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G League to offer $125K to elite prospects as alternative to one-and-done route
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<blockquote data-quote="TheFameProtector" data-source="post: 1420162" data-attributes="member: 517079"><p>Disagree. And I know I'm citing outliers here, but LaMelo Ball and Zion Williamson would say otherwise. I think you are viewing this from the vantage point of an older bball fan rather than those of the younger generation, specifically high school and below. That audience follows elite high school players on social media and YouTube and doesn't necessarily do so because of some allegiance to their college of choice and its potential for actually landing that player. These kids have tens of thousands (James Wiseman, Isaiah Stewart, Tyrese Maxey, etc.) and hundreds of thousands (Cole Anthony, Jalen Green) of followers on platforms like Instagram because younger age groups can relate to them and feel as is they are following along with a peer as they work towards stardom and the NBA (heck, some even have fan pages with a good amount of followers). Now, I don't think going the G-League route will become a major trend because there is still significant, engrained marketing and exposure that comes with participating in a league that has all the other star players working towards the NBA (as Woj tweeted). But the claim that these players only have a following because they're heading to college for a year is rubbish. These players (i.e. top 10) have a following because there is a high likelihood that they're heading to the NBA immediately after that holding year, or because they produce highlights that show up all over ballislife, etc.</p><p></p><p>The relationship between social media and basketball is so much different than pretty much every other sport, in part because the highlights are perfect for short clips. And this really has changed the way young elite players can gain exposure and build a brand while still in high school. It's a whole different world from that of baseball and hockey, and even college basketball from the NBA (the average age of a college bball fan is 52, whereas its 42 for the average NBA fan). College helps in gaining exposure, no doubt about that, but I do think the ability to earn a salary of 125k AND immediately begin endorsement deals that can stretch into the millions will entice at least some players to make the leap. But I guess this also depends on how the FBI investigation will impact the funneling of money, too.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="TheFameProtector, post: 1420162, member: 517079"] Disagree. And I know I'm citing outliers here, but LaMelo Ball and Zion Williamson would say otherwise. I think you are viewing this from the vantage point of an older bball fan rather than those of the younger generation, specifically high school and below. That audience follows elite high school players on social media and YouTube and doesn't necessarily do so because of some allegiance to their college of choice and its potential for actually landing that player. These kids have tens of thousands (James Wiseman, Isaiah Stewart, Tyrese Maxey, etc.) and hundreds of thousands (Cole Anthony, Jalen Green) of followers on platforms like Instagram because younger age groups can relate to them and feel as is they are following along with a peer as they work towards stardom and the NBA (heck, some even have fan pages with a good amount of followers). Now, I don't think going the G-League route will become a major trend because there is still significant, engrained marketing and exposure that comes with participating in a league that has all the other star players working towards the NBA (as Woj tweeted). But the claim that these players only have a following because they're heading to college for a year is rubbish. These players (i.e. top 10) have a following because there is a high likelihood that they're heading to the NBA immediately after that holding year, or because they produce highlights that show up all over ballislife, etc. The relationship between social media and basketball is so much different than pretty much every other sport, in part because the highlights are perfect for short clips. And this really has changed the way young elite players can gain exposure and build a brand while still in high school. It's a whole different world from that of baseball and hockey, and even college basketball from the NBA (the average age of a college bball fan is 52, whereas its 42 for the average NBA fan). College helps in gaining exposure, no doubt about that, but I do think the ability to earn a salary of 125k AND immediately begin endorsement deals that can stretch into the millions will entice at least some players to make the leap. But I guess this also depends on how the FBI investigation will impact the funneling of money, too. [/QUOTE]
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G League to offer $125K to elite prospects as alternative to one-and-done route
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