A few months ago, Carmelo Anthony made headlines by following in Kenny Smith’s footsteps, stepping into a leadership role in the Australian Pro League NBL’s Next Stars program. This initiative focuses on shaping future basketball talents, and Melo’s presence adds serious credibility. As the NBL welcomed another young prodigy a few hours ago, Melo couldn’t contain his excitement and took to social media to give the youngster a shoutout.

One of Australia’s brightest talents, Dash Daniels, has joined the NBL Next Stars program, committing to Melbourne United for the 2025/26 season. Daniels, who will turn 17 later this month, has already become one of the youngest players to sign in the league’s history. Not only that, he’s also projected to be a future first-round NBA Draft pick.

As soon as the announcement went public, Carmelo Anthony was one of the first to celebrate. Sharing his excitement on his X account, Melo wrote, “Go show ’em 🫡.” As an ambassador for the Next Stars program, Melo has been keeping track of Daniels’ development. Interestingly, Dash isn’t the only talent in the family.

His older brother, Dyson Daniels, was the eighth pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and now thrives with the Atlanta Hawks, earning accolades like the NBA’s Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the Month. And for Dash Daniels, this moment feels unreal. “I feel great. Signing my first pro contract, it’s a dream come true, and I can’t wait to get started,” he shared.

Standing at 6’6, the young point guard from Bendigo has been honing his craft at the NBA Global Academy in Canberra for the last 18 months. Daniels has already made a mark on the international stage, shining at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup, where he led the tournament in steals per game.

Adding more accolades, he was also named Player of the Tournament at Basketball Australia’s U18 National Championships earlier this year. Next, he will represent Victoria in the 2025 U20 National Championships. And as his journey continues, Melo will keep a close eye on him.

Why did Melo join NBL’s Next Stars program?

A real difference in basketball and ownership—that’s his aim. “Ownership for one. But that’s always, ownership is always, the ticket, right,” Carmelo Anthony explained during an interview with Andscape, reflecting on why he joined the NBL. He also highlighted the lack of diverse representation in ownership, emphasizing, “There’s not many of us in the ownership seats, in the ownership group on a cap table.”

He further added, “For me, that’s not my cause. I get in, I like to use my impact, I like to use my education and my insight and just my experience in the way that I can expand it in a way that is different.”

To make the most of his role, Melo has teamed up with NBL president Larry Kestelman and joined the Next Stars program. As a global ambassador, his goal is to mentor rising stars. The program has already produced stars like Alex Sarr, LaMelo Ball, and Josh Giddey.

What drew him in further was the league’s electrifying atmosphere. “A couple of people have shown me videos of what’s happening over here,” Melo shared during a press conference. He’s convinced the NBL is making waves, calling it “arguably the second-best league in the world.” And now with Dash Daniels joining Carmelo Anthony on the Next Stars program, all eyes are now on them.