Tag: Jalen Green

International prospect Kai Sotto to join the G League Select Team

The 7-foot-2 center from the Philippines will become the first international prospect to join the G League professional pathway program.

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Four-star prospect Kai Sotto has reportedly decided to skip college basketball and participate in the NBA G League professional pathway program, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Sotto, a 7-foot-2 center from the Philippines, will become the first international player to sign a contract with the G League. He has spent the last year at The Skill Factory in Georgia training after playing in various international tournaments with the Philippines, including the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup.

The G League announced last month its plans to launch a new developmental team as an alternative path for elite prospects wanting to play professionally. Five-star prospects Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd were the first two players to commit to playing on the G League Select Team while Daishen Nix recently de-committed from UCLA to join the program.

Sotto was rumored to be a candidate to join the G League Select Team after its launch last month. Although Sotto isn’t as highly ranked as Green or Todd, he is an intriguing prospect for the G League to add and his inclusion could help grow the program even further given his international roots.

Under the structure of the new program, Sotto will be placed on a team filled with veteran players and experienced coaches to provide mentorship throughout the season. The G League Select Team will participate in training and exhibition games and will play around 10-12 games against existing G League teams and some international clubs.

Upon participating in the program, Sotto would be eligible for the 2021 NBA Draft.

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Ball, Hampton helped change the G League professional pathway program

The decision by LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton to sign in Australia helped motivate Adam Silver to change the program.

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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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Memphis’ top target Jalen Green decided …

Memphis’ top target Jalen Green decided to go the NBA’s G-League path. Two other 5-star players decommited from their schools to play a year in the G-League instead. Some of the best young talent has been taken away from the college game. “Taking guys out of their commitments and they’ve already signed and continuing talking to their parents, it’s almost like tampering,” Memphis basketball head coach Penny Hardaway said. “I don’t agree with that.”

Ian Begley: G League president Shareef …

What do you say to the people who say… …

What do you say to the people who say… Well, now Jason’s gone to the G league? Now he’s going to get exposed playing, you know, playing all those games against real professional players, you’re going to get exposed and hurt his draft stock. What do you say to people who have those takes? Aaron Goodwin: That they don’t know what they’re talking about? First of all, it’s not a matter of exposure is a matter of getting an opportunity to learn and to build and get stronger, same thing he would have done at college. Instead of playing 30 or 40 college games, he’ll play 10 to 15 games just to continue that progress. This is about giving him an opportunity and others an opportunity to train to learn and to get better. It’s not about trying to go there and go up against the guy that’s 30 years old, that’s stronger, that’s more knowledgeable on how to play on the pro level. And they’re showing weaknesses with the kids. That’s not what this program is about. This program is about building the kid, period. And all the kids that come to the program, not just Jalen.

Sam Mitchell to coach Jalen Green on the NBA G League Select Team

Mitchell, the 2007 NBA Coach of the Year, will reportedly be named the head coach of the newly-created NBA G League Select Team.

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Former NBA Coach of the Year Sam Mitchell will reportedly be named the head coach of the newly-created NBA G League Select Team, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.

The G League announced last week its plans to launch a new developmental team as an alternative path for elite prospects wanting to play professionally. Former five-star prospects Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd each committed to participating in the revamped program.

Mitchell previously coached Green on an Adidas youth team in the past and helped recruit the 18-year-old to play at the University of Memphis. In addition to Mitchell, former head coaches David Fizdale and Brian Shawn were also in the running for the position.

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Under the structure of the new program, prospects will be placed on a team filled with veteran players and experienced coaches to provide mentorship throughout the season. They will participate in training and exhibition games and will play around 10-12 games against existing G League teams.

On Monday, Yahoo Sports reported that the Select Team could be based out of the 100,000 square-foot Mamba Sports Academy, created by the late Kobe Bryant, in Thousand Oaks, California.

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The G League’s newly formed “Select …

The G League’s newly formed “Select Team” — featuring prep stars Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd — is looking into making its home base at the Mamba Sports Academy, a training facility in Thousand Oaks, California, launched by the late Kobe Bryant, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Sources said the NBA and G League are exploring utilizing the developmental center to be the headquarters for the team, which offers prep stars a new path to the NBA.