purchased the NBL's Illawarra Hawks on Thursday, Jackson confirmed.
Ball shined in 12 games with the Australian team in 2019-20, averaging 17.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists before suffering a season-ending foot injury.
"Melo loves the Illawarra fans," Jackson told ESPN. "He loves that community. They opened their arms to him. They made us feel like we are at home. When we started hearing about the issues they were going through, we talked about it and decided, 'Let's own the team.