Fil-Am Ace skips college, joins G League

MANILA, Philippines — Jalen Green, the Fil-Am swingman who flaunted his talent and skills before local fans in the 2018-19 National Basketball Training Center League National Finals and the All-Star Games at the MOA Arena, yesterday opted to skip college basketball to join the pros through the G League, the NBA’s development league.

“I wanted to get better overall and prepare myself for the NBA because that’s my ultimate goal,” said Green on Yahoo Sports. “Everything was planned out right and set up for me to succeed.”

The 18-year-old, 6-5 versatile leaper, who traces his roots to Ilocos Sur, is a consensus five-star recruit expected to lead the Southern California team with fellow five-star prospect Isaiah Todd.

“I think this was a good decision at the end of the day. I’m still going to be able to go back to college and finish school. So, it’s not really that I’m missing out on college because I can go back and finish whenever I need to. School is a big thing in my family,” said Green.

The G League introduced the Select Contract in 2018, allowing prospects who are 18 years old but not yet eligible to play in the NBA to play in the farm league.

Under the program, Green stands to receive $500,000 with the chance to increase with endorsements while providing a one-year development program outside of the minor league’s traditional team structure, according to ESPN.

“I think the reason for this is I want to be better and be able to work on my skills and be stronger. I want to be ready when that time comes,” said Green.

Before deciding to skip college ball, Green was being recruited by Auburn, Memphis, Oregon, Fresno State and Univ. of Southern California.

“We’re thrilled to welcome a player of Jalen’s caliber to the NBA G League,” said league president Shareef Abdur-Rahim in a statement.

Acknowledging the Fil-Am’s skills, Rahim said Green represents the next generation of NBA players and “we couldn’t be more excited to have him develop his pro skills in our league.”