Rod Hampton, RJ’s father, told the Herald-Leader that he had discussions with Strickland and Abdur-Rahim about the G League path prior to the family’s decision to go overseas. The offer simply couldn’t come close to matching the far more lucrative deal Hampton would receive in Australia. It served as a wake-up call for the NBA. “I don’t think that they envisioned this program until they were like, ‘Woah, we can’t have guys like RJ going out of the country, playing ball. We have to find something to do here,’” Rod Hampton said.