AUSSIE RULES
NBA on TNT star Kenny Smith in huge new career venture as he gets double role as part of basketball expansion
Program hailed as best pathway to the NBA
KENNY Smith has landed himself two new roles - and it's in a land down under.
The NBA on TNT star is joining the Australian National Basketball League and its Head Stars program.
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He will become Head of Next Stars’ Player Initiatives - North America.
If anyone is able to identify talent coming through, it's former NBA star Smith.
He will actively recruit, develop, and mentor new players in the Next Stars program.
If that wasn't enough, Smith will become part owner of an NBL expansion team, set to be announced in the future.
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"With my passion for growing the game of basketball globally, I'm incredibly excited to be an ambassador of the NBL’s Next Stars program and to be fully invested in the growth of the NBL as a future owner of a new expansion team,” Smith said in a statement.
"Legitimate pathways to the NBA are evolving, and the NBL has a proven track record of getting players drafted.
"The NBL identified a key role for me to mentor and support young talent and equip them with the tools to compete at a professional level with a view to making the leap into the NBA.”
Next Stars launched in 2018, with its intention being to give high-calibre rookies playing opportunities in the Australian league, rather than the US college system.
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There are currently 11 former NBL players in the NBA, with the Australian Josh Giddey, American pair LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton and Frenchman Ousmane Dieng graduating as first-round draft picks.
There is talk that plenty more NBC players could be drafted this year too.
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French forward Alexandre Sarr, who is with Perth Wildcats this season, has been touted as a No. 1 pick by some pundits.
"We are extremely proud of our Next Stars program and what it has achieved, but this is just the beginning," NBL owner Larry Kestelman said.
"The addition of ambassadors and future team owners of Kenny Smith's calibre and reputation is truly exciting and shows how far we have come, but also indicates to the basketball world where we are headed.
"There are currently 11 former NBL players in the NBA and we want to see that number increase significantly.
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"We believe Kenny will help us expand the Next Stars program dramatically to achieve this.
"We are quickly becoming the most legitimate, and best pathway to the NBA."
Smith played for a decade in the NBA, in the 1980s and 1990s.
The point guard has won two championships with the Houston Rockets.
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He has been with TNT since 1998 and is a key member of the team.
Smith signed a long-term contract extension in 2022 to continue as a host on Inside the NBA.