NEWSLETTER
Your move, NCAA.
Earlier today, an 18-year-old kid by the name of Jalen Green set a new precedent. Arguably the No. 1 college prospect in the nation, Green decided to dodge the NCAA and join the NBA Pathway Program.
An obvious one-and-done candidate, Green gave the NBA exactly what they were looking for – an elite talent that could set the stage for a new minor league-esque system. Over the past several seasons, the NBA tried to get this program off the ground, but the experience failed to capture many eyes or supporters. Big-time recruits either remained attracted to the college route or even packed their bags to head overseas. LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton are two top-prospects in this year’s draft who decided to head to an entirely new country to grab a paycheck (oh, and, professional experience).
Well, G-League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim has re-invented the NBA’s Pathway Program, and it’s now ready to compete for the country’s best talent.
According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Adrian Wojnarowski, the new program will provide a $500,000 contract to players that will include plenty of incentives. For example, a player can receive a bonus for completing community events or attending some of the league’s “life skills programs.” The opportunity isn’t only about showing off your skills to the 30 teams but also about preparing for life as an NBA player.
Green will be at the helm of a new team in Southern California. While there, he will play alongside other committed prospects and “veteran pro players” (I’m assuming that means G-League guys that just haven’t made it yet?). The team will play a mix of G-League teams, foreign national teams, and NBA academies, sources told ESPN (for more logistics, I highly recommend reading their report).
Overall, this tweet puts the whole thing in perspective quite well:
By going to the G League, Jalen Green receives $500K, a full college scholarship, skill/life training, and will face tougher competition than college offers with coaches focused on development. Sure seems like an easy choice for elite HS recruits instead of dealing with the NCAA.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) April 16, 2020
If I’m an 18-year-old trying to make it to the NBA, I’m committing this second … and that puts the NCAA in an incredibly odd place.
As a league that’s constantly criticized for its management and restriction on players, it’s going to be extremely hard to compete for the top talent if this becomes a widely-accepted path. For now, we have no clue how big this program can get. Perhaps it adds more teams and helps establish a more traditional minor league system. Maybe it opens the door for the NBA to begin drafting players right out of high school again. No matter how you look at it, this is bad news for the NCAA.
At the end of the day though, it’s hard to argue that college basketball won’t always be important. The NBA Pathways Program will never be able to offer as many roster spots, and I’m sure the college experience is still something some players value. However, money talks, and the more elite players turn to the NBA’s new system, the less interesting college basketball might become.
