NBA Pathway Program: The Path Less Traveled

      The Final Four, the NCAA tournament, cutting down the nets and the ever-tantalizing prospect of having that one shining moment are all benefits that are possible for a basketball player once they have become a college basketball player.

     Of course, the best - and most rewarding benefit - is the opportunity to receive a world-class education.

     But, of course, any athlete that has the opportunity to reach the Division 1 level has to understand that they do have the chance of reaching the pros. As such, the mentality that each athlete has needs to change. 

     What begins as a game, becomes a business.

     This has become especially true for basketball players. They have to be more open-minded about what their options are and the possibility that their best opportunity may be something that, at one point, was previously inconceivable: the opportunity to be paid and play professional basketball - in America - immediately after graduation.

     After legendary players like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Kevin Garnett, among others, were selected early in the NBA draft straight out of high school, the NBA revised its draft process, requiring players to be at least one year removed from high school. As a result, it was accepted that their were only two ways to the NBA: to play college basketball or to play professionally overseas.

     Now a new option, is putting serious pressure on the NCAA.

     The NBA is offering players, fresh out of high school, the chance to earn a six figure salary if they sign a contract to play in the G League - the NBA's developmental league. At first, it may have seemed far-fetched to believe that any player would seriously give up the dreams mentioned at the beginning of this writing. After all, the NBA G League does not typically sell-out arenas and attract millions of viewers and listeners the way that the NBA does. The collegiate game comes way closer to the allure of the NBA than the G League does.

     It may not have been what anybody would have expected at one point, but in far greater numbers players are choosing the G League over playing for storied Division 1 college programs.

     But the reason for this is not necessarily limited to how big the salary is, but rather the freedom to profit, rather than be governed by the NCAA.

     Players who elect to stray from the beaten path and play G League basketball have control. They can hire agents, sign endorsement deals and conduct other business proceedings. These are things that are essential for an athlete's career in the twenty-first century. Yet, the NCAA does not see it that way.

     Later this week, I will have more on the Congressional effort to pass Name and Image (NIL) Laws. But here's the synopsis: under these laws the players will have the opportunity to sign endorsement deals. This is a completely harmless rule that would allow student-athletes the chance to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

     Yet, the NCAA has done everything that they possibly can to prevent this from happening.

     The NCAA should be disturbed by the fact that more and more high-level high school basketball players are choosing to play in the G League. The influx of players into the pathway program could - one day down the road - make that more attractive option for fans.

     The NCAA appears set to stick to the way that things always have been. They do not appear interested in allowing athletes to benefit from their talents. As a result, athletes who have to think about the business side of sports, now are left with an ultimatum: Play for free but on a bigger stage or get paid but not at the level that you may have always imagined.

     Once upon a time, athletes may have been all set for the former option. Now the latter has taken far greater precedence in the eyes of student-athletes.

     So, what does the future of college basketball and the pathway program have in store?

     The answer is that - even though the NBA and the NCAA want to believe that they can - the two are highly to have a completely harmless coexistence with one another.

     The NCAA must change its outdated system in order to fully satisfy the student-athletes. These athletes are not just cogs in the wheel, but - along with coaches and athletic administrators - they built the powerful wheel that is the NCAA.

     But now, the pressure, from all sides, on the NCAA, has never been more palpable. If they continue to refuse change, then college basketball's status near the top of the American sporting totem pole, may be in trouble.