Overtime Elite is a 6-team professional basketball league for 16-20-year-olds, and two of its players–the Thompson brothers–were selected back-to-back in this year’s NBA Draft.
Founded in 2021 by Dan Porter and Zack Weinerand, and with Damien Wilkins serving as the league’s general manager, the league offers a unique opportunity for aspiring players. Players receive a signing bonus, a minimum salary of $100,000 annually, and own shares in Elite’s sponsoring company, Overtime. Moreover, players can also maintain college eligibility with a scholarship option.
The league hired former NBA player and UCONN head coach Kevin Ollie as its first head coach, who also serves as head of player development.
The league’s board of directors includes recognizable names–Pau Gasol, Carmelo Anthony, and Jay Williams are three–and the league is sponsored by international brands, including Gatorade, GMC, Meta, and State Farm.
Of course, the players have aspirations beyond Overtime Elite, and that’s playing in the NBA. That’s why what happened at the 2023 NBA Draft made history. The Houston Rockets took Amen Thompson with the 4th pick, and brother Ausar was drafted 5th by the Detroit Pistons. It’s the first time in Overtime Elite’s brief history that its players were drafted by the NBA.
OE players had previously transitioned to the NBA, but only by way of undrafted free agency, not by the annual draft. This year, Jaylen Martin inked a two-way deal with the New York Knicks, and Jazian Gortman did the same with the Milwaukee Bucks.
cool little history lesson sure to make sports question trivia soon.