The NBL has profited from LaMelo’s talent, securing ESPN and Facebook deals to broadcast the games. Brittany Gray, the Hawks’ marketing and media manager, says that the announcement of LaMelo’s signing generated 1.6 billion impressions across the NBL’s web and social channels. Over a million viewers in the U.S. streamed LaMelo’s debut against the Brisbane Bullets on Facebook, an NBL record. For LaMelo, this is the same script, different continent. “People done made money off this kid for years,” says Jackson, who played in the NBA from 1999 to 2006. “I don’t really want to use the word, but it’s damn near like he’s a prostitute.”
