Flash forward to 2019:
Darius Bazley, the first top high school prospect to choose the G League over college, opts to skip NBA
NEW YORK — Darius Bazley took a new path on his road to basketball glory when the highly regarded recruit from 2018 announced his decision in March 2017 to decommit from last year's National Championship winner, Syracuse University, and enter the NBA G League. After making that decision, Bazley decided to skip the G League. Now, Bazley tells The Athletic that he has decided not to play in the NBA either and will instead use the year to train himself even more to be a professional.
Bazley, 19, spoke with his representatives, and handlers, and even his mother, Lynnita. The McDonald’s All-American has ultimately decided to prioritize his own plan over the NBA.
“I talked it over with my group, we felt super-assured that as a rookie in the NBA I wasn’t going to be needed enough to satisfy my desires to get better and now I can use this time to work my craft even more,” Bazley told The Athletic. “It’s mainly me talking to myself, my agent, some friends, this dude that does my hair, and some people on Reddit - they all know so much. Whenever anyone speaks my ears perk up. When my Uber driver was at a light, he said he liked to work out, and I like to work out in the gym, too. I just want to get better.
So that played a part in it. I've been doing great working out in the park, and for us to say there’s no upside in the NBA right now, well, if you don’t play well, maybe there won't be a second season? For me, working out even more and being more prepared is the best route!"
Now, Flash forward to 2025:
Darius Bazley, the first top high school prospect to choose the G League over college, opts to skip NBA yet again
TOPEKA — Darius Bazley...has decided yet again to not to play in the NBA and will instead take another year to train himself to become the most professional NBA player ever.
Bazley, 25, spoke with his friends, handlers, and yet again his mother, Lynnita. The former McDonald’s All-American still believes prioritizing his own plan is paramount to his success in the NBA.
"I talked it over with my group, I can't get better in the NBA - I need to work out on my own time,” Bazley told The Athletic. “It’s mainly me talking to myself, some friends, the guy that does my hair, my co-workers at Wendy's,this girl I met at Sonic, and my new agent, Ricky from Dairy Queen, he's super smart - they all know so much. I just like to work out and get better."
Now, Flash forward to 2045:
Darius Bazley, the first top high school prospect to choose the G League over college, opts to skip NBA...again
DES MOINES — Darius Bazley...has decided for the 27th consecutive year to not to play in the NBA and will take one more year to train himself.
Bazley, 45, spoke with his mother, Lynnita and some other people. The former McDonald’s All-American inexplicably still believes prioritizing his own plan is the only possible way for him to make it to the NBA.
"I talked it over with everyone I could, although It’s mainly me just talking to myself now, and sometimes my agent Chris, we met at PetCo."