On Friday, Jalen Green announced that he will spend next season in the G League rather than going to college.
The 6-foot-5 guard is currently ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2020, according to ESPN.
“We’re thrilled to welcome a player and a person of Jalen’s calibre to the NBA G League,” G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim said in a press release. “He represents the next generation of NBA players, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him develop his professional skills in our league.
"Jalen will learn from an NBA-caliber coaching and player development staff as he begins his professional basketball journey in the NBA G League.”
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony, the G League is starting a new initiative in which it will pay elite prospects around $500,000 and provide "a one-year development program outside of the minor league's traditional team structure." Green could be the first of other elite prospects to join the new initiative.
Shams Charania of The Athletic added that the G League is working towards launching a team in Southern California. A California native, Green will reportedly headline the team.
Green is a five-star recruit and a 2020 McDonald’s All-American. As a member of the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team, Green earned gold medals at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 and 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cups and the 2017 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship. He was named MVP of the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Argentina.
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