Thomas Hughes 
NBA G League players gained some bargaining power this week, after voting to form a union. The union representing NBA players, the NBPA, announced in a press release that the vote by the NBA’s minor league’s players was overwhelmingly in favor of the move, with about 80% voting to approve. The union will temporarily be named the Basketball Players Union, or BPU.
The union be operate as its own entity, separate from the NBPA, but the NBPA will still represent so-called “two-way players” whom are called up from the G League to play with NBA teams, even on 10-day contracts. NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts said she was “impressed” with the decision, and said it would give G League players a voice in decisions being made on their behalf.
According to the NBPA, the NBA G League office has agreed to recognize the union, which will allow players to negotiate on a range of issues including salaries, benefits, and working conditions.
The move comes at a time of increased investment by the NBA in its minor league, as it seeks to compete with the NCAA for elite high school prospects who are barred by league rules from entering the NBA draft until one year after graduating. G League players’ base salaries were increased in 2018 to $35,000 for the five month season, and players can earn substantial bonuses that exceed that amount if they are called up to play on NBA squads.
With new, higher, “Select Contracts” the G League has made a serious push this year to compete with universities for players expected to play only one year in the NCAA before declaring for the draft—a practice known as, “one-and-done.” It has had success. Jalen Green, considered perhaps the top recruit coming out of the nation’s high schools this year, agreed this spring to play in the league rather than attend college, signing a contract that NBC reported is worth over $500,000.
“The ultimate end goal is to get to the NBA,” Green said in an online video via Yahoo! Sports announcing the decision, before dawning a G League cap. “That being said, I decided to join the G League’s new team for elite players.”
Another top prospect, Isaiah Todd, followed suit, with a contract that ESPN reported is worth around $250,000. But the League says its typical Select Contract will be for $125,000.
Both elite players will join others in forming a new team that will be unaffiliated with an existing G League team or partner NBA team. G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced in June that former NBA player and head coach Brian Shaw will be the coach of the select squad, which will include recent high profile signees like Green and Todd, as well as Daishen Nix, Kai Sotto, and Jonathan Kuminga.
Kuminga, emmigrated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and was considered by ESPN the top player in New Jersey and the fourth best in the nation coming out of high school this year.
“I took a big step toward my dreams five years ago by moving overseas,” Kuminga wrote in The Players Tribune this month. “And now I’m really excited to take my next big step by announcing that I’ll be turning pro next year.
Players signing Select Contracts will also be entered into the league’s new “Professional Pathway” program, which will be headed up by 10-year WNBA veteran Allison Feaster and 17-year NBA vet Rod Strickland. The program will be available to players who are eligible for the G League but not yet eligible for the NBA draft, and feature several areas of on and off the court professional development, according to the league.
