Why Jai Fa’ale walked away from Kings' Next Stars deal

• Victorian guard Jai Fa’ale, 18, has joined Melbourne United as a Development Player
• Fa’ale left the Sydney Kings and an NBL Next Star contract last week
• United coach Jacob Chance compared his pathway to that taken by Joel Foxwell

Victorian Jai Fa’ale is a next star in the making among Australian men’s basketballers – just not an NBL Next Star this season.

Fa’ale, 18, left the Sydney Kings and a Next Star deal last week, instead choosing to sign with Melbourne United as a Development Player.

“When this option came up, it was clear that it was the best thing for my development as a basketball player,” Fa’ale said.

“I’m excited to get back home and compete against pros every day. I’m going to be a sponge, take in all the information and lessons I can, and help the team across the course of the season.

“Learning from guys that have had success at the level I want to be at, like Cole Anthony and Chris Goulding, is going to be huge, and to be able to do that around my family will be pretty special.

“On top of it all, I want to help this team win a Championship.

“That’s the number one goal at United, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

The 1.95m guard would have been the 28th Next Star after Australian representative teammate Luke Paul signed on to the program and the Cairns Taipans ahead of NBL27.

Instead, the FIBA U18 Asia Cup gold medallist and All-Star Five member opted to be a Development Player. It keeps his options uncluttered amid the NCAA NIL eligibility rules' shifting-sands debacle.

Players on the paid roster of a professional team are not eligible in several NCAA basketball conferences, with more rulings expected. Whether Fa’ale has college basketball ambitions hasn’t been revealed.

Fa’ale, then 17, earned 16.3 minutes per game for the NBL Next Stars at the 2026 Eurocamp in Italy in June 2026. That team included Brisbane Bullets guard Max Mackinnon, former Purdue big man Oscar Cluff, Milwaukee Bucks NBA draft pick and former NBL Next Star Malique Lewis, and NBL Next Star Dash Daniels.

The Eurocamp firmly puts the next generation of potential stars on NBA scouts' radar.

“I think he's a great young talent that can really score the ball in a bunch of different ways,” United head coach Jacob Chance said.

“He just adds to our guard depth that we're already really happy about with the recent additions of Will (Hynes) and Aussie (Austin Shelley), along with fellow DP Christian D'Angelo. 


“So great to have a young Melbourne talent in the program. I think he's going to take a lot from it, and that's a similar kind of pathway that we had young Joel Foxwell do a couple of years ago, and we think it's a beneficial pathway for both parties.”

Melbourne United opens its NBL27 season against the Adelaide 36ers on Saturday, September 19, at 7.30pm (AEST).