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The minute the Thompson twins Amen and Ausar were chosen as the No.4 and No.5 picks in the draft, Overtime Elite (OTE) hit the big time. Fans were left asking what OTE is and whether it was a high school or college.
Overtime Elite is neither of these things, it is a professional league formed two years ago that recruits 16-20 year olds and offers them a path to the NBA.
While Amen being picked by the Houston Rockets and Ausar by the Detroit Pistons put the league on the map, they are not its first alumni to hit the NBA. Dominick Barlow of the San Antonio Spurs holds that distinction.
Overtime Elite's NBA draft outlook & top players
Amen and Ausar Thompson are OTE's first graduates to make it into the NBA via the draft and more of their players are being projected to go that route in future.
OTE is also proving that it can provide its players a stepping stone into the G League which is a step closer to the NBA. Spanish player Izan Almansa, who played for OTE's YNG Dreamerz team, was just signed by the G League Ignite.
With the drafting of the Thompsons, there are now seven OTE players in the NBA. Their unprecedented rise has left a few fans and pundits alike skeptical about the difficulty of the league.
Dominick Barlow was the first Overtime Elite alumni to make it into the NBA after he went undrafted in 2022. He was signed to a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs and had a career-high, 21.0 points and 19.0 rebounds versus the Dallas Mavericks.
After Thursday's draft, Barlow criticized the naysayers who were questioning OTE's lack of competition instead of applauding its success in having NBA players.
OTE has produced seven NBA players: Jazian Gortman (Milwaukee Bucks), Dominick Barlow (Spurs), Jaylen Martin & Jean Montero (Knicks), Ausar Thompson (Pistons), Amen Thompson (Rockets) & Kok Yat (Timberwolves).
Schedule
Last season, Overtime Elite had a year-long, 90-game schedule where they played against elite basketball high school programs and non-league games. In 2021, they traveled to Europe to play against Spanish, Montenegrin and Serbian professional clubs.
The league has six teams: YNG Dreamerz, Cold Hearts, Hillcrest Prep Bruins, City Reapers, Our Savior Lutheran Falcons and Word of God Holy Rams. The schedule for this season has not yet been released.
Salaries
Overtime Elite has an interesting salary structure; with a signing on bonus, shares in the Overtime business and not less than $100,000 a year in salary.
Players also have the option of picking the scholarship option that is a minimum of $100,000 a year while maintaining college eligibility.
