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When LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton signed to play professionally in Australia, NBA commissioner Adam Silver knew something needed to be done to help convince the top high school prospects to play in the United States, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
The decision by Ball and Hampton to sign lucrative contracts in the National Basketball League helped motivate Silver to revamp the professional pathway program in the NBA G League. The program was originally unveiled in October 2018 but had noticeable flaws attached to it.
Prospects would be paid $125,000 to play one season in the G League against existing teams. However, players and their advisors didn’t support that idea because there was a chance the players’ draft stock could take a hit playing against such established veterans in the G League.
With Ball and Hampton playing in Australia, Silver knew the program needed to be tweaked and went to work to devise a plan. As Wojnarowski detailed on the “ESPN Daily” podcast with Mina Kimes, Silver worked with the G League to change the program.
Adam Silver was very moved by the fact that LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton, two of the top players in this 2020 Draft, went to Australia and took deals in that $500,000 a year range and there was not really an option for them here. That spurred Silver to push Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who is the president of the G League, and Rod Strickland, former All-Star NBA guard who also works for the G League, they’ve been out in the field and they’ve been out talking to families and players and coaches and they explained to Adam Silver that we’ve got to change this program.
The change by Silver and the G League resulted in the program adding five-star, and No. 1 overall player, Jalen Green, who had also been considering offers from Memphis and Auburn. After Green agreed to join the program, five-star prospects Isaiah Todd and Daishen Nix also committed.
Green and Todd are expected to earn around $500,000 in the G League next season while Nix is reportedly going to earn around $300,000. The players will be paired next to veterans and a coaching staff that will provide mentorship and guidance for preparing for the NBA.
While the program serves as an alternate pathway for prospects wanting to play professionally, its future success will likely hinge on how well those players perform and adapt next season in the G League.
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