The NBL continues to establish itself as a legitimate pathway to the NBA, with the Adelaide 36ers signing five-star prospect and potential first-round pick Trentyn Flowers.

Flowers, a 6-foot-8 guard/forward and self-described “unicorn”, had initially committed to the Louisville Cardinals and reclassified to the 2023 class back in March earlier this year.

That move, which came a year ahead of schedule, was a welcome boost for a Louisville team in desperate need of some attacking spark after a 4-28 season under new coach Kenny Payne.

Flowers, a highly-touted prospect who averaged 16 points, six rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game as a junior at Combine Academy, was described by Payne as an “elite athlete” at the time.

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Louisville’s exciting freshman had started training with the team in June but will now instead head to Australia as part of the NBL’s Next Stars program.

Flowers’ mother Kristi later called out some Louisville fans for their reaction the news, claiming her son had been sent death threats in the wake of him signing with the 36ers.

“Listen! I will tolerate a lot of things ….fans can be unhappy with this decision, but sending death threats is unacceptable. Wishing career ending injuries is unacceptable, leaking his phone number and harassing him is unacceptable, telling him to kill himself is unacceptable,” she wrote.

The Next Stars program has produced five draft picks in the past four years, including Australian Josh Giddey along with LaMelo Ball, Ousmane Dieng and Rayan Rupert.

The opportunity to play starting point guard for Adelaide is said to have been a driving factor in the 18-year-old’s decision to sign with the 36ers.

“This is a power move for Trentyn and he will be able to showcase his full potential/skillset at the PG spot as he plans to become a lottery pick in this year’s draft,” a source close to the Flowers family told The Athletic.

Flowers released a statement confirming the news on Tuesday, describing it as an “opportunity of a lifetime”.

“Those that know me know my biggest dream has always been to play in the NBA. Recently, I have been blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime — to play professional basketball in Australia and take another big step towards my NBA dreams,” Flower wrote in his statement.

“This was not an easy decision, because playing for Louisville was also a dream of mine. While my time in Louisville has been short, it has been an amazing experience and I can’t thank you all enough. The coaching staff has been very supportive and has helped me tremendously this summer, and playing alongside such tremendous players was really inspiring.

“The love and support the entire city has shown me is something I’ll never forget.

I make this transition knowing that it will grant me the ability to pour all of my focus and commitment directly into the game, and further develop my skills as I continue to pursue the NBA.

“Thank you Card Nation! Louisville will always have a special place in my heart!”

Adelaide coach CJ Bruton also confirmed Flowers would have a prominent role running the 36ers’ offence, forecasting the 18-year-old to have a “similar impact” to Giddey and Ball on the NBL.

“I went to the US for the NBA Summer League to find a point guard and, in partnership with the Next Stars program, we found one in Trentyn Flowers,” Bruton said.

“Trentyn is a young player and an NBA prospect, but for someone who is 6’8, he has great vision and great poise. Unlike most kids his age, Trentyn has the ability to play the game at an elite level and I can see him having a similar impact as Josh Giddey and LaMelo Ball had on the league.”

Even if Flowers needs time to adjust to the offence in the early stages, the 36ers have the benefit of leaning on the experienced Mitch McCarron to shoulder more responsibility.

Flowers’ arrival at Adelaide is just the latest example of the growing interest in the NBL, which gave Xavier Cooks a platform to impress before getting his chance in the NBA.

“Even when you go over to America, there’s a buzz around the NBL,” the Washington Wizards and Boomers forward told foxsports.com.au last month.

“Even just coming back to Summer League, there’s other teams asking, ‘Are you playing for Sydney in the NBL’ and all that kind of stuff.

“A lot of players asking, ‘How do I get in the league?’ I see the opportunities created from the NBL’… so the buzz around the NBL is real and it’s awesome.”

NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger said Flowers’ signing is a “massive coup” for Next Stars, joining seven other players in the NBL program.

“This is the largest contingent of players we have ever had in the Next Stars program in a single season,” he said.

“This further solidifies the respect the NBL has across the globe and highlights its status as a genuine and proven pathway towards the NBA.”

GM of Next Stars Recruitment Liam Santamaria echoed those sentiments, adding that Flowers will also benefit from the experience of playing in the NBL and under coach Bruton.

“We are thrilled to welcome Trentyn to the Next Stars program and believe he will bring great excitement to the 36ers,” Santamaria said.

“Possessing great positional size, strength, and explosiveness, Trentyn has the potential to make an immediate impact this season. He is extremely versatile, with an ability to score at every level as well as facilitate for others.

“Under the tutelage of CJ Bruton, we have great confidence that Trentyn will experience tremendous development in Adelaide, as he advances towards the NBA Draft.”

NBL NEXT STARS (2023-24 SEASON)