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G-League Rising

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NBA D-League MVP Vander Blue / Photo: NBA.com

The NBA's minor league could be bigger than college hoops within 10 years if it just makes one change...

I'm bullish on the NBA G-League. It's expanding to 26 teams next season, with the Bucks, Grizzlies, Hawks, and Clippers being the latest NBA teams to add a minor league affiliate to develop their young players. Existing, unaffiliated minor league teams are also being scooped up, and soon every NBA team will have it's own G-League franchise. And that's when things will get fun.

Minor league basketball will soon be like minor league baseball... except way better. While minor league baseball has multiple levels (Rookie ball, AA, AAA) the G-League will be all AAA, stocked with players on the brink of the big-time.

Soon the nation's top high-school recruits won't be one-and-done's at Duke or Kentucky, they'll be going pro in the G-League.

All the league needs to do is give it's players a raise.

Currently, NBA minor leaguers make one of two salaries: $26,000 or $19,500. That is simply not enough money to convince most 18-year-old hoops prodigies to join the G-League. Considering that, A) overseas leagues may be offering 6- or 7-figures, and B) college basketball programs offer free tuition, free room and board, free meals, high-level coaching, high visibility, and a chance to play closer to home.

However, if the G-League increases it's salary tiers to, say $100,000 and $75,000, I think a lot more players would opt to turn pro rather than spend a year in college. The opportunity to earn six-figures and play in a NBA-sponsored league -- without having to relocate overseas for a year -- suddenly seems like a viable, if not preferable, option.

Let's look at last year's recruiting class, which included Lonzo Ball, Dennis Smith Jr., T.J. Leaf, Markelle Fultz, De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, Josh Jackson, Jonathan Isaac, Jayson Tatum, and Harry Giles, among others.

If the G-League is offering $100,000 a year, maybe some of those guys still opt for college, but maybe half of them turn pro? Lonzo Ball with the L.A. D-Fenders for a season? Who wouldn't watch those games?

And if it snowballs, and not half but most of the top recruits turn pro out of high school every year, the G-League will become known as the place to watch the best young players not yet in the NBA.

What's good for the G-League is good for the NBA 


As long as the NBA has a minimum-age requirement of 19, the nation's top 18-year-olds will have a choice to make: A) play college basketball, B) play professionally overseas, or C) play professionally in the G-League.

Wouldn't it behoove the NBA to funnel these athletes into their pipeline as soon as possible? If a five-star recruit goes to college for a year, the NBA can't begin marketing him, selling his jerseys, etc., until he's out of school.

But if that five-star recruit signs with the G-League, the NBA can start promoting him right away. Win-win situation.

Taking it to the next level  


It seems like the G-League is less visible than college hoops, but it certainly doesn't have to be. Sure, top college basketball programs have ESPN and conference-backed cable networks to broadcast their games, but last year every NBA D-League (as the G-League was known prior to the 2017-18 season) game was streamed live -- for free -- on Facebook Live. The year before that, every game was available live for free on YouTube.

Facebook and YouTube, available for free to anyone on Earth with an internet connection, have the ability to reach waaay more people than ESPN or the Big Ten Network.

And let's not forget that this is a minor league operated by the NBA, a branding and marketing juggernaut. If the NBA launches a marketing campaign for the G-League similar to the one they ran for the WNBA, trust me... everyone will be aware of the G-League.

A larger audience means more ad revenue and merchandise sales for the league, which would help offset the increased cost of player salaries.

All signs point to the NBA's minor league becoming a major brand. It won't be long before the G-League is the hottest ticket in town.
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