Toohey declares for 2025 NBA Draft

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 three, 2020), RJ Hampton (pick 24, 2020), Josh Giddey (pick six, 2021), Ousmane Dieng (pick 11, 2022), Rayan Rupert (pick 43, 2023), Alex Sarr (pick two, 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.

If Toohey does get selected, he will be the eighth player in recent seasons to go straight from the Kings to the NBA - following in the footsteps of Jaylin Galloway, NBL23 MVP Xavier Cooks, Didi Louzada, Jae’Sean Tate, Andrew Bogut, Brian Bowen and Makur Maker - as well as former assistant coach Fleur McIntyre.