Oakland’s Jalen Lewis becomes youngest pro basketball player in American history
OAKLAND, Calif. (BVM) – At 14 years old, Jalen Lewis was unlike anything Bishop O’Dowd head basketball coach Lou Richie had ever seen.
“He (Lewis) can handle the ball, he can shoot it, he has post moves, up-and-unders, step-throughs, right hand and left hand,” Richie told BVM Sports last summer. “He’s the most skilled big man I’ve ever seen at 14 years old.”
Now, at 16 years old, Lewis will forgo his final two years of high school to collect north of $1 million after signing a contract to play with Overtime Elite (OTE), a new professional league whose inaugural season tips off in September.
The 6-foot-8, 215-pound Lewis is a consensus five-star recruit and is California’s top-rated player from the Class of 2023. The 16-year-old had already picked up offers from Kansas, Kentucky, USC and others before opting for the professional route.
“Jalen is one of the most exciting young talents in the country, and we are humbled that he has chosen Overtime Elite to elevate his professional development on the court and academically, while building his brand internationally,” Brandon Williams, OTE head of basketball operations, said in a release. “This is a foundational signing for our league and another acknowledgment of the need and desire for our program.”
OTE is a transformative new sports league that aims to work as a comprehensive accelerator for elite players’ professional careers. A division of the sports brand Overtime, the league offers a year-round development program where every OTE player earns a six-figure salary with a guaranteed minimum salary of at least $100,000 per year.
Lewis’ $1 million-plus salary will come with the ability to be compensated for the use of his name, image and likeness through sales of custom jerseys, trading cards, video games and NFTs.
“I’d describe Jalen as an absolute difference maker, a rare talent, with a combination of size, athleticism, good hands and ball skills that impact plays on both ends of the court,” Kevin Ollie, OTE’s head coach and director of player development, said in a release. “There are no limitations to what he’ll be able to do in his career and through Overtime Elite, he’ll have the resources in place to help him reach his dreams.”
Lewis is the 10th player to sign with OTE and the third from the 2023 class, joining Matt and Ryan Bewley, a pair of five-star-rated twins from Florida. But, at 16 years old, the Oakland native will become the youngest professional basketball player in American history.
OTE is planning its start for September with Ollie, the former Connecticut coach, serving as head coach.
