Overtime Elite General Manager Damien Wilkins Talks Prime Video Series About Basketball League (Exclusive)

Overtime Elite made noise this year after basketball stars Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson were selected in the top five of the 2023 NBA Draft. The twin brothers played in Overtime Elite (OTE) last season, and the pro basketball league is featured in the Prime Video series One Shot: Overtime Elite, which premiered in September. PopCulture.com spoke to Overtime Elite general manager and former NBA player Damien Wilkins, who described how the show stands out. 

"They'll see the next generation of basketball stars navigate various challenges and grueling training in pursuit of their professional careers, their collegiate careers," Wilkins told PopCulure. "It captures real-life moments of all of these players, both on and off the court, and the challenges they face in the path to pros, the path to college, and all the above."

Overtime Elite is based in Atlanta and targets athletes who don't want to go the traditional path when it comes to their basketball career. The players, who are between the ages of 16 to 20, get paid to play but can also choose a scholarship option and maintain college eligibility. Athletes who are still in high school take part in an academic program, engaging in four hours of academic instruction. The league featured six teams last season but will have eight this upcoming season. 

Wilkins, who played college basketball at NC State and Georgia before playing in the NBA for 10 seasons, wishes OTE was around when he was a teenager. "Being a high-level high school basketball player this would've been great to further that development and uncover some things about myself and my game," Wilkins said. "I was working for the Players Association when I retired from basketball in 2017. And this platform is helpful in that we dealt with a lot of things career-wise from a career development standpoint at the NBPA that so many guys get so late in their careers. And I think this helps guys get a headstart on those things to help them become even better at their career, at developing and advancing their careers, both on and off the court. Being a part of this organization, this program, and to start so early in that development, it was something that I couldn't say no to."

On One Shot: Overtime Elite, Amen and Ausar Thompson are featured in all six episodes as they were the top players in the league last year. Both played for the City Reapers, and the team won the league championship for the second consecutive year. Ausar Thompson was named Overtime Elite Finals MVP and regular season MVP in the first two seasons of the league. In the NBA Draft. Ausar was selected No. 5 overall by the Detroit Pistons, while Amen, who was named to the All-OTE First Team with Ausar last season, was selected No. 4 overall by the Houston Rockets.

"They had top talent even when I first saw them," Wilkins said. "But then as their time here went on, you could just see every day how much they developed. I've used an analogy with them when I talk about them to people, I always say, 'They lived in our league housing. They slept in our league housing, but they lived here in our building.' And those guys were, there was never a day that I would walk in here and not see them working. And that told me all that I needed to know about them. I'm thrilled about where they are right now. I'm thrilled about the things that we helped them do." 

The 2023-2024 OTE season will look different without the Thompson twins. But Wilkins believes the new season will be one to remember. "These first two seasons were great," Wilkins said. "We've shown what we're capable of based on those first two seasons. And we know people are going to have our eyes on us trying to see if we can do it again, if you will, and continue on the path of success that we've had so far. We're all ready for that challenge, and I think you're going to see a lot of great things in this next season, and it's going to get people excited again about what OTE is doing."