Highly-rated basketball talent and sporting prodigy Roman Siulepa has been released from his NBL contract with the Tasmania JackJumpers over his desire to play schoolboy rugby union.
The 18-year-old, who attends Brisbane State High School, signed a two-year Next Star deal with the reigning NBL champions in June for the 2024-25 season.
The JackJumpers on Tuesday said the club and the 200cm forward had "mutually agreed" to part ways.
Siulepa was named in the All-Star Five at the 2023 FIBA Under-17 Oceania Championships and was the 2023 Queensland Basketball Male Player of the Year.
He was one of just three Australian teenagers invited earlier this year to the Basketball Without Borders camp at the NBA All-Star weekend in Indiana.
Former NBL player Peter Crawford has described Siulepa as "one of the best athletes in Australia in any sport" after coaching him at Queensland U20 level.
"When we first signed Roman we agreed he could finish his schooling year in Brisbane," Tasmania JackJumpers co-chair Steve Old said.
"(He) came down for a four-day period to train ... we did a physical on him and it appeared he had some injuries from rugby.
"We asked him to commit to the club and if he went back to Brisbane ... that he wouldn’t continue to play rugby because we didn’t think it would be beneficial for his body.
"He chose to go back to Brisbane and continue to play rugby."
Old said Siulepa had suffered back and shoulder injuries and the JackJumpers weren't prepared to wait around for someone who wasn't "110 per cent committed".
"If he's not sure about whether he wants to make the commitment to basketball ... or rugby, he probably needs to sort that out himself," he said.
"We wish him all the best. (But) from a club perspective, we’re not going to risk our name and reputation."
Siulepa starred for Brisbane State High's First XV playing No.8 in the opening round of the Greater Public Schools competition in July, scoring four tries and setting up another.
Old, who insisted there were no hard feelings, said the franchise had no qualms if Siulepa linked with another NBL club.
"I hope if he decides to play basketball he goes and does it with another (NBL) club," he said.
"He will be a superstar if he commits to basketball."
Melbourne United, the Adelaide 36ers, Illawarra Hawks and Cairns Taipans are without Next Star players, contracts aimed at fast-tracking young talent.
Old said the call came from Tasmania's high performance and coaching department.
The JackJumpers have kept the majority of their championship-winning squad together but have lost Olympian Jack McVeigh who will link with the Houston Rockets in the NBA.
