Eighteen-year-old Darius Bazley will soon be the first prospect to bail on the NCAA in favor of the G League, where he’ll spend one season getting ready for the NBA. And if it works, others may look to follow his path.
IT WASN’T LIKE I was sitting at a table or anything,” Darius Bazley says. He’s talking to SLAM on a Friday afternoon at the end of his senior year of high school, looking back on the moment that he knew he wanted to buck tradition and find a unique route to the NBA.
“I don’t really remember the exact date,” he continues. “It was a big decision, but it wasn’t a big announcement, you know what I mean? Nothing crazy. The idea was already in my head.”
A few weeks before our conversation, Bazley sent shockwaves through the basketball world by switching things up. He announced his intention to decommit from Syracuse to travel down a road no one else ever had. He wants to become the first player to ever jump straight to the G League from high school.
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