'Best city in the world': Melbourne's lifestyle helped lure Schwartz to ‘Nix

"Everybody I talked to... said this is the best city in the world," he said.

Adding that meeting the club, Josh King and seeing John Cain Arena made the decision feel like a natural fit - despite never visiting Australia.

Melbourne's mix of big-city energy and beaches perfectly suits his lifestyle. Former Sydney Kings guard Nate Tomlinson also endorsed the move.

Schwartz is equally excited about playing at John Cain Arena, describing it as "NBA-level" and saying the club's open-roof Christmas games "are going to be fire."

He also joked that while spiders don't bother him, kangaroos are another story: "If I see a kangaroo, I'm gone."