Top HS hoops rookie to sign with Overtime Elite

Naasir Cunningham, ESPN’s No. 1 basketball prospect in the Class of 2024, is signing with Overtime Elite (OTE), he told ESPN on Monday.

“It’s the best place for me to develop as a player, while getting the right formation to fall back on at the same time,” Cunningham said. “Overtime has built a relationship with my family and I, which has been a big factor in trusting them for my future. I want to be the best basketball player I can be, an NBA lottery pick, and hopefully the one of the best in the league. . is going to put me in a position to be the best player I can be.”

Cunningham is the highest-ranked rookie to sign with the upstart league and is considered a prospect with a significant upside to the NBA ranks. He stands 6-foot-7 with a wingspan of 6-11, impressive fluidity, and dynamic perimeter shooting ability.

Cunningham will be the first player to waive being paid by OTE, which should preserve his eligibility to play college basketball after graduating from high school. He will still be able to earn money with his name, image, and likeness in high school, giving him additional earning potential over the next two years without compromising his amateur status.

“Being able to keep my college eligibility was important because it gives me more options when I’m done with high school and ready to decide my next move,” Cunningham said. “In overtime, you still get the same academics as a regular high school, but not all schools have the same equipment and facilities, which are top of the line, and top coaches, trainers, and other elite players. .against the best and working with the best is what will help me achieve my goals.”

Cunningham, from West Orange, New Jersey, spent his first two years of high school at Gill St. Bernard. He broke out as the No. 1 player in his class in last summer’s Nike EYBL 16U Division, where he averaged 15.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in 28 minutes per game for New York. Info. He reconfirmed that at the prestigious Hoophall Classic in Springfield in January, exploding for 23 points (5 for 7 from 3-point range), 11 rebounds and 3 assists in a win over 2022 No. 1 rookie Dereck Lively and Westtown School. Cunningham, 17, at 164 pounds, will need to add strength to his lanky body.

Overtime, a sports media company that lists Jeff Bezos, Kevin Durant and Trae Young among its investors, announced the OTE initiative as an academy-style alternative for elite 16-18-year-old prospects to pave the way for the NBA Draft just over a year ago His first season ended in Atlanta in March, with 2023 top-10 pick Ausar Thompson named his Finals MVP (above twin brother Amen, also a top 10 pick).

The company initially offered players six-figure salaries, an educational component, state-of-the-art facilities and massive resources in terms of coaching, front office and support staff to entice them to give up their eligibility for university. The organization will now also allow players a “scholarship” option and the ability to avoid a salary so they don’t close the door on the NCAA route, which could be a game-changer for OTE’s recruiting efforts. .

In 2024, Cunningham could choose to take his NBA draft-eligible gap year after high school with OTE, similar to what projected first-round pick Jean Montero did this year, as well as projected second-rounder Dominick Barlow. Or he may decide to enroll in college.

Cunningham said he has already received scholarship offers from Duke, Kansas, UCLA, LSU, Maryland, Texas Tech, Creighton, UConn, Rutgers, St. John’s and many others.

Tim Nevius, an attorney and former NCAA compliance officer and investigator who was publicly appointed as an overtime adviser, helped craft the OTE exchange to ensure it adheres to NCAA compliance rules. The company said it has reached out to the NCAA to share its plans and ensure it follows amateurism guidelines and will hire a full-time compliance staff member to act as a liaison.

Overtime said he has previously signed NIL deals with high school and college players, such as UCLA’s Jada Williams, South Carolina’s Zia Cooke and Duke commit Jared McCain. And OTE stock players such as Cunningham will also be eligible for NIL offers, including other third-party companies. Overtime has a massive online following of 65 million followers on different social media platforms. His main account has more followers on TikTok than the official NBA league account and all 30 NBA teams combined.

Cunningham said he had conversations with OTE over the past three months, particularly with its director of scouting and recruiting, Tim Fuller, who played a major role in securing his signing.

“Our model from the beginning has been to give players and families options,” said Fuller, a former college assistant. “When we launched the program, it was by offering the opportunity to turn pro and get high-level development. Our player development model is the best in the country for players 19 and under. When we started recruiting Cunningham, we didn’t have “I don’t have the scholarship option. Now it’s up to each family to assess which path they want to take. Having options made it easier to pull the trigger at an earlier age.”

After some back and forth, OTE was approved by the NBA last year as an authorized scouting platform for teams to send representatives to assess professional prospects. The league held several pro days, which were well attended, as well as a few dozen games at the OTE Arena in Atlanta. In year two, OTE targets games against junior colleges, European clubs, national teams, and possibly G League Ignite or NBA academies as potential programming opportunities, in addition to elite prep schools.

OTE is expected to fire 21 of the 26 players from its inaugural recruiting class, with the rest moving into the professional ranks after a postgraduate year. The league plans to have around 30 players next season across its three teams and will start unveiling the rest of its rookies in the near future.