Toohey declares for NBA draft

Thursday, March 27, 2025

The Sydney King could be the latest Next Star to get drafted into the NBA.

NBL Next Star Alex Toohey has officially declared for the NBA draft after a standout campaign with the Sydney Kings.

In his second season as part of the Next Stars program, Toohey became a vital piece of Brian Goorjian’s system, starting in 25 of the 29 games he appeared in, and averaging 10.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.

The Next Generation Award winner is projected to be a second round pick in June’s draft, with ESPN’s latest top 100 big board having him ranked as the 37th best prospect.

If he gets selected, Toohey would continue the strong passage of players who have used the Next Stars program to elevate into the NBA.

Nine Next Stars have been drafted directly from the NBL to the NBA - LaMelo Ball (pick 3, 2020), RJ Hampton (pick 24, 2020), Josh Giddey (pick 6, 2021), Ousmane Dieng (pick 11, 2022), Rayan Rupert (pick 43, 2023), Alex Sarr (pick 2, 2024), AJ Johnson (pick 23, 2024), Bobi Klintman (pick 37, 2024) and Ariel Hukporti (pick 58, 2024). Impressively, the program has produced six first round picks across the past five NBA Drafts.