LeBron James described the NCAA as "corrupt" and said the NBA should work towards further developing the G League to give prospects a viable alternative.

"I don't know if there's any fixing the NCAA. I don't think there is," James said Tuesday. "It's what's been going on for many, many, many, many years. I don't know how you can fix it. I don't see how you can fix it."

James went directly from high school to the NBA in 2003.

"I can't even talk about that, man," James said. "Me and my mom was poor, I'll tell you that, and they expected me to step foot on a college campus and not to go to the NBA? We weren't going to be poor for long, I'll tell you that. That's a fact."

James has two sons who are expected to be high level recruits and he also aspires to someday own an NBA team.

"We have to shore up our G League, continue to expand our G League," James said. "... I just looked at it like the farm league, like in baseball. Or you look at pros overseas; some of those guys get signed at 14, but they get put into this farm system where they're able to grow and be around other professionals for three or four years. Then, when they're ready, they hit the national team, or when they're ready, they become a pro. So I think us, we have to kind of really figure that out, how we can do that.

"We're worried about kids coming into the league early, but they're not ready, then out of the league because of that," James continued. "... We have to figure out if a kid feels like, at 16 or 17, he doesn't feel like the NCAA is for him, or whatever the case may be, [then] we have a system in place where we have a farm league where they can learn and be around the professionals but not actually become a professional at that point in time. Not actually play in the NBA, but learn for a few years. Learn what the NBA life is about, learn how to move and walk and talk and things of that nature. Then in two years, they're able to ... just like guys do overseas."

Regional sports networks are seeing a seven percent increase in ratings for local coverage of the NBA.

Seventeen RSNs showed an increase while 10 posted decreases. Information for the Grizzlies, Jazz and Raptors were not available.

Other sports have seen television viewership drop over the past several years.

“NBA fans continue to support and engage with their home teams,” said Kyle Sherman, president of Home Team Sports, a Fox-owned company that sells national advertising for RSNs.

The Warriors, Cavaliers, Thunder and Spurs ended last year with the four highest local ratings. All four teams saw their ratings increase and headed into the break as the four highest-rated local teams again. Warriors games on NBC Sports Bay Area brought the league’s highest rating (8.87).

Boston has seen an 82 percent lift from last season while the Wizards are up 70 percent.

The Hawks, Suns and Clippers have the league's worst declines.

The National Basketball Players Association said it reached a broad agreement with Japan’s leading advertising agency, Dentsu Inc., to develop content and create and stage global events that feature the union and its members.

For more than 20 years the NBA had paid the union for the marketing and licensing rights to its 400-plus members. That changed under the new collective bargaining agreement and are working on their own deals. Players still control their individual deals, and teams control the use of their names and logos.

“Ultimately, we chose the Dentsu Aegis Network to supplement our team’s efforts because of their diverse assets and global reach,” said National Basketball Players Inc. President Jordan Schlachter. “They bring so many resources to the table across multiple agencies, from commercial opportunities to content creation to creative.”

There are several companies under Dentsu’s umbrella that specialize in content creation, and they could develop programming featuring players off the court. 

The New York Knicks remain the NBA's most valuable franchise for the third straight season, according to Forbes' annual report.

The Knicks are valued at $3.6 billion, which is an increase of nine percent from 2017.

The Los Angeles Lakers rank second at $3.3 billion, an increase of 10 percent.

The Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics round out the top-5.

The average NBA franchise is now worth a record $1.65 billion, up 22% over last year, and more than triple the figure of five years ago. 

Every NBA team is valued at $1 billion or more for the first time in league history.

“Investor interest in the NBA is enormous right now,” said Forbes’ senior editor Kurt Badenhausen, “thanks to the league’s strong current economic environment, as well as the international growth prospects, which are the best of any major U.S. sports league.”

1. Knicks: $3.6 billion (+9%)
2. Lakers: $3.3 billion (+10%)
3. Warriors: $3.1 billion (+19%)
4. Bulls: $2.6 billion (+4%)
5. Celtics: $2.5 billion (+14%)
6. Nets: $2.3 billion (+28%)
7. Rockets: $2.2 billion (+33%)
8. Clippers: $2.15 billion (+7%)
9. Mavericks: $1.9 billion (+31%)
10. Heat: $1.7 billion (+26%)
11. Spurs: $1.55 billion (+32%)
12. Raptors: $1.4 billion (+24%)
13. Kings: $1.375 billion (+28%)
14. Wizards: $1.35 billion (+35%)
15. Cavaliers: $1.325 billion (+10%)
16. Blazers: $1.3 billion (+24%)
17. Suns: $1.28 billion (+16%)
18. Thunder: $1.25 billion (+22%)
19. Magic: $1.225 billion (+33%)
20. Jazz: $1.2 billion (+32%)
21. 76ers: $1.18 billion (+48%)
22. Pacers: $1.175 billion (+34%)
23. Hawks: $1.15 billion (+30%)
24. Nuggets: $1.125 billion (+26%)
25. Pistons: $1.1 billion (+22%)
26. Bucks: $1.075 billion (+37%)
27. Wolves: $1.06 billion (+38%)
28. Hornets: $1.05 billion (+35%)
29. Grizzlies: $1.025 billion (+30%)
30. Pelicans: $1 billion (+33%)