The Overtime Elite basketball league will seek to target players as young as 16-years-old.
According to The New York Times, the new pro league is aiming to poach top amateur talent away from the NCAA, and the benefits don’t sound too bad. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
Fire up your thoughts on the NCAA and amateurism! The high school highlight powerhouse @overtime is making a run at the best 16-18 yo NBA prospects and offering them $100,000/yr in salary to skip college to play in a pro development league. @kevinmdraper: https://t.co/eOVIYENL81
— Oskar Garcia (@oskargarcia) March 4, 2021
The minimum salary is $100,000, the league will pay college costs up to $100,000, players will get a signing bonus and ownership shares in “in Overtime’s larger business.”
The NYT reported that Overtime Elite wants to target about 30 of the best prep players in America. It’s not clear right now when the league would launch, but some big names are attached, including NBA star Carmelo Anthony.
Overtime is launching Overtime Elite, a basketball league for 16-to-18-year-olds.
Players get:
➖ $100K minimum salary
➖ Health benefits
➖ Equity stake in OvertimeIf an athlete decides not to pursue basketball professionally, Overtime will cover college tuition up to $100K. pic.twitter.com/8ds9XmT7LC
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) March 4, 2021
I hate to sound pessimistic, but I see no scenario where this is successful. How many minor leagues have we seen fail over the years? We’ve had two football leagues fold in the past few years.
If you’re a star at 18, then you can go to the G-League or overseas and make more money than $100,000. Even if you’re a minor, you could sign with a top European team and make way more than $100,000 and play against better talent than whatever this league will pull.
New pro basketball league.@overtime announces it is started Overtime Elite, which will allow 16-18 year-olds to go pro.
Says there will be 30 ranked players, guaranteed $100K a year + bonuses and equity in Overtime and cut of licensed sales.
HS academic classes included.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) March 4, 2021
Now, will some kids agree to play? Sure especially those who have no interest in going to college anyways. But Overtime Elite is competing with the G-League and all of the leagues overseas. That seems like a tall task given how established the competition is.
If you wanna learn more about Overtime Elite, our new basketball league, check out this article ???? https://t.co/PbyAx8vSwU
— Overtime (@overtime) March 4, 2021
Plus, we’re on the verge of college athletes being able to profit. If you can play for a powerhouse house program, live life on a college campus and get paid, then why the hell would you ever want to play in a minor league?
I’m certainly not cheering against Overtime Elite, but I find it incredibly difficult to believe that it’ll succeed.