One of Australia’s hottest basketball prospects, Dash Daniels, has chosen the NBL Next Stars program as his path to the NBA, signing with Melbourne United for the 2025/26 season.

Daniels, who will turn 17 years old later this month, is one of the youngest players ever to sign in the NBL and is already a projected future first round NBA Draft pick.

His older brother, Dyson, was the eighth pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and is currently starring with the Atlanta Hawks, having been named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month in November.

“I feel great. Signing my first pro contract, it’s a dream come true, and I can’t wait to get started,” Daniels said.

“I’ve grown up in the Australian programs, so I know the style of play and the brand of basketball. Melbourne United, I play very similar to them, they take pride in their defence, and they love to get up and down the court, which is what I like to do.”

Daniels, a 6’6 point guard from Bendigo, Victoria, has been developing his game at the NBA Global Academy in Canberra over the past 18 months, following in the footsteps of fellow rising Australian youngsters such Josh Giddey, Alex Toohey and Rocco Zikarsky, as well as his brother, Dyson.

A regular member of junior national teams, Daniels represented Australia at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup, where he led the tournament in steals per game.

Adding to his glittering junior career, Daniels was named Player of the Tournament at Basketball Australia’s 2024 U18 National Championships and is set to represent Victoria at the 2025 U20 National Championships early next year.

“This is a huge moment for the Next Stars program and helps validate it as one of the best pathways to the NBA,” GM of Next Stars Recruitment, Liam Santamaria, said.

“Like Dyson, Dash is a menace at the defensive end of the floor, where his quick feet, long arms and strong body make him a highly disruptive defender. He also possesses a really high basketball IQ and a well-developed offensive skillset, including an ability to operate out of ball-screens and create for both himself and others.

“Dash’s decision to develop his game as part of the Next Stars program will give him the best possible chance to grow his stock ahead of nominating for the NBA Draft. We are so excited to be partnering with Melbourne in support of Dash and know that Dean Vickerman, and the entire team at United, will integrate him into a winning culture – one that has helped multiple players advance to the NBA in recent years.”

Daniels will become the second Next Star to play for United, after current New York Knicks big man Ariel Hukporti played with Melbourne over several seasons, before being selected in the 2024 NBA Draft.

“The recruitment of Dash has been ongoing for a while now,” United coach Dean Vickerman said.

“Once we knew that he had interest in the Next Stars program, we knew it could be a really good fit. We’ve got a great relationship with the Daniels family, and it’s been amazing to see the type of basketball Dyson has been playing.

“It’s really exciting to have him join the club. He’s really young, but I think his body is certainly ready for the NBL. As a guard that can really defend and live a lot of our qualities, I think he’ll be great for us.

“As we did with Ariel, we want to create an environment where he is comfortable and that will help him develop during his time here. The Next Stars program is a proven pathway to get top players into the NBA and we’re ecstatic to be part of it once again.”

Daniels joins Karim Lopez (New Zealand Breakers) as confirmed members of the NBL Next Stars Class of 2026, with both widely projected as future first round NBA Draft picks.

The Next Stars program is a proven pathway to the NBA for young prospects across the world. 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.

The influence of the Next Stars program on the basketball world continues to grow, with NBA legends Carmelo Anthony (Global Ambassador) and Kenny Smith (Head of Next Stars Player Initiatives - North America) joining the program in an official capacity earlier this year.