Players in the NBA’s G League are “having serious discussions about unionizing” with the National Basketball Players Association, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Charania reports that the two sides are expected to meet for a second time at the upcoming G League Winter Showcase, which runs from Dec. 19 to 22. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski also reported Monday that leaders of the NBPA would meet with G League players to discuss a potential unionization. A vote on unionizing by the players could then happen after the showcase if talks go well.
The two parts also briefly met one year ago at last year’s Winter Showcase.
“We support the players’ right to unionize,” G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim told Charania. “We view this as a positive thing and are looking to continue to grow our league for the players to develop and accomplish their dreams.”
The G League was founded as the NBA Development League in 2001 with eight teams and has since expanded to 28 clubs. Each team plays 50 games a season.
The base salary for G League players was raised to $35,000 (or $7,000 a month) ahead of the 2018-19 season, but players on two-way contracts with an NBA team can earn more if they play NBA games. In the 2018-19 season, 89 players with all 30 teams were on two-way contracts.
A union in the G League would be the first of its kind for a development league, according to Charania. An unnamed G League general manager told The Athletic that “travel, housing, a little more money” would be some of the issues a union would fight for on behalf of the players.
“This was always bound to happen,” another team executive said, according to The Athletic. “Certain things need to change, whether that is pay or the structures of deals for players.”
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