Some big basketball news that broke Thursday.
Jalen Green, a potential No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, elected to pass on all the colleges heavily recruiting him. Instead, he signed a deal with a newly established G-League to prepare future lottery picks for the NBA.
And after that, another five-star prospect, Isaiah Todd, decommitted from Michigan to follow the same route.
And now that United States-born players have a domestic option other than going one-and-done in college hoops, NCAA basketball may never be the same.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Friday spoke about why the league was motivated to create this G-League initiative.
“This is about preparing these players for the NBA,” Silver said, per MassLive’s Tom Westerholm, noting that rankings of high school prospects have been fairly accurate in recent years.
“I see this as an interim step for out high school seniors because ultimately, they will come directly to the NBA. But once they do, they may still spend time in the G-League.”
The program will be open to elite prospects, and players will be able to profit off their own names and likenesses, as otherwise not allowed in the NCAA. Not to mention, a college scholarship is included in Green’s contract should he ever decide to get his degree.
If all goes well, this will be the new norm.
