How much money do NBA G League players make?
The NBA G League (or D League as it was named until 2017), has proven to be a key stepping stone for some players on their way to significant professional careers. P.J. Tucker, Fred VanVleet and Danny Green all spent time in the then-D League before winning NBA championships.
With the inclusion of the Ignite – a developmental team that has served as an option for players not yet eligible for the NBA draft but who don’t want to play collegiately or overseas – the G League has gained more notoriety.
Jalen Green, for example, played for the Ignite and then became the No. 2 pick in the 2021 draft. The Portland Trail Blazers hitched the future of their franchise to the wagon of Scoot Henderson by taking him with the third overall pick in 2023 after Scoot played two seasons with the Ignite.
While players are plying their trade at a lower level for waiting for a call-up, though, how much are they earning?
How much money do NBA G League players make?
As is the case in the NBA, G League salaries have a wide range depending on the player. It’s also dependent on a few other factors – does the player spend the entire season in the G League? Is he a two-way player who spends time with an NBA team?
The league minimum is $40,000, which the majority of players make. Last season, G-Leaguers made anywhere from $40,000 to more than $1 million. That salary is paid monthly across the sixth-month season, and members of playoff teams get an extra bump.
G League Select players – those who have signed a contract out of high school to join the Ignite rather than play in college (Henderson and Green, for example) – make more than the average salary. Henderson reportedly signed a deal worth $500,000 last year.
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For those skilled enough to earn call-ups to an NBA team, they make $5,820 for every day they’re in the big show in addition to their regular G League salaries.