NBA draftee heads to Breakers

Former NBL Next Star and NBA draftee Mojave King will make his return to the NBL, following the announcement of his signing to the New Zealand Breakers on a one-year deal.

King previously turned out for the Adelaide 36ers and Cairns Taipans prior to a move to over to the US to pursue his NBA goal. After a season playing for the NBA G-League Ignite, he was drafted to the Los Angeles Lakers with the 47^th overall pick in the 2024 draft and was immediately traded to the Indiana Pacers.

He represented the Pacers’ G-League affiliate – the Indiana Mad Ants – where he averaged 3.9 points per game across 15 appearances.

The 21-year-old made 56 appearances across his two prior seasons in the NBL, where he averaged five points per game.

King says the presence of head coach Mody Maor was a huge drawcard in his decision to return to the NBL.

"“I’ve signed with the Breakers because I’ve had some excellent conversations with Head Coach Mody Maor,” King said.

“Mody is a big reason why I decided to sign. His vision and the way he’s going to try to make the team play next season is everything I want to be a part of in my basketball career.”

Maor believes King will only improve over the course of his inaugural season in a Breakers uniform.

“We are betting that Mojave’s best basketball is ahead of him. He’s been in the process of finding the right basketball home for some time,” Maor said.

“We feel there is much more to Mojave on both sides of the court. “He has incredible natural gifts, size, feel, shooting, and athletic abilities, but they haven’t been consistently displayed in a winning basketball environment yet.”

King joins Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Dane Pineau and Sam Mennenga on the Breakers' roster for NBL25.