Darius Bazley, the former Princeton High School (Cincinnati) star who had the $1 million internship with New Balance out of high school, spoke about his decision in a video shared by the NBA Summer League twitter account.
Bazley was expected to be the first elite high school prospect to play for the G League instead of going the college route. Then, he elected to go with the New Balance internship.
Bazley, 19, was drafted No. 23 in the NBA Draft and is on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Listed at 6-foot-9, 208 pounds, Bazley was ranked as a five-star player coming out of high school in 2018 and the No. 17 player on the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
The question we need to know…
How many coffee runs did Darius Bazley go on during his New Balance internship?! ☕️ pic.twitter.com/H6iSCYXKQ4
— NBA Summer League (@NBASummerLeague) July 13, 2019
The big takeaway: no coffee runs for interns at New Balance.
Bazley went into more detail with The Athletic, saying he had different roles throughout the internship, including assembly line duties.
“There are a bunch of different stations, and everybody has a specific job and everything comes together and you make a shoe,” Bazley said. “If it isn’t right, you throw it away and you start all over again.”
He wasn’t on the court, but it sounds like he learned about the importance of detail and refinement. Maybe that can help Bazley as he starts his NBA career.
