NBA G League

On June 13, 2000, NBA Commissioner David Stern and deputy commissioner Russ Granik announced the formation of the National Basketball Development League, to begin play in November 2001, with players required to be at least twenty years old. This was not the first time the league had their own minor league system, as they had used the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) as a developmental league for over two decades. The NBA had attempted to buy the CBA in March 2000, but they were rejected.^[3][4]

The league began its play as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) in the 2001–02 season; the eight franchises^[1][5] were all located in the southeastern United States (in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, and Georgia). Each team logo was given NBDL branding that was differentiated by team colors.^[6]

Eight players were called up to the NBA during the season, which included Chris Andersen, the first player drafted by a NBDL team. The league made sponsorship deals with Reebok and television broadcasting deals with ESPN2 and Fox Sports South to broadcast select games during the first season (such as the NBDL Finals), which made them one of few minor league operations to have nationally televised games. The Greenville Groove won the first NBDL championship on April 8, 2002, after winning game 2 over the North Charleston Lowgators.^[7][8] The league saw an average attendance of 1,640 fans per game, lower than what the NBA expected.^[9]

In 2005, the league's name was changed to NBA Development League (NBA D-League)^[1] as part of the new collective bargaining agreement with the NBA and a bid to appeal to more fans by showing the connection to the NBA.^[10] In the same offseason, Southwest Basketball, LLC led by David Kahn received league permission to operate four new teams.^[11] Southwest Basketball purchased three existing franchises and one expansion team: the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, Austin Toros, Fort Worth Flyers,^[12] and Tulsa 66ers.^[13] The Arkansas RimRockers were also added from the ABA for the 2005–06 season. In February 2006, the D-League expanded to California with the addition of the Bakersfield Jam. Two months later, the league announced that four teams from the CBA were joining the league: the Dakota Wizards, Sioux Falls Skyforce, Idaho Stampede, and a team originally slated for CBA expansion, the Colorado 14ers.^[14] Shortly after, the league announced expansion teams in the Anaheim Arsenal^[15] and the Los Angeles D-Fenders. The D-Fenders were the first D-League team to be directly owned by an NBA parent team, the Los Angeles Lakers.^[16]

However, the westward expansion contributed to the contraction of the NBA-owned Roanoke Dazzle^[17] and Fayetteville Patriots for that season.^[18] The Florida Flame suspended operations due to arena scheduling difficulties.^[19] After the 2006–07 season, there would be no more teams in the southeastern United States until the 2016 expansion team, the Greensboro Swarm.

After the 2006 to 2009 expansions, the league membership was fairly consistent with few relocations and suspensions. In 2009, the Houston Rockets entered into the first single-affiliation partnership, called the hybrid model, with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. This began a trend of NBA and D-League teams entering into single-affiliation agreements of both the hybrid and parent-team owned varieties. With more NBA involvement, the league once again began to expand and spread its footprint.

By 2015, the last multiple-affiliate team, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, was purchased by the Indiana Pacers, leading to the first season where all D-League teams were affiliated with only one NBA team. As there were no longer any unaffiliated D-League teams left, the remaining NBA teams began purchasing expansion franchises or hybrid partnership teams and placing them near the parent team. In 2015, the Toronto Raptors placed their own team, Raptors 905, in the Greater Toronto Area in Mississauga, Ontario.^[20][21] In 2016, the D-League expanded by three more NBA parent club-owned teams for the largest D-League expansion since 2007. The Charlotte Hornets created the Greensboro Swarm, the Brooklyn Nets created the Long Island Nets, and the Chicago Bulls created the Windy City Bulls.^[22]

In the 2017–18 season, the D-League entered into a multi-year partnership with Gatorade and rebranded as the NBA Gatorade League,^[2][5] which was officially shortened to "NBA G League" prior to the season.^[23][24] It also continued its membership changes with the relocation of the Erie BayHawks to Lakeland, Florida, as the Lakeland Magic, a new Erie BayHawks franchise, and expansions in the Agua Caliente Clippers in Ontario, California (now known as the San Diego Clippers), the Memphis Hustle in Southaven, Mississippi, and the Wisconsin Herd in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The Los Angeles D-Fenders would also re-brand to the South Bay Lakers.^[25]

In December 2017, the NBA and the live-streaming website Twitch announced that they would broadcast G League games on Twitch.^[26] Games have also been aired on the ESPN+ subscription service.^[27]

For the 2019–20 season, the G League began to offer select contracts to players who are not yet eligible to enter the NBA draft.^[28] Since 2006, players must be at least 19 years old by the end of the calendar year, creating what became known as the one-and-done rule where players would play one season of college basketball and then leave for the NBA.^[29] The new select contract was an alternative for players who do not want to or cannot attend a college, with players earning up to $125,000 per season.^[30] The league launched its prospects team, the NBA G League Ignite, in 2020. The G-League Ignite team folded after the 2023–2024 season.^[31]

Following the COVID-19 pandemic-curtailed 2019–20 season, the G League postponed the start of the following season. In January 2021, the league announced it would play all games at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, using the same isolation bubble as the 2020 NBA Bubble. Many teams opted out of participation, with only 17 of the 28 teams from the 2019–20 season plus the new Ignite prospects team choosing to take part in the abbreviated bubble season beginning in February 2021.^[32]

 

 

Raptors 905

 

Spurs

 

Squadron

 

Go-Go

 

Charge

 

Skyhawks

 

Blue Coats

 

Gold

 

Swarm

 

Mad Ants

 

Wolves

 

Nets

 

Celtics

 

Hustle

 

Capitanes

 

Cruise

 

Blue

 

Magic

 

Vipers

 

Remix

 

Stars

 

Clippers

 

Warriors

 

Skyforce

 

Lakers

 

Kings

 

Legends

 

Suns

 

Knicks

 

Bulls

 

Herd

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Base locations of teams in the NBA G League. Colors represent conference alignment as of the 2023–24 season.

Ownership models vary across the NBA G League. Growing willingness among NBA organizations to invest in the G League has led to two main models: direct ownership of G League teams by parent NBA clubs and single-affiliate partnerships in which the G League team remains independently owned while the affiliate NBA team runs and finances basketball operations.

Parent club direct ownership began in 2006 when the Los Angeles Lakers bought their own NBA D-League franchise, originally known as the Los Angeles D-Fenders and since 2017–18 as the South Bay Lakers. This was followed by the San Antonio Spurs purchasing the Austin Toros (now the Austin Spurs) in 2007, and the Oklahoma City Thunder purchasing the Tulsa 66ers (now the Oklahoma City Blue) in 2008. More NBA teams began to either purchase existing franchises or create expansion teams to have their own single-affiliation teams. In 2011, the Cleveland Cavaliers purchased the New Mexico Thunderbirds to become the Canton Charge, and the Golden State Warriors purchased the Dakota Wizards, with the Warriors moving the Wizards a year later to become the Santa Cruz Warriors. In 2013, the Philadelphia 76ers purchased the inactive Utah Flash and moved them to Newark, Delaware as the Delaware 87ers; the team is now the Delaware Blue Coats, and plays in Wilmington. In 2014, the New York Knicks became the seventh team to fully own and operate their own NBA D-League affiliate in the Westchester Knicks.^[36] In 2015, the Toronto Raptors created their own expansion franchise, the Raptors 905. In 2017, the Timberwolves purchased the Iowa Energy and renamed the team the Iowa Wolves.^[37] In 2017, the Atlanta Hawks launched their team in under the Erie BayHawks name and then relocated the franchise to College Park, Georgia, in 2019 as the College Park Skyhawks. In 2021, the Detroit Pistons relocated the Northern Arizona Suns to Detroit and renamed the team as the Motor City Cruise. In 2019, the New Orleans Pelicans launched their G League franchise as a third incarnation of the Erie BayHawks before relocating the team to Birmingham, Alabama, as the Birmingham Squadron in 2021.^[38][39] In April 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers announced they would be launching their affiliate, the Rip City Remix, beginning with the 2023–24 season.^[40][41] The Phoenix Suns then launched the Valley Suns as its affiliate team beginning with the 2024–25 season.^[42]

In 2009, the Houston Rockets and Rio Grande Valley Vipers pioneered the single-affiliate partnership, also known as the hybrid model. In November 2010, the New Jersey Nets and Springfield Armor announced they would enter into a single-affiliate partnership that began in 2011–12. In June 2011, the New York Knicks and Erie BayHawks announced they would be singly affiliated. In May 2012, the Portland Trail Blazers entered into a single-affiliation partnership with the Idaho Stampede. The following month, the Boston Celtics and Maine Red Claws announced a single-affiliation partnership. In June 2013, the Miami Heat announced that they had entered into a single-affiliated partnership with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. In July 2013, the Sacramento Kings and Reno Bighorns (now the Stockton Kings) entered into a single-affiliation. The Stampede ended their affiliation with the Trail Blazers after the 2013–14 season and in June 2014 announced their affiliation with the Utah Jazz. The Armor moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, after the 2013–14 season and affiliated with the Detroit Pistons. From 2014 to 2017, the Memphis Grizzlies had a single-affiliation with the Iowa Energy. In 2015, the last multiple affiliate team, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (now the Indiana Mad Ants), were purchased by the Indiana Pacers, making the 2015–16 season the first with all teams having single-affiliations.

In some cases, the hybrid affiliation led to the parent team buying their affiliate's franchise outright. On March 24, 2015, the Utah Jazz purchased their affiliate, the Idaho Stampede, and, after one more season in Boise, relocated the team to Salt Lake City.^[43] On April 11, 2016, the Phoenix Suns purchased their affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam, and announced the immediate relocation of the team to Prescott Valley, Arizona, as the Northern Arizona Suns beginning with the 2016–17 season.^[44] On October 20, 2016, the Sacramento Kings bought the majority ownership of their affiliate of the previous eight seasons, the Reno Bighorns,^[45] and would eventually move the team to Stockton, California, as the Stockton Kings after the 2017–18 season.^[46] On December 14, 2016, the Magic purchased their affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, with the intention to relocate the team to Lakeland, Florida, in 2017.^[47] In 2017, the Miami Heat purchased the controlling interest in the Sioux Falls Skyforce after being its primary affiliate since 2013. In July 2019, the Boston Celtics acquired its affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, then became the Maine Celtics in 2021.^[48]

Since 2020, the league added two teams without affiliation, with one of the teams closing after several years. On December 12, 2019, the Mexico City Capitanes, which had been playing in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional, was announced as joining the NBA G League as an independent team in the 2020–21 season on a five-year agreement.^[49][50] Due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, a normal 2020–21 season did not occur and the Capitanes' debut was then delayed to the 2021–22 season.^[32][51] On April 16, 2020, the NBA launched a new development program for potential NBA prospects and a new unaffiliated team called the NBA G League Ignite, which began play in the 2020–21 season.^[52][53] The Ignite team, however, folded after the 2023–24 season.^[31]

Parent club ownership:

• Austin Spurs (by the San Antonio Spurs)
• Birmingham Squadron (by the New Orleans Pelicans)
• Capital City Go-Go (by the Washington Wizards)
• Cleveland Charge (by the Cleveland Cavaliers)
• College Park Skyhawks (by the Atlanta Hawks)
• Delaware Blue Coats (by the Philadelphia 76ers)
• Greensboro Swarm (by the Charlotte Hornets)
• Indiana Mad Ants (by the Indiana Pacers)
• Iowa Wolves (by the Minnesota Timberwolves)
• Long Island Nets (by the Brooklyn Nets)
• Maine Celtics (by the Boston Celtics)
• Memphis Hustle (by the Memphis Grizzlies)
• Motor City Cruise (by the Detroit Pistons)
• Oklahoma City Blue (by the Oklahoma City Thunder)
• Osceola Magic (by the Orlando Magic)
• Raptors 905 (by the Toronto Raptors)
• Rip City Remix (by the Portland Trail Blazers)
• Salt Lake City Stars (by the Utah Jazz)
• San Diego Clippers (by the Los Angeles Clippers)
• Santa Cruz Warriors (by the Golden State Warriors)
• Sioux Falls Skyforce (with the Miami Heat)
• South Bay Lakers (by the Los Angeles Lakers)
• Stockton Kings (by the Sacramento Kings)
• Valley Suns (by the Phoenix Suns)
• Westchester Knicks (by the New York Knicks)
• Windy City Bulls (by the Chicago Bulls)
• Wisconsin Herd (by the Milwaukee Bucks)

Single affiliation/hybrid model:

• Grand Rapids Gold (with the Denver Nuggets)
• Rio Grande Valley Vipers (with the Houston Rockets)
• Texas Legends (with the Dallas Mavericks)

G League teams without an exclusive affiliate:

• Mexico City Capitanes

Current member Former member or former names Future member Opted out of season Other league

NBA G League players generally do not sign contracts with the individual teams, but with the league itself. G League team rosters consist of a total of 12 players, 10 (or fewer) being G League players and two (or more) NBA players. The rosters are made up in a number of ways: the previous year's players, players taken in the G League draft, allocation players (meaning players who are assigned to a team with which they have a local connection, such as a University of Texas player being assigned to the Austin Spurs) and NBA team assignments. Each team also has local tryouts, and one player from the tryouts is assigned to the team.

The minimum age to play in the G League is 18,^[54] unlike the NBA which requires players to be 19 years old and one year out of high school in order to sign an NBA contract or be eligible for the draft. The base annual salary is US$35,000 plus housing and insurance benefits. Players who are called up for NBA get bonuses totalling up to US$50,000.^[55]

The NBA G League draft occurs each season and is the major source from which teams build their rosters. Team rosters are made up of returning players (players who were on the team during the previous season), players waived by an NBA team who are designated as an 'affiliate player' to their respective G League affiliate, allocated players (players who have local significance), and drafted players. The eight round draft utilizes a serpentine format, meaning the order alternates in each round; Team A who selected first in Round 1 will select last in Round 2, while Team B who selected last in Round 1 will get the first pick in Round 2. Round 3 was added in 2014.

The league holds an annual Player Invitational, where prospects hope to earn eligibility for the upcoming draft.^[56]

Since 2014–15, an NBA team that declines to sign an NBA draft pick can have them sign directly with their G League affiliate. Previously, an unsigned NBA pick could not be protected by the organization's G League affiliate, and the player might have ended up on the G League team of another organization.^[57]

Players waived by an NBA team during training camp and up until the start of the regular season can be designated as "affiliate players" and allocated to the NBA team's G League affiliate. Each team is allowed four affiliate players. These are players that an NBA team is interested in developing in their own system. The affiliate players, however, still remain as free agents that any NBA team can sign.^[58]

Each NBA team can assign two first-year or second-year players who are under a standard NBA contract to its affiliated G League team. If more than two NBA players are assigned to a team, the team must reduce the number of G League players to keep the total roster size to 12. An NBA player will continue to be paid his NBA salary and will continue to be included on his NBA team's roster on the inactive list while playing in the G League.^[59]

NBA teams can call up players as many times as they choose, and there is no limit to the number of times an NBA player with three years or less experience can be assigned to the G League. Starting in 2011–12, veteran NBA players could be assigned with their consent.^[60] The first example of such was with Yi Jianlian, who the Dallas Mavericks assigned to the Texas Legends for two games.

The 2017 collective bargaining agreement for the NBA, which took effect with the 2017–18 season, included changes allowing each NBA team to sign two players on two-way contracts. Those players spend most of their time on the team's G League roster, but can freely move to their respective NBA team for up to 45 days in the regular season, as well as be a part of the team's roster before the start of the season (including NBA training camps) and after the conclusion of the G League's regular season (though they are not allowed to be on a team's playoff roster or play in a playoff game).^[61] Only players with four or fewer years of NBA experience are eligible for two-way contracts.^[62] The league's newest CBA, which took effect with the 2023–24 season, increases the per-team limit on two-way contracts to three.^[63]

Unlike other G League players, who can be called up by any NBA team, two-way players can only be called up by their contracted NBA team. Players under two-way contracts are not counted against the NBA team's regular roster limit, and can be assigned to a G League affiliate for development while also getting a larger salary whenever they are called up to the parent team. For teams that do not have a one-to-one affiliation with a G League team, a process similar to the "flexible assignment" rule is being used to determine the placement for their own two-way contracts in the G League until every team has their proper affiliation underway.

In addition, salaries for two-way players are much higher than those for regular G League players. As of the 2017–18 season, G League players who are not on two-way contracts earn either $19,500 or $26,000 during the league's season.^[1] By contrast, two-way players' salaries while in the G League, which are pro-rated according to the number of days the player is with his G League team, are based on an annual salary between $50,000 and $75,000,^[64] and while these players are with their NBA team, they will earn a pro-rated portion of the NBA minimum rookie salary (which was $815,615 in the 2017–18 season).^[65]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, two-way players in 2020–21 were initially allowed to play up to 50 games in the NBA.^[66] Late in the season, restrictions were further lifted, allowing them to play more than 50 games as well as being eligible for the NBA playoffs.^[67][68]

Many former NBA draftees, waived players, and undrafted players have played in the NBA G League. Bobby Simmons, Aaron Brooks, and Pascal Siakam are the only former D-League players to win an NBA end-of-season award; all won the Most Improved Player Award, with Simmons getting it with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2004–05, Brooks earning it with the Houston Rockets in 2009–10 and Siakam receiving it with the Toronto Raptors in the 2018-19 NBA season.^[69][70] Khris Middleton became the first former D-League player to be named an NBA All-Star when he was selected to participate in the 2019 All-Star Game.^[71]

In the 2008 NBA draft, the Idaho Stampede's Mike Taylor was drafted 55th by the Portland Trail Blazers. He became the first player from the NBA D-League to be drafted by an NBA team. He was subsequently traded and signed a rookie contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.^[72] In the 2014 draft, two D-League players were selected for the first time: P. J. Hairston was drafted 26th (which was also the first time a D-League player was drafted in the first round in the NBA), and Thanasis Antetokounmpo was the 51st pick.

Other noteworthy D-League call-ups include 2019 NBA Champion Jeremy Lin; Hassan Whiteside; 2011 NBA champion J. J. Barea; 2014, 2019 and 2020 NBA champion Danny Green; 2015, 2017, and 2018 NBA champion Shaun Livingston; and 2017 NBA champion Matt Barnes.^[73][74]

The league held its first All-Star game February 17, 2007, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was part of the NBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. As with the NBA's showcase game, a fan vote determined the starting lineup for each team. The East won, 114 to 100, with Pops Mensah-Bonsu named the game's MVP.^[75]

The second annual All-Star game was held on February 16, 2008, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The Blue team beat the Red team, 117–99, and Jeremy Richardson was named the MVP. In addition to the NBA D-League All-Star Game, the league debuted its first Dream Factory Friday Night events, which modeled after the NBA All-Star Saturday Night events. The events consists of Three-Point Shootout (won by Adam Harrington), Slam Dunk Contest (won by Brent Petway), and game of H-O-R-S-E (won by Lance Allred).^[76]

The 2009 D-League All-Star game was held on February 14, 2009, at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The Red Team defeated the Blue Team, 113–103, and Blake Ahearn and Courtney Sims were named co-MVPs.^[77] Along with the All-Star game, the NBA D-League ran their second annual Dream Factory Friday Night events. H-O-R-S-E was won by Will Conroy of the Albuquerque Thunderbirds. The Three-Point Shootout was won by Blake Ahearn of the Dakota Wizards, and the Slam Dunk Contest was won by James White of the Bakersfield Jam.^[78]

The 2010 D-League All-Star game was held on February 13, 2010, at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas. The Western Conference team defeated the Eastern Conference Team, 98–81. Bakersfield Jam center Brian Butch, who scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, was named as the MVP of the game.^[79] The NBA D-League also ran their third annual Dream Factory Friday Night events. The inaugural Shooting Stars Competition was won by a team of Pat Carroll, Trey Gilder and Carlos Powell. The Three-Point Shootout was won by Andre Ingram of the Utah Flash, and the Slam Dunk Contest was won by Dar Tucker of the Los Angeles D-Fenders.^[80]

The game continued until 2017, with games continuing to be held during NBA All-Star Weekend at the same site. In 2018, it was replaced by a game between G League all-stars and the Mexico national team held in Los Angeles. After that event, this contest did not return in any form. Since 2022, select G League players participate in the Rising Stars Challenge alongside NBA rookie and sophomore players.

The league stages an annual NBA G League Showcase in which all of the league's teams play each other in a "carnival" format. The showcase was first played in 2005 was originally intended solely as a scouting event for NBA general managers and scouts, but evolved into a four-day event with each team playing two games apiece. From 2005 to 2017, 15 players were called-up or recalled during or immediately following the Showcase.^{[citation needed]}

As of 2019, the event's location was the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Because of limited space at the conference center site, all games are played without spectators, although TV and Internet coverage is available for all games. The 2019 showcase was a series of mini-tournaments in which the winning team shared a $100,000 grand prize.^{[citation needed]}

Before Las Vegas, host cities were Columbus, Georgia (2005); Fayetteville, North Carolina (2006); Sioux Falls, South Dakota (2007); Boise, Idaho (2008); Orem, Utah (2009); Boise, Idaho (2010); South Padre Island, Texas (2011); Reno, Nevada in 2012 and 2013; Santa Cruz, California in 2015; and Mississauga, Ontario in 2017 and 2018. It was not held in 2016.

• List of NBA G League champions
• List of NBA G League awards
• List of NBA G League yearly standings
• List of developmental and minor sports leagues
• NBA G League International Challenge

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to NBA G League.

• Official website
• D-League – Basketball-Reference.com