Jalen Green will suit up for Southern California
By Nicole Ganglani | Photo from Inquirer Sports
Filipino-American basketball player Jalen Green has decided to forego the NCAA and instead take his talents to the NBA G League. According to Shams Charania, The Athletic’s Senior NBA insider, Green will play for Southern California—a new team set to launch in the G League this year.
Green, whose Filipino roots trace back to Ilocos Sur, was ranked number one in the 2020 collegiate draft class. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard received offers from the Auburn Tigers, Memphis Tigers and the National Basketball League in Australia but declined them all for the G League.
According to Green, playing for the G League was the path to achieve his dream of one day suiting up for the NBA.
“It has been a crazy and exciting experience for me and my family. A lot of opportunities came. But the ultimate end goal is to get to the NBA,” Green says on a video posted on his Twitter. That being said, I decided to partner with the NBA G-League new team for elite players.”
His deal with the G League involves endorsements, appearances, education and $500,000—most of which he wouldn’t receive if he decided to play in the NCAA. The G League has become a more appealing path for college stars like Green given that players themselves get paid to play.
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