Mark Cuban Backs G-League “Select Contracts” And Teaching Life Skills & Educational Training Is Key
This past Thursday the G-League, which is a subsidiary of the NBA, announced that they will implement an alternative to the NCAA’s one and done role. The G-League will offer “Select Contracts” worth $125,000 to the top high school prospects that choose to not attend college. This is a move that could challenge the monopoly that the NCAA has on it’s elite talent.
This newly formed professional path will be implemented in the summer of 2019. This will allow players who are at least 18 years old,but not eligible to enter the NBA Draft to develop their craft within an NBA developmental organization.
The G League will target recent or would-be high school graduates who otherwise would have likely spent just one season playing college basketball, enticing them not only with a six-figure salary but also the opportunity to benefit from NBA infrastructure, as well as a bevy of off-court development programs “geared toward facilitating and accelerating their transition to the pro game,” league president Malcolm Turner told ESPN.
This will also allow those elite players coming out of high school to capitalize on their likeness through marketing opportunities, and they would be free to hire representation if they see fit.
“We appreciate the NBA’s decision to provide additional opportunities for those who would like to pursue their dream of playing professionally,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement. “The NCAA recently implemented significant reforms to support student-athlete success, including more flexibility when deciding whether to play professionally.
“Obtaining a college education continues to provide unmatched preparation for success in life for the majority of student-athletes and remains an excellent path to professional sports for many. However, this change provides another option for those who would prefer not to attend college but want to directly pursue professional basketball.”
Dallas Maverick’s owner Mark Cuban recently shared his thoughts on the G-League’s alternative to the one and done rule:
“If we are going to let players come out of high school, we need to do it in a way that allows us to educate, and support them. So, they can adapt to the life of being a professional athlete. I don’t care if you are going to work for Target, Microsoft, or Google there is an adjustment and they provide the resources to help you adjust. It is even more difficult in professional sports because you are traveling and you are with a limited group of players. So, with the new program that we are implementing it will also enable life skills and educational training. I think that is a necessity and the difference,” Cuban told me
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