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Former five-star prospect Jalen Green announced on Thursday that he will enter into the NBA professional pathway program, an initiative created by the NBA G League that serves as an alternative to playing collegiately.
Green is among the elite prospects that will help lead the reshaped program, which is reportedly expected to pay players upward of $500,000, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The program will take place separate from the traditional G League setting and will offer prospects a detailed development experience.
The reshaped program will place Green, and other prospects that may join him, onto a new team filled with veteran players that will help 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.
the #NBAGLeague future is now pic.twitter.com/U9GTz6eRVE
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) April 16, 2020
The G League initially introduced the idea in October 2018 to pay elite prospects $125,000 to develop but it became clear that the program needed to be altered in order to convince prospects from playing overseas in leagues that can offer more money. Prospects also had concerns about potentially hurting their draft stock playing against established players in the G League.
Several top high school prospects, like LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton, have opted against college and the G League for more lucrative offers overseas. The decision by Ball and Hampton to play abroad motivated the NBA and G League to develop a new plan to help entice elite prospects to stay in the United States.
Green turned 18 years old in February.
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