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Jalen Green picks G-League over Auburn and Memphis

Green is ranked No. 1 overall in the 2020 class by ESPN.

SLAM Summer Classic 2019 Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Jalen Green, arguably the best player in the Class of 2020, will not be attending college.

On Thursday, Green announced he was accepting a contract offer to play in the NBA G-League next season. The deal is reportedly worth around $500,000 and could go even higher depending on endorsements.

However, Green won’t actually play for an official NBA G-League team like the Fort Wayne Mad Ants or Santa Cruz Warriors. Instead, he’ll play for a unique G-League squad that will have a different experience and path to the NBA in 2021.

Had he picked a college, Green was down to the Memphis Tigers and Auburn Tigers, two teams in desperate need of players next season after their respective rosters were depleted this offseason.

There was a time when the Kentucky Wildcats appeared to be the leaders for Green, but once Terrence Clarke decided to reclassify from 2021, John Calipari zeroed in on him and eventually cut ties with Green.

Ironically, Clarke was also being pursued by the G-League earlier his week, but he opted to keep his commitment to UK.

Still, between Clarke considering the G-League offer and Green actually taking it, it’s becoming abundantly clear that college basketball has a major problem on its hands when it comes to getting elite recruits moving forward.