John Calipari: 'Thousands' of Recruits Will Be Disillusioned by G League Path

Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball coach John Calipari doesn't seem to be a fan of the NBA's new G League path, which players have as an alternative to college basketball.  

"My issue with the G League trying to entice players by giving them more money is not the kids that you're getting," Calipari said Monday on his Coffee with Cal web show (h/t Jon Hale of the Louisville Courier Journal). "It's the thousands of ninth and 10th graders that think that's how they're going to make it when you and I know it's going to be 2 percent. We're not talking 50. It will be thousands and thousands and thousands."

Calipari and guest Charles Barkley pointed to educational concerns for players who stop preparing for college during their high school career, especially if they end up not being talented enough to make the limited G League.

While Hale noted the Kentucky coach has long supported the right for players to enter the NBA draft right out of high school, it would also be in his best interest if the G League weren't an option for top recruits.

After all, few programs recruit on the level of the Wildcats, and he and the G League will likely be looking at the same pool of players. Kentucky is widely known as a one-and-done juggernaut in the era of college players leaving for the NBA after a single season, and the G League could become an option that fills the identical role.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported top prospect Jalen Green is expected to make approximately $500,000 in the new G League. ESPN reported Isaiah Todd, who was initially committed to Michigan before exploring this route, will make around $250,000 if he reaches the bonuses available to him.

Green and Todd are no longer the only recruits headed to the G League, either. Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday former UCLA commit Daishen Nix will join them. Charania reported he is expected to make around $300,000.

According to 247Sports' composite rankings, Nix was a 5-star prospect and the No. 1 point guard in the 2020 recruiting class.

"Playing in G-League is ... basically getting me ready for the NBA draft," Nix said. "It's just one step below the NBA."

Jeff Goodman of Stadium talked to an NBA general manager who said Nix's mindset could be a "problem" because "these kids think [this] gets them closer to the NBA. We'll see, but I don't think that's the case at all."

Calipari would likely echo those concerns given his comments.