California closer to letting college athletes make money

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 08: A view of the official game ball in the basket prior to the 2019 NCAA men’s Final Four National Championship game between the Virginia Cavaliers and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images/AFP

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Assembly has passed a bill to let college athletes make money, setting up a confrontation with the NCAA that could jeopardize the athletic futures of programs at USC, UCLA and Stanford.

The bill would let college athletes hire agents and be paid for the use of their name, image or likeness. And it would stop universities and the NCAA from banning athletes who take the money.

The Assembly passed the bill 66-0 on Monday, a few days after the bill got an endorsement from NBA superstar Lebron James, who did not go to college.

Universities oppose the bill, and the NCAA has warned the bill could mean California universities would be ineligible for national championships.

The California Senate must take a final vote on the bill by Friday.