Student-athletes can n0w forego their collegiate career by going straight to the G League, which has ruffled some feathers. Mick Cronin, the head basketball coach at UCLA, called out the NBA for prying Daishen Nix away from the program ahead of the 2020 season.

“(Nix) was signed. And the NBA – trust me – they know my displeasure,” Cronin said, via Dave Clark of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “But trust me they don't care either. There's a fallacy out there that there's a partnership, and there's not. College basketball has been a free minor-league system for the NBA for 40 years. And that's what you do to your … now you want to steal our market share for ESPN … it's a business decision.

In recent years, the NBA has tried to find ways to make the leap from high school to the NBA-level possible. Instead of going straight to the NBA, though, players must enter the G League, which counts the same as a year collegiately, which seemingly does not sit well with the UCLA mentor.

As for Nix's case, the highly-coveted recruit chose to commit to UCLA over offers from Kentucky, Kansas, and Alabama in 2019. But Cronin believes the NBA convinced Nix to de-commit from UCLA in 2020 in exchange to play in the G League despite the league saying they wouldn't do so.

Daishen Nix performed well in his first year with the NBA G League Ignite, logging 8.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game in 15 games. While Nix, who would have given UCLA a huge lift, could be headed to the NBA in the 2021 NBA Draft, Cronin is still frustrated about the NBA luring away one of his top recruits.

In the meantime, Mick Cronin and the UCLA Bruins will focus on their preparation for a Sweet Sixteen matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2021 NCAA Tournament this coming Sunday.