NZ Breakers star import Jarrell Brantley has capitalised on his outstanding Australian NBL season by earning a return to the NBA.
Brantley will head to Salt Lake City to take up a 10-day contract with the Utah Jazz, where he spent two seasons prior to joining the Breakers.
In 2019, the South Carolina product was selected in the second round of the NBA draft by Indiana Pacers, before being immediately traded to the Jazz.
He played 41 games for the Jazz with limited minutes, spending the majority of his tenure with their G-League side, before linking with the Breakers.
Brantley was a key force behind the Breakers' fairytale resurgence from cellar-dwellars to the brink of an ANBL championship.
The 26-year-old averaged 16.4 points and six rebounds per game during the regular season and was arguably the Breakers best player during their hard-fought finals defeat to Sydney Kings.
His one-year deal with the Breakers expired at the end of the season.
Brantley becomes the second player from the NBL finals to make his way to the NBA, after the Kings' league MVP Xavier Cooks inked a multi-year deal with Washington Wizards.
The Breakers will be on the hunt for another player to fill Brantley's now vacant import slot, while the futures of star NBL sixth man of the year Barry Brown Jr and All-NBL second team member Dererk Pardon with the team remain uncertain. Both are currently off contract.
