Ferguson was not the only player with Australian ties to be drafted on Friday, with Australian Jonah Bolden, son of NBL legend Bruce Bolden, selected with the 36th pick of the draft by the up-and-coming Philadelphia 76ers - a team who already has another Australian player with a father who played in the NBL, last year's number one pick overall Ben Simmons.

The future is bright not only for Australian basketball domestically, but globally, and Loeliger said he wants Australia to "continue to be a global powerhouse" as if Australia is considered as being part of Asia for FIBA, it is now the highest ranked team in the Asia-Pacific.

"I want to see those world rankings continue to trend in that direction as well. I am very excited about the fact that our NBL players will be the backbone of our national team for the majority of the time leading into those event every four years into the Olympics, or the FIBA World Cup," Loeliger said.

"We look forward to a time of continued growth, continued success, and a sustainable league here in Australia that will be here for many many years to come,"

"But now being part of Asia, we are ready to walk hand in hand with all of our partners in Asia to develop the game in the region, and ready to go toe to toe in terms of bolstering those rivalries on the court," he added.

As both the CBA and the NBL strive forward in building these mutually beneficial partnerships through sport, the exchanges, whether they be financial, cultural or otherwise will only serve to strengthen the ties between China and Australia.

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