Top prospect Jalen Green chooses G League over college

New York, April 17: Jalen Green, an elite prospect in the high school class of 2020, will forego playing NCAA basketball and go straight into the NBA's G League, possibly opening the door for other top young players to skip college.

Viewed by many scouting services as a potential first overall pick in 2021, Green announced his decision by posting a video on Instagram, saying that his "ultimate, end goal" was to play in the NBA.

Green will be the first player in a still-developing program to give high school graduates a one-year stateside alternative to playing in the NCAA.

Although the G League started offering $125,000 contracts to young players in 2018, it was not enough to keep 2020 draft prospects LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton from spending a year in Australia's National Basketball League. No players signed with the G League under the 2018 initiative.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver and G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim have since revised their development plan for elite prospects.

They have relaxed the game schedule and increased salaries to be more competitive with international leagues, reportedly upwards of $500,000 for the best players.

Green will not play for a particular G League team or NBA affiliate but will instead play a revised schedule that focuses on draft preparation, skills development and off-court training in professional and life skills.

The system aims to place blossoming stars like Green on a team with veteran mentors under G League coaching and have them play exhibition games against G League squads, foreign national teams and international development academies.

Green is the first player to join the new initiative but is proof that the G League's plan can be enough to lure leading names away from the college experience.

Memphis and Auburn were considered favorites to land Green, though he also visited Kentucky and Oregon.