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Five-star prospect Isaiah Todd has signed a contract to enter into the reshaped professional pathway program and play in the NBA G League next season, the league announced on Friday.
Todd recently de-committed from the University of Michigan to join fellow high school prospect Jalen Green to play in the G League on a newly created development team that will be separate from the 29 other teams in the G League.
The program will pay Todd and Green upward of $500,000.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver and G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim worked together to develop a revamped system over the past year to persuade the top prospects a viable option to play professional basketball in the United States.
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Talks intensified to create a new program once the likes of LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton spurned college basketball and the G League for more lucrative offers in the National Basketball League in Australia. Under the structure of the new program, prospects will be placed on a team filled with veteran players and experienced coaches to provide mentorship.
The group of prospects will participate in training and exhibition games against other G League teams and international clubs. The team will play around 10-12 games against existing G League teams in games that won’t count against the standings.
Details of the new team Todd and Green will play for, which will be unaffiliated with any existing NBA G League franchise or NBA team, are forthcoming.
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