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Tampa native and FAMU alum, Erjaam Hayes, came back to his old stomping grounds on Monday to give students in the School of Business and Industry and the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication an inside look at the NBA G-League.
Hayes attended FAMU between the years of 2001-2007, earning his bachelor’s and master’s in business administration.He has worked for the NBA for more than 10 years and felt that FAMU helped develop him into the person he is today.
“I knew I wanted to work in sports but couldn’t refine what I wanted to do. FAMU helped develop me and my skills which led me to the position I’m in today,” Hayes said.
Beginning with the 2017-18 season, the NBA Development League (NBA D-League) has been renamed the NBA G League as part of a multiyear expanded partnership between the NBA and Gatorade. This marks the first time a U.S. professional sports league has named an entitlement partner, he said.
The NBA G League is the NBA’s official minor league. It helps in preparing players, coaches, officials, trainers and front-office staff for the NBA while acting as the league’s research and development laboratory. The G-league features 26 teams, all with one-to-one affiliations with NBA franchises in the 2017-18 season. The league offers elite professional basketball at an affordable price in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere.
“At the start of next year we’ll officially have our 27th team in Washington, D.C., the other 26 teams have a one-to-one affiliation with the NBA,” said Hayes.
During the current 2017-2018 season the D-League entered into a multi-year partnership with Gatorade and announced it would be rebranded as the NBA Gatorade League. When the league completed the change over to the new branding, it had changed to referring to itself as simply the NBA G League.
“This year referees were kind of crazy. This year we had to suspend one of our officials at a game in Miami,” Hayes said.
The G-league helps with training officials and coaches by bringing attention to their overall development. The goal is to help them address their issues in a timely manner. Officiating was really bubbling up this year and because of that they had to develop a road show to help with referee operations with the players.
There are many job opportunities within the NBA including internships as well as different programs.
“For the internships you mentioned that are in New York and New Jersey, does the NBA pay for relocation?” asked De’Bria Payne, senior public relations student.
Hayes said the NBA G-league does not pay for relocation with its internships, but they are paid internships so students still have a source of income. They provide insight on the types of resources such as where you can stay like the campus of NYU or Columbia, but they do not provide the actual funds for you to stay.
For more information on the NBA G-league visit: www.gleague.nba.com