Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that will allow California athletes to earn money from the use of their names, images and likenesses, despite warnings from the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. that the measure would upend amateur sports.

Senate Bill 206 by Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) garnered national attention, with athletes including NBA stars LeBron James and Draymond Green lauding the California effort to give college athletes a share of the windfall they help create for their universities and NCAA. The bill passed the state Legislature unanimously.

Newsom signed the bill on an episode of “The Shop,” a talk show from digital sports media company Uninterrupted, alongside James, the WNBA’s Diana Taurasi and former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon. Newsom said the new law addressed a “major problem for the NCAA.” The episode was recorded Friday but released Monday, according to Newsom’s office.

“It’s going to initiate dozens of other states to introduce similar legislation,” Newsom said on the show. “And it’s going to change college sports for the better by having now the interest finally of the athletes on par with the interests of the institution. Now we are rebalancing that power.”

Newsom, who played baseball at Santa Clara University, said in September that, having been a student athlete, he had “very strong opinions on this subject.”

The bill would prohibit the NCAA from barring a university from competition if its athletes are compensated for the use of their name, image or likeness beginning in 2023. NCAA rules strictly prohibit athletes from profiting in any way from their sports.

While the bill would allow athletes to sign endorsement deals with major companies, it would also open up smaller opportunities that were previously prohibited, such as paid youth coaching positions. SB 206 would still forbid schools from directly paying athletes.

“This is a game changer for student athletes and for equity in sports,” said James, who has been a vocal supporter of the bill. “Athletes at every level deserve to be empowered and to be fairly compensated for their work, especially in a system where so many are profiting off of their talents. Part of the reason I went to the NBA was to get my mom out of the situation she was in. I couldn’t have done that in college with the current rules in place.”

The NCAA sent a letter to Newsom in September while lawmakers were mulling the bill, calling it “unconstitutional” and a “scheme.” The letter was signed by NCAA President Mark Emmert and 21 other members of the organization’s board of governors. The NCAA urged California to hold off on the bill to give a working group formed earlier this year more time to examine the name, image and likeness issue.

“Right now, nearly half a million student-athletes in all 50 states compete under the same rules,” the letter read. “This bill would remove that essential element of fairness and equal treatment that forms the bedrock of college sports.”

Skinner disputed assertions in the NCAA’s letter, saying the sports association has resorted to threats because legal scholars have concluded her bill is on solid ground. Skinner said she hoped other states would pass similar legislation. Lawmakers in a handful of states have introduced bills challenging the NCAA’s rules related to athlete pay.

In September, a New York state senator introduced legislation similar to Skinner’s bill with the added provision that college athletic departments share 15% of annual revenue from ticket sales with student athletes.

“This is truly a historic moment for college athletes,” Skinner said.