NBL25's class of Next Stars is looming as one of the top groups of emerging hoops talent anywhere in the world. Stay informed as to how each of the competition's brightest stars played on the weekend with NBL Media's Next Stars Wrap.

The record now says 7 wins and 2 losses since Spanish Next Star, Izan Almansa, was moved to the starting lineup for the Perth Wildcats. Two of those wins came this round when the Wildcats travelled to Tasmania and Brisbane, ending an extremely successful road trip for the Bryce Cotton-led side. Almansa had a combined 16 points and 9 rebounds in 36 minutes across the two games, solidifying his role within coach John Rillie’s rotation ahead of the Finals. 

Fully healed from his ankle issues, Karim Lopez balled out in Round 16: the Mexican Next Star had two outstanding performances both in Illawarra and back at home against United, scoring a combined 35 points in the two games. Against the ladder-leading Hawks, Lopez showed some of his fanciest plays of the season, going from fade-away jumpers to smooth finishes at the rim. Against United, he finished with 19 points, setting a new mark for the highest score ever in a 40-minute NBL game by a player aged under 18. The 17-year-old showed also his improvement in shot-making by going 3/3 on threes and 4/4 from the FT line. 

Rocco Zikarsky, while still dealing with mild knee soreness, was only able to compete in one of the two Bullets games this round, when they faced the Phoenix. Zikarsky had 7 points, 2 rebounds and 1 block in just 12 minutes on the court. 

Alex Toohey and the Sydney Kings continued their home-heavy leg of the schedule in January, hosting United and the Taipans at Qudos Bank Arena. The rivalry game against Melbourne was a memorable one, but the Kings were unable to get the win after a crazy ending; Toohey delivered yet another mature performance with 10 points and 3 assists including some highlight plays. Coach Goorjian wanted to see change in the starting lineup for the following game against Cairns, but that didn’t affect the Next Star, who kept his spot as a starter in a crucial comeback win. 

Malique Lewis and the Phoenix secured two vital wins in Round 16, handling the Bullets and Taipans in comfortable fashion. Lewis’ playing time was limited due to amazing performances by bench forward Joe Wieskamp, but still impacted the games with his intensity on both ends of the floor.