In American lore there is the need to be the best. Much like the classic show “The Highlander” we believe that “there can only be one” champion, top-dog, a sole leader, the best. We are invested in it so much we’ll put aside any formulation of an outline of measurement that could potentially dissuade us from potentially allowing another threat to our elitism to creep into our limelight. In the NBA, we have a-GOAT (greatest of all time). At least until another couple generations die off it will likely remain, Michael Jefferey Jordan. Winner of six NBA Championships, six NBA Finals MVP’s, and countless other accolades we consequently undervalue Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, and most recently LeBron James whom each have accomplished their own mountain of accolades and accomplishments to be mentioned in the same discussions as Jordan.
Similarly, the NBA has long been considered the best professional basketball league in the world. I for one agree. The level of talent, skill, size, and notoriety is unparalleled by any League in the world. In fact the majority of elite players around the world vie to try their chances in the NBA to see how they measure against the best of the best. Throw in the market for fans and onlookers, television contracts and player salaries and one cannot really argue with the claim.
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The unfortunate byproduct of such acclaim has been the diminishment of other opportunities for American athletes to launch off into the careers of professional basketball. High school club teams and college teams of all divisions bring in billions of dollars in revenue into the pockets of the NCAA and schools while excluding the athletes who are the center of attraction on the court each night. Over the last five years multiple documentaries, movies, and interviews have been made that has exposed the hypocrisy of this institution that makes a profit off of practically free labor. Where have we heard of this before? LeBron James and Clutch Sports has taken on the challenge to make space for athletes to cease being completely exploited and on the show “Uninterrupted” airing on HBO, Governor Gavin Newsom broke ground on the first measure signed that challenged the NCAA’s stronghold allowing collegiate athletes to make money off of their own likeness in endorsements, commercials, etc. Consider a player like Zion Williamson who was the #1 NBA Draft pick in 2019. He entered the NCAA to play for famed Duke University with close to 5 million followers on his social media platforms. His arial exploits on the court created such a following that he was able to draw record numbers of attendees throughout his high school tenure and into his freshman season at Duke. The games at Duke would rival many NBA teams in terms of revenue, coverage, and acclaim and yet Mr. Williamson did not receive a dime for his draw.
This past 2020 NCAA season did not help their cause as #2, 2020 NBA Draft pick James Wiseman was scrutinized, investigated, suspended, and then fined for receiving financial help from his high school coach years before ever attending the University of Memphis. The amount he received he could have made multiple times over through endorsements alone had he been free to choose a professional career or had a space to. Contrasting this situation to that of Luka Doncic, current NBA sensation who as a teenager was playing professional basketball on a European club team, signing contracts, and preparing for his advancement within his field of expertise, basketball. This myth of amateurism has prevented many Black American athletes from maximizing their earning potential and becoming viable financial contributors to their families. Amateurism has found safety within the shadow of elitism the NBA casts in the world of competitive basketball. Compared against the NBA, almost any other form of competition within its own backyard is perceived as less and of no consequence.
This all changed in 2017 when Gatorade became the official sponsor of the NBA Developmental League, previously modeled after the Major League Baseball farm system to develop young talent. This new “G-League” with a major brand sponsorship of Gatorade, symbolized in the “G”, the shift of this league would usher in the competitive play that would attempt to rival major sports league. Though still operating as a space to allow talent to develop and have inroads to NBA teams, this league would begin to take on an outlook of an independent league of competitive entertainment. Quickly the G-League began to turn out talent that transitioned into the NBA with large success who now play primary roles as starters and leaders on playoff contenders. Then came LeBron James onto the scene and his measure that would deal a blow to the guise of amateurism that exploits Black athletes across the country. In 2020, the NBA took it’s first major step to taking advantage of the market of talent that the NCAA had monopolized for decades of talented high school athletes by allowing them to earn contracts in the G-League worth hundred-thousands of dollars. In 2020 the G-League signed Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Daishen Nix, and Kai Soto, all top prospects of their high school class, to six figure salaries. Currently, Green, Kuminga, and Nix have produced at a high level within the first few games validating that they belong amongst the elite of the world regardless of age or graduation class. Most importantly, while getting paid for it.
It can only be a matter of time before this creates a demand for leagues beneath the G-League where players may not gross six-figures but may see five-figure salaries. That income pales in comparison to the NBA and yet it is nothing to scoff at when your family is struggling to move to a better neighborhood. Many college students with advanced degrees graduate college with significant student loan debt set to earn a similar five-figure salary. This access to income for talented teens can be transformative and offer alternative solutions to becoming significant contributors to their families. For Black communities it becomes imperative to support any viable opportunity for upliftment, whether it’s a G-League, B-League, or Z-League. Black culture has the power to create new markets of interest and revenue throughout the world whether it is in the ever advancing fields of music, art, technology or literature, sports is one more potentially untapped opportunity for expansion.
Today, more than ever, it is necessary for the Black community to break away from the elitist culture that has reduced their outlook for access to the American dream for over half a century. It’s time to embrace the value of every opportunity to maximize our talents and abilities whether they that lay within first place or last.
therockneverstops 