No. 1 recruit Jalen Green heading to G League on reported $500K deal
Jalen Green, the top-ranked high school prospect on the ESPN 100 for 2020, will forgo college basketball and play in the NBA G League next season, he told Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes on Thursday.
The five-star recruit spurned offers from the likes of Auburn and Memphis to enter the G League's professional pathway program. Green will earn $500,000 for one season before he's eligible to enter the NBA draft, sources told Corey Evans of Rivals.com.
Green will head to Los Angeles to headline a new G League franchise, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania. The club will feature other elite high school players who opt for the pro route, sources told Haynes, while the remaining roster spots will include veteran players.
Five-star forward Isaiah Todd recently decommitted from Michigan and will reportedly headline the new G League team alongside Green.
Green will take part in a yearlong developmental program that will include professional coaching, top prospects, and veteran players, and feature training and exhibition competitions against G League teams, foreign national clubs, and NBA academies throughout the world, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony.
Former NBA Coach of the Year Sam Mitchell is expected to be one of the candidates to lead Green's club, according to Wojnarowski and Givony.
"I wanted to get better overall and prepare myself for the NBA because that's my ultimate goal," Green told Haynes. "Everything was planned out right and set up for me to succeed. I think this was a good decision at the end of the day."
The G League introduced a "select contract" for elite high school prospects in October 2018. The deal pays players $125,000 as an alternative to college basketball, but the league is willing to offer more money for the right prospects, sources told 247Sports' Evan Daniels.
"Of course, the money is better than an average G League contract," Green's stepfather, Marcus Greene, told Haynes. "This is an opportunity to develop for the next level and to show other kids alternative ways to develop your own career and brands."
The 18-year-old is the first No. 1 high school player to skip straight to the pro level since Brandon Jennings in 2008.
Green averaged 31.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and five assists per game during his senior year at Prolific Prep. He was selected for the McDonald's All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic rosters earlier this season and was also named to Team USA for the Nike Hoop Summit.
The 6-foot-5 guard also has a decorated international resume, which includes three gold medals. Most notably, Green averaged a team-high 15.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per contest en route to winning MVP honors at the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup.
Green is a projected top-three pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, according to Givony.