Having just penned a contract to join the South East Melbourne Phoenix for the remainder of their NBL title tilt, Boomers star Ryan Broekhoff is on his way back to his home nation - and home town.
With limited playing time across his past three seasons in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers, Broekhoff told ESPN's NBL Overtime of his desire to join the NBL.
"I think part of it was family," he said.
"I've got a young son who hasn't met family (and) a 92-year-old grandma who hasn't met him... so that plays a big part in it."
"But obviously preparation for Tokyo is very important to me.
"I've been sitting around here (USA) for a bit too long and waiting on opportunities that just haven't come to fruition.
"I really need to get back playing and competing - being close to home is just a bonus."
Having suffered numerous setbacks over the last twelve months, Broekhoff went on to speak about his difficulty in securing an NBA contract, ultimately leading to his signing with the Phoenix.
"It was kind of getting to a point where I needed enough time and enough games and enough of the (NBA) season for it to be worth it.
"It got to that point where we thought we were getting close with an NBA team, but it just kept getting pushed back... and nothing happened.
"And after the year I've had with some unlucky injuries and everything else that's happened with COVID and being waived and the business here in the NBA... I'm just really looking forward to getting back to playing."
Undoubtedly, his future teammates in South East Melbourne will be looking forward to seeing his lethal perimeter shooting firsthand - and that's exactly what he intends to bring to the Phoenix's setup.
"I think the roster is really strong, but the NBL is such a strong competition - there are no easy games and there are no easy wins.
"I think bringing some outside shooting will help open things up for guys like (Keifer) Sykes and (Mitch) Creek and guys that really attack the rim.
"I'm just here to help the team compete and win some games."
The Melbourne native is expected to fly into Australia this week, and after completing his mandatory 14-day quarantine, hopes to being playing by the end of the inaugural NBL cup.