On June 17, 2019, Ball signed a two-year contract, including NBA out clauses, with the Illawarra Hawks of the Australian-based National Basketball League (NBL).[70] He joined the Hawks through the NBL Next Stars program, which aims to develop NBA draft prospects.[71][72] In August 2019, after playing for No Shnacks at the Drew League, Ball was named Leader of the New School, an award honoring the league's top rookie.[73] For the NBL season, he moved to Australia with his former SPIRE Institute coach Jermaine Jackson, who became his manager and helped him acclimate.[70] In late September, he had success at the NBL Blitz, a pre-season tournament.