Top High School Basketball Player Signs $1.2 Million Contract In China Instead Of Going To College

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emmanuel mudiay

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Forced to wait a year to enter the NBA Draft, No. 1-ranked high school guard Emmanuel Mudiay has decided to play professionally in China instead of going to college.

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Mudiay signed a one-year, $1.2-million contract with the Guangdong Southern Tigers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. He's also insured in case he gets injured.

Since the NBA instituted a rule in 2006 that players can only enter the draft if they are one year removed from high school, few top prospects have opted to play professionally overseas.

Mudiay will join Brandon Jennings as the lone high-profile prospects to bypass college and get paid during their mandatory post-high school year. Jennings played in Italy, though, where the level of play is higher than the Chinese league.

By all accounts he's going to be a great player. He's a big, strong guard at 6'5", 200 pounds. He's the 3rd-ranked prospect in the 2015 NBA Draft, according to DraftExpress.

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