As one of the premier professional sports organizations in the world, the NBA holds a certain degree of prestige for aspiring young players hoping to make the sport their career. While many talented athletes continue to pour in each year, Nick Young hinted at an interesting shift that could become a point of concern for the NBA in the future.
During a recent appearance on “The Shop,” Nick Young discussed how his nephew, Gilbert Arenas‘ son Alijah Arenas, had agreed to return to USC for another year for $3 million. He elaborated on Alijah’s decision, sharing:
“Gil’s son, my nephew, he got $3 million for one year to go to USC… Why would I go to the league and be a second-round pick, non-guaranteed?”
As Young mentioned, many college athletes declare for the NBA Draft each year with the hope of being selected. While the opportunity of playing alongside some of the best players in the world is undoubtedly enticing, the financial implications for late first-round and second-round picks are significant.
This year’s first overall pick, AJ Dybantsa, signed one of the largest rookie contracts in league history with a four-year, $66.9 million deal, earning him $14.7 million in his first year. In comparison, the average salary for second-round picks this year was roughly $2.3 million annually.
Given that most second-round picks don’t even have guaranteed contracts beyond their first season, the lack of job security is concerning. Hence, the sudden shift in players opting to return to college seems quite intriguing.
With NIL deals and direct revenue-share models, athletes have gained a lucrative opportunity to monetize their talents. Since universities in major conferences have an annual cap of roughly $20.5 million, it is certainly a better opportunity for these players to continue playing in college without necessarily risking falling out of the NBA.
“That one thing saved college sports,” comedian Chris Powell added. “College sports are now like the G League, almost, as far as the effort. Like, these [guys] get paid for real.”
Podcast host Steelo Brim built on this and added:
“You got 26-year-olds playing out here now, going back trying to go back for a bag… LSU, their top five average age was 24 years old this year.”
With specific reference to Alijah Arenas, these deals are quite promising.
After a glowing high school career, Arenas reclassified to join USC a year early. Unfortunately, after a serious injury sustained in a car crash, he was sidelined for a large portion of the freshman season.
In the 14 appearances he made last year, Arenas averaged 14.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Although the USC guard boasted the potential to be a lottery pick, declaring for the draft and risking being a second-round pick or worse, going undrafted, would not be ideal.
Hence, his decision to return to USC for his sophomore season is significant. Although reports indicate that he doesn’t earn a direct revenue share from his university, Alijah Arenas earns a considerable amount through brand endorsement deals and NIL packages.
With Alijah Arenas potentially setting an example for other athletes, there is a very real possibility that the NBA’s crop of young talent may dwindle with each passing season. Given how this could impact the draft in the near future, the league has every reason to take notice.
