Yesterday, Sebastian Telfair announced that he is leaving high school, skipping college, and joining the ranks of the working class - in the NBA. The 18 year-old point guard from Lincoln High School in Coney Island led his team to its third PSAL championship in a row this past March. Telfair, 6 feet tall, is small by NBA standards and has a difficult road ahead of him, but will likely be drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft, which would guarantee him a contract. He also has a contract with adidas, which Telfair announced yesterday before declaring himself draft eligible. The value of the contract is reported to be between $5-10 million or over $15 million, and is based on various incentives. Telfair will also have input in designing his own shoe.
Will Sebastian Telfair be a success or a failure in the NBA? Would he have benefited as a player by going to school or was it better for him to cut and run? Gothamist secretly thought he would be going pro when we wrote about him last time, but we aren't sure if he can succeed with his height. Only time will tell. At least he knows how to do business, putting the adidas announcement before his own announcement. For those of you hoping that he could join his cousin Stephon Marbury on the Knicks, keep dreaming. The Knicks don't have a first round draft pick this year.
