Caitlyn Clark's game had more TV viewers than any NBA game this season on ESPN

[SchoolboyC]

I said the same thing literally a few months ago @Rhakim when there was talk (before they reached a new cba) about letting guys come in from high school again. We see it now with one and done if they go the college route, guys come in and don't know how to play, they know how to score and get theirs but that's it. I don't know who wants to watch a bunch of teams like the Rockets who year after year are filled with young guys who all play for themselves. I had the same conversation with my pops I honestly don't know why the NBA is hellbent on NOT utilizing the college game as a direct pipeline as a first option. Yeah in basketball guys have other options, especially now if you don't wanna go to college, overseas, now the G-league, but it'll help the league imo for guys to get known to the masses beforehand coming into the league. Like Scoot Henderson is known by basketball fans but if I polled people in the street who are casuals and barely know what a G-League is they won't know who I'm talking about.

And like @PortCityProphet said, these guys get built up in college and take their college fans with them to the pros. One and done hurts cause guys realistically only go to college as a means to get the league, no real fanbase is built up knowing you only gonna be there a few months.

I don’t think most casuals know who Brandon Miller or Oscar Tshiwebe are either

Ochai Agbaji was the best player on a national title team last season and what fanfare does he have?

I agree that the alumni from those schools will root for those guys in the NBA but I don’t think CBB creates stars anymore.

If Bronny goes to college then it’s probably going to spark a lot of interest to whatever school he picks but Bronny’s already coming in with a built in hype machine

 

[cartierhoe]

I don’t think most casuals know who Brandon Miller or Oscar Tshiwebe are either

Ochai Agbaji was the best player on a national title team last season and what fanfare does he have?

I agree that the alumni from those schools will root for those guys in the NBA but I don’t think CBB creates stars anymore.

If Bronny goes to college then it’s probably going to spark a lot of interest to whatever school he picks but Bronny’s already coming in with a built in hype machine

You make a good point, and you may be right. But considering we’ve been in the one and done era for a decade+, we don’t have the evidence of that being true. And yeah Bronny is gonna be hyped like you said because of obvious reasons.

 

[holidayinn21]

We posting KKKlay Travis tweets now

 

[PortCityProphet]

We posting KKKlay Travis tweets now

It's the coli militant go to for white folks thoughts and opinions

 

[Godless Socialist CEO]

We posting KKKlay Travis tweets now

Person who posted it wasn’t doing it as a way of saying Travis is right. Just pointing out the type of garbage can human that takes issues with the nba’s players activist efforts and why what say doesn’t matter

 

[SchoolboyC]

It's the coli militant go to for white folks thoughts and opinions

I haven’t made enough pawg threads to be called a Coli militant

 

[CHERUB]

Her vs Maya Moore woulda have been fire

 

[Professor Emeritus]

I don’t think most casuals know who Brandon Miller or Oscar Tshiwebe are either

Ochai Agbaji was the best player on a national title team last season and what fanfare does he have?

I agree that the alumni from those schools will root for those guys in the NBA but I don’t think CBB creates stars anymore.

If Bronny goes to college then it’s probably going to spark a lot of interest to whatever school he picks but Bronny’s already coming in with a built in hype machine

College basketball created stars in the very recent past. Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Jimmer Fredette, Adam Morrison, Blake Griffin, Gordon Hayward, and Tyler Hansborough all made their name in college ball. Even Trae Young was a big name in very recent history who came to the NBA with a fan base already around him.

Miller is a freshman who played like shyt in every game of the tourney and couldn't make it past the Sweet Sixteen. Tshiwebe is in his first year with Kentucky and didn't even make it past the 2nd round. Aqbaji was a meh skill level guy who didn't break out until his senior year and didn't have the sort of huge standout performances that create casual hype. None of those three guys has done enough to get casual fans excited. And they've also suffered from the fact that the biggest talents aren't even out there on the court.

Imagine if Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Cole Anthony, Jonathan Kuminga, Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr., Cade Cunningham, Shaedon Sharpe, etc. had played college basketball this year. You don't think the sport would have gotten more hype? You don't think some of them would have been bigger names before they got drafted than they were?

 

[iamduval]

Shorty don’t play defense but I’ve never seen someone score so easily

 

[PortCityProphet]

College basketball created stars in the very recent past. Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Jimmer Fredette, Adam Morrison, Blake Griffin, Gordon Hayward, and Tyler Hansborough all made their name in college ball. Even Trae Young was a big name in very recent history who came to the NBA with a fan base already around him.

Miller is a freshman who played like shyt in every game of the tourney and couldn't make it past the Sweet Sixteen. Tshiwebe is in his first year with Kentucky and didn't even make it past the 2nd round. Aqbaji was a meh skill level guy who didn't break out until his senior year and didn't have the sort of huge standout performances that create casual hype. None of those three guys has done enough to get casual fans excited. And they've also suffered from the fact that the biggest talents aren't even out there on the court.

Imagine if Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Cole Anthony, Jonathan Kuminga, Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr., Cade Cunningham, Shaedon Sharpe, etc. had played college basketball this year. You don't think the sport would have gotten more hype? You don't think some of them would have been bigger names before they got drafted than they were?

Exactly. You make your name your 1st great year you become a star your 2nd.
Unless you have an amazing March then you become a star during that March.

 

[SchoolboyC]

College basketball created stars in the very recent past. Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Jimmer Fredette, Adam Morrison, Blake Griffin, Gordon Hayward, and Tyler Hansborough all made their name in college ball. Even Trae Young was a big name in very recent history who came to the NBA with a fan base already around him.

Miller is a freshman who played like shyt in every game of the tourney and couldn't make it past the Sweet Sixteen. Tshiwebe is in his first year with Kentucky and didn't even make it past the 2nd round. Aqbaji was a meh skill level guy who didn't break out until his senior year and didn't have the sort of huge standout performances that create casual hype. None of those three guys has done enough to get casual fans excited. And they've also suffered from the fact that the biggest talents aren't even out there on the court.

Imagine if Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Cole Anthony, Jonathan Kuminga, Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr., Cade Cunningham, Shaedon Sharpe, etc. had played college basketball this year. You don't think the sport would have gotten more hype? You don't think some of them would have been bigger names before they got drafted than they were?

7 of the 10 players you named played CBB in the 2000s. Trae Young & Ja Morant are probably the only players to get drafted in the last 5 years who I would say CBB built them into being stars before touching the NBA. Zion already had crazy hype from HS and carried it over.

Tshiwebe was literally the national POY last season with Kentucky, this was his second year with them. If the guy who was unanimously voted as the best player in CBB and then came back to play the next year isn’t known then what does that say?

Yes I think CBB would’ve been more interesting to watch if they were still in college. But if I had to choose between them being in the NBA and staying longer in college, I’m completely fine with the route they chose. I’d much rather have Ant playing for the Wolves than Georgia, LaMelo playing for the Hornets than UCLA, Mobley in CLE than USC, Paolo in Orlando than Duke, etc. No question, no hesitation.

 

[tremonthustler1]

It's really hard to start a pro league. People are wondering why, it's not just Adam Silver who is failing, they've failed to start up women's pro soccer leagues too. Only the MLS has been successful in starting a league over the past 50 years and that's largely due to a change in demographics with how many Spanish speaking individuals that are living in the United States.

WNBA is marketed terribly. I think a poster was on to something though... the Sparks should just be the "Lady Lakers". I think that would help with the branding. Same exact colors and logos.

Lady Lakers?

Have you ever heard of the Lady of the Lake?

 

[2legit]

This game was more watched than Mens College Basketball game on ESPN.

 

[triplehate]

I guess the bigger question for the future is, is there any player whether hyped or skilled enough that it would make you buy NBA league pass

 

[In The Zone '98]

I guess the bigger question for the future is, is there any player whether hyped or skilled enough that it would make you buy NBA league pass

It's sports. There's always new great players.