Earlier today, 2 of the top 15 HS basketball players decided to sign big deals to join the NBA G-League, instead of taking the normal college path. Jalen Green and Isiah Todd. Will we start to see this become the new normal? Or is this more akin to when Brandon Jennings went overseas instead of playing college? As someone who dislikes NCAA, I hope we start to see this happen more.
It will depend on the player, if he dislikes school and his parents don't care either way, then he should sign the deal like HS baseball players do for minor leagues.
Yeah I think it will replace one and done, which honestly better for player and for college basketball. These guys are making 500k in one year year, can sign any endorsement deal. Some might get $10 million plus shoe contracts. Then NBA scouts can watch games in the states. No traveling to Australia or Europe if player or scout doesn't want to. Colleges won't have to deal with revolving door freshman. It may end up being much better for all.
I don’t think “like” for school has much to do with it. If you’re a virtual lock to be a one and done it makes sense no matter what your stance is on school - in my opinion. Especially because most one and dones stop attending school to prepare for the draft.
The question to me is how much exposure will they get in the G-league. As it stands, one-and-dones at major programs generally get 10+ opportunities to play on national TV in front of millions of people to build a following in the one year before they jump to the pros. Even moreso if they make and advance in the tourney. Presently that doesn't happen with the G-league. But if more top prospects take this route, will the demand for G-league games increase? Or will they just toil in obscurity for a year while players who take the college route improve their public profile (as has generally happened with prospects who play overseas)? It will be a very interesting study to say the least.
This is going to end really bad for some. I'm all for finding a way to better compensate college athletes but that's a different discussion. $500,000 to an 18yr old?!? Some of these guys are going to fuck up their lives before they even get started. I'm fine with giving them $50k and then put the rest into a trust for when they're older but if they get paid the $500,000 in a year and then don't make the NBA? They've lost their college eligibility.
Well they lost their college eligibility to play sports, they can still go to college. Whats so different about this then waiting a year and giving them a contract worth millions? I think this could help a lot of kids who get terrible reps because they, “took money”, and keep them out of trouble. No matter what the NBA or NCAA does some kids will wreck their life. Does this make it more likely for them to do so? I dont know. Some kids can handle the instant money at 18 some cant. Depending on what the NBA does with this, it could help a lot of kids with having financial advisors on hand for them, have professionals who have incentive for them to be able to make it to the NBA and understand how to be professional by their side at 18 rather than div 1 college coaches who (lets be real) mostly care about their own legacy and after the kid graduates they dont have any incentive to see them succeed. Do you envision a system where a kid cant screw up their lives at 18?
There are more rules and restrictions in college sports than there are in something like the G league.
Yeah and most of them make good kids out to be the bad guy IMO. Lets be frank this is because the NBA wants to make money from the g-league and have a closer look at kids coming up. I get that but I dont know if I think this will cause any more or less self-destruction by kids in that age range.
I think I read somewhere where the contract comes with a college scholarship as well. He loses out on eligibility to play college sports, but he can blow his money and still have a full ride to fall back on. As for giving young kids that much money, it's no different than the plan to eliminate the one and done rule and allow high schoolers to enter NBA. If they're good enough, let them get paid.
Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd don't have to worry about not making the NBA though, and that $500K is only reserved for high tier players like them. They also get a college scholarship through the G-League which they can use at any time to go get a degree with.
Its confusing how you comment on the GLeague as though it's a calender year. This thread is about the G league season starting in November 2020 ending in March 2021.
The problem is, without basketball, how many will actually go through the 4 or 5 year process to get a degree? I know when I went to school my sophomore and junior year was tough to go back as I had spent pretty much all my life going to school and it was becoming monotonous but because of baseball I continued my education. I don't see many of these kids going to college if they don't make it in the NBA.
500k can buy a lot of college. If the argument is that he would piss it away, would that kid also probably piss away the college experience as well?
add Daishen Nix to the list of HS players headed to the g-league and foregoing college eligibility. https://basketball.realgm.com/wiret...From-UCLA-Will-Sign-With-G-League-Select-Team https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29108600/five-star-pg-daishen-nix-decommits-ucla-join-g-league
