The NZ Breakers have acted quickly to replace injured import Chris Obekpa, confirming the addition of American power forward Brandon Ashley.
On Sunday, the Breakers announced Obekpa would leave the team with a lingering knee injury that saw him play limited court-time during the recent pre-season trip to Australia.
But the Breakers acted swiftly to sign Ashely, who will immediately link up with the team on Monday.
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The 25-year-old, who's had two brief stints at the Dallas Mavericks, also played for the Sacramento Kings in July's NBA Summer League, after a good season with the Texas Legends in the 2017/18 G-League.
In 45 games, he averaged 30.8 minutes scoring an average of 16.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 blocks.
Last year, he averaged 11.8 points and 6.9 rebounds in nine games for Apoel Nicosia in Cyprus.
"I've been watching Brandon Ashely for a long time, since his days playing college in Arizona," said Breakers basketball director Dan Shamir.
"I believe he's ready to be a quality player internationally and help us win games."
The 2019/20 ANBL season tips off on Thursday, when Melbourne United face the South East Melbourne Phoenix, but the Breakers won't be in action till October 18.
They will head to the United States for games against the Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Join us on October 8 for live updates of the NZ Breakers v Memphis Grizzlies.
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