There are two brotherhoods that are defining Australian teenager Luke Paul on his path towards the NBA.
The 17 year-old NBL Next Star is already well on the way to becoming part of the Boomers brotherhood after joining the national team’s scrimmages this winter alongside the likes of superstars Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels and Ben Simmons.
On Friday, Paul committed to US college powerhouse Duke University for the 2027-28 season. The Blue Devils, also known more recently as “the Brotherhood”, have a storied history of guiding star prospects into the NBA, with over 100 of their alumni making the biggest league in the world.
Paul follows Jack White, Tyrese Proctor and the Melbourne-born Kyrie Irving as Australian products who earned their place at the famous North Carolina-based school.
“I want to get to the NBA and be a lottery pick, and I trust in their player development to get me there,” Paul told ESPN on Friday.
“In saying that, winning a national championship at Duke is the ultimate goal for me.”
Paul needs to pass a fitness test on his injured ankle before he can make his NBL debut with the Cairns Taipans, which could come in their clash with Melbourne United at John Cain Arena on Saturday night. The team was yet to make a final call on his status as of late Friday afternoon.
Paul is ineligible to enter the NBA until the 2028 draft, so while a strong freshman season at Duke could be all he needs to rocket to the big leagues, he could stay there longer if needed.
Paul is already a world-class talent who stands at 198 centimetres (and is still growing) while possessing passing and finishing skills reminiscent of Giddey and Simmons.
He relished the chance to spend time with the Boomers during their unofficial camp in Melbourne in August.
“I talked to Capes [Boomers coach Adam Caporn] after, and I told him this camp has made me want to be a Boomer even more than before,” Paul told this masthead in a pre-season interview.
“It’s a good insight, having so many high-level guys in the one room at once. It was insane – an amazing experience.”
But there was a reason Paul didn’t get to test himself against the Boomers, and it came from a painful lesson learnt just three days into the Taipans’ pre-season training.
Paul arrived at training early and got into some one-on-one games with teammates when he landed on a player’s foot and injured his ankle.
Were his ankles strapped?
“No, they weren’t,” Paul answered.
“I normally tape them, but it was just before practice.”
Taipans coach Adam Forde curbed his frustration at the incident, knowing such errors are part of the journey for even the most-talented players.
“Maybe go visit the physio first before playing one-on-ones?” Forde exclaimed of what could be considered a classic rookie error.
“But these are the lessons you learn, as he’s a pro now and having his body right is part of his work.”
The injury kept Paul out for all of pre-season, and for four games so far, but he has still formed tight bonds with his veteran teammates.
“I’m so hungry to get out there, so eager to get on the court and show the world what I’m capable of – pretty much go out there and fear no one,” Paul said.
Paul brings out the best in the Taipans, and Forde has known this for a couple of years.
Some fans would be wondering why such a highly rated player, who could take his pick of the NBL franchises, chose to go the furthest distance from his loving family in Perth?
Part of that answer dates back two years to a nondescript NBL game between the Taipans and Perth Wildcats in Perth.
Forde has deep roots in the west, having coached for Basketball WA and with the Wildcats, so with a team shootaround scheduled, he called then WA high-performance head Dave Naylor to ask if some local young guns would like to join the session.
Forde had heard Paul’s name as a player to watch but hadn’t given it much thought as he schemed on how to shut down Bryce Cotton and the rampant Wildcats.
But he soon took notice of a tall, sandy-haired guard who took over the session.
“It’s like a captain’s run, we were going about 80 per cent and Luke was just kicking our arse,” Forde recalled.
“Then I got mad at my guys. You have a bunch of teenagers here and the whole session, Luke was just kicking guys’ arses. I won’t name the players, but I said to the coaches afterwards, ‘We have to keep an eye on him’.
“Two years on, he’s grown another six to seven inches, he’s got big hands, a great head on his shoulders, and naturally such a good feel for the game.
“I’m glad he’s on my team now – not kicking our butts at training.”
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Roy Ward is a sports writer, live blogger and breaking news journalist. He’s been writing for The Age since 2010.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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