Shea Ili continues to make leaps and bounds in basketball, not just domestically, but now abroad in the world's best basketball league.
The New Zealand Breakers and Tall Blacks guard has been selected to attend the Dallas Mavericks' mini-camp, where the ultimate goal will be to earn a spot on the franchise's Summer League team.
The 26-year-old's recent red-hot form in the ANBL and FIBA matches has been recognised by the 2011 NBA Champion Mavericks, and Ili was ecstatic to get a step closer to any basketball player's dream.
"I found out about two weeks ago, and I was pretty excited to hear the news," Ili told Newshub.
Ili isn't the first New Zealand Breaker and Tall Black to be picked up for the camp by Dallas, with Corey Webster attending last year, where he eventually landed a spot on the Summer League team going up against NBA rookies, sophomores and undrafted players hoping to fill spots in the various teams.
Ili says he can't wait for the opportunity to lace up in an environment that has raised world class players throughout the years.
"I think I'll see a few big names around and it'll definitely be a great experience."
The ultimate achievement for Ili out of the mini-camp would, of course, be the chance to take part in the Summer League, showing his ability to distribute the ball with pace and get to the basket aggressively.
"It's definitely a huge goal for myself and it'll definitely help me trying to get to Europe.
"That's my big focus. To go out there and be the best I can and show them the strength I have, and the strengths I can help them with."
A stint in the Summer League would no doubt lead to a handful of opportunities overseas for Ili to explore, putting his contract with the Breakers for the upcoming 2018-19 season in limbo. Getting a chance overseas would simply be too good for Ili to turn down.
"If I get a good offer, I definitely want to take that and pursue my dreams overseas.
"If I make it to the Summer League, we'll decide from there."
Ili's confident he'd have the support of Kevin Braswell and the Breakers front office in developing his game overseas. But for now, he'll focus on making a name for himself within the Mavericks camp.
He'll be embarking for Dallas next Sunday for the camp which takes place over June 18-19.
Newshub.