G League

Joining the G League instead of the NCAA will allow Jalen Green to make money in other ways, including with a shoe deal.

According to Nick DePaula of ESPN, the guard will have "several offers" from companies with a contract that will top seven figures per year. He is set to sign with Aaron Goodwin, who negotiated rookie shoe deals with LeBron James, Dwight Howard and Kevin Durant.

Green announced Thursday he was going straight from high school to the G League, while ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Adrian Wojnarowski reported he will make at least $500,000 from his new team as an elite prospect.

The California native is a highly regarded prospect and considered the No. 3 overall player in the 2020 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports called him the projected No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA draft.

Green will not only spend the next year developing among professionals to ready himself for the NBA, he will also get paid like a top young player.

Zion Williamson reportedly set a record for the largest rookie shoe deal in history last summer with a contract worth more than $10 million per year, according to Wojnarowski. Green doesn't come with the same type of hype as Williamson out of college or even high school, but there should still be a lot of money available for the talented young player.

Former Michigan commit Isaiah Todd will sign a deal to join the G League, the best 5-star recruit told Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic on Friday.

"I believe it was the best thing for my game and for my career to better myself for the NBA," Todd said. "It was very important to be prepared because the NBA is my lifelong dream. This option is the best way to go, being in the NBA's backyard and to learn from pros and learn from NBA coaches and trainers. It's about being prepared for the NBA. I think that's the best way to go."

He will reportedly play for a newly created team in Southern California alongside Jalen Green, who announced Thursday he'll make the leap from high school to the G League.

The G League has created an initiative to pay elite prospects $500,000 with a one-year development program before heading to the NBA draft.

Todd is a 5-star recruit considered the No. 13 overall player in the 2020 class and the second-best power forward, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

The 6'10" prospect committed to Michigan last October but announced Tuesday he was decommiting to explore professional options.

"This was a tough decision for him, but he just feels like this is what's best for him and his development," Todd's mother, Marlene Venable, told Jason Jordan of Sports Illustrated. "We love Michigan and Juwan (Howard), but, at the end of the day, he has to make the best decision for him."

Other top prospects have chosen to play professionally instead of in college in recent years, including LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton, both of whom are expected to be part of the 2020 NBA draft class. However, Todd and Green will be the first to enter the new G League program.

Makur Maker, Karim Mane and Kai Sotto are considered potential options to join the duo in the league next season, per ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Adrian Wojnarowski.

According to John Martin of 92.9 ESPN, the parents of 2021 5-star prospect Kennedy Chandler also spoke to G League officials.

NBA teams are reportedly preparing for the likelihood that the remainder of the G League season will be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews, the expectation is the 2019-20 G League campaign will "soon be cancelled."

Wojnarowski cited calendar issues, as well as "the fact G League teams travel on commercial airlines and generally are money-drains for NBA teams make it even harder to move forward for rest of the season."

G League play was suspended Thursday, the day after the NBA announced it was suspending its season because of the coronavirus.

A potential cancellation of the G League season comes as the CDC has recommended organizers cancel or postpone all events in the United States with 50 or more people for the next eight weeks.

Per the latest estimates (h/t CNN.com), there are now at least 2,033 cases of coronavirus in this country and 47 people have died.

Wojnarowski did note G League players will be paid through the end of the regular-season schedule.

The G League regular season was originally scheduled to end March 28, with the postseason set to run throughout April.

The G League is following the NBA's lead, suspending its season in the wake of the NBA doing so Wednesday night after a Utah Jazz player, reportedly center Rudy Gobert, preliminarily tested positive for the coronavirus.

Wednesday night's game between the Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder was delayed and eventually canceled after Gobert reportedly tested positive. The NBA then suspended the season after reportedly planning to continue games without spectators present. That announcement was expected Thursday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, though things changed swiftly Wednesday evening.

According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, "The NBA is expected to address next steps with teams when it conducts a call with the board of governors at 12:30 p.m. ET Thursday."

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told reporters after Wednesday's game that teams have been informed that they can still practice during the season suspension but should not host out-of-town visitors. Cuban also described the season postponement as a "stunning" turn of events during the ESPN broadcast:

"I trust Adam [Silver]. You know what? It's really not about basketball or money. Literally, if this thing is exploding to the point where all of a sudden players and others have had it, you think about your family. You want to make sure you're doing this the right way. Now it's much more personal, and you've seen what's happened in other countries, but just the whole idea that it's come this close and potentially a couple players have it, just, 'stunning' isn't the right word. Just crazy."

It isn't a major surprise that the G League would also suspend its season. How other leagues react to the coronavirus will remain an ongoing story.

Of note this week will be how the NCAA handles the men's and women's basketball tournaments. On Wednesday, NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement that tournament games would be played without fans in attendance.

But Stadium's Jeff Goodman reported Wednesday that a source told him: "Things are moving quickly. Right now, it's no fans. But we don't know where this is headed. There have been discussions about canceling or postponing the NCAA tournament, but we're hoping it doesn't get to that point."

The NBA G League suspended Wisconsin Herd coach Chase Buford for two games for criticizing the officiating after his team's 126-117 defeat to the Grand Rapids Drive on Sunday, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. 

Buford told reporters the referees' performance had been "unprofessional" and "embarrassing." He also singled out referee Matt Rafferty, whom he called a "f--king clown," per Ryan Rodig of WFRV-TV:

Herd general manager Dave Dean said in a statement the team was considering how it would discipline Buford (h/t USA Today's Scott Gleeson).

Buford also apologized for the comments: "I deeply apologize for my behavior. It was unprofessional and I'm embarrassed. It's a tough learning experience as a first-year head coach and I am truly sorry, and will grow from this."

The Herd were whistled for 21 personal fouls in Sunday's game compared to 13 for the Drive. Grand Rapids also attempted 18 free throws, nine more than Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Herd head coach Chase Buford appeared to be cruising toward a straightforward victory over the Grand Rapids Drive on Sunday.

Instead, his team blew a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter of a 126-117 loss before he unleashed a rant on the officiating:

"The officiating definitely went right for Grand Rapids. That was as unprofessional as an officiating performance—I hope you tweet this out and tag the league, because that was embarrassing. Matt Rafferty is a f--king clown. That being said, we have to be so much better at the end of games. We can't blow a 21-point lead with 12 minutes to go. However bad and biased and unfair and illegal and cheating the referees are, we have to be better closing games. So that's the way I feel."

Buford released a statement saying he was "unprofessional" and "embarrassed" while apologizing to the fans and referee Matt Rafferty:

General manager Dave Dean also released a statement saying, "We're aware of what happened with Herd Head Coach Chase Buford after our game today. We're discussing the situation internally and the appropriate discipline for Coach Buford. We will have an announcement Monday."

While Buford was furious with the officiating, his team was unable to stop a balanced attack from the Grand Rapids.

Four Drive players scored 18 or more points with Jordan Bone (28 points and 11 assists) leading the way and Adam Woodbury (20 points and 10 rebounds), Louis King (20 points and 10 rebounds) and Tre'Shawn Thurman (18 points and 10 rebounds) providing key support.

The NBPA voted Monday to support the formation of a players union for G League players, according to Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic. 

Per Charania, the next step is to gain official approval at the G League level.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the league's plan to unionize in December, planning to collectively bargain "salaries, broader benefit packages and travel."

The league raised salaries ahead of the 2018-19 campaign, providing players with a base salary of $35,000 for the five-month regular season. Players could also earn a maximum of $385,000 on a two-way contract based on prorated minimum for time spent on an NBA roster.

As Michael McCann of Sports Illustrated explained, a union could help provide representation for those not on two-way deals or assigned to the G League while currently under an NBA contract. It would also be positive symbolically, providing a "vote of confidence" in the players as well as creating a bond not seen in minor leagues for MLB or NHL.

The developmental league was first included in the NBA's CBA in 2005 and has since expanded from eight teams to 28 teams this season.

NBA teams have also been more aggressive in utilizing the league as a resource for players in recent years. All-Stars Pascal Siakam and Khris Middleton each spent time in the G League as rookies, while players like Quinn Cook have taken advantage of two-way deals to become contributors in the NBA.

A players union could create a better collaboration between the two leagues going forward.

Hasheem Thabeet walked from the bench to center court in just three steps. He looked up at the crowd and listened to their short applause. About 3,000 fans were scattered throughout this 13,000-seat arena. In part, they were there to see the Fort Wayne Mad Ants take on the Erie BayHawks on the second night of a G League doubleheader. They were also there because it was something fun to do inside on a freezing December night in northeastern Indiana.

Like minor league baseball, minor league basketball is part athletic competition and part theme park. The first night of this doubleheader was Star Wars themed, and volunteers in plastic stormtrooper costumes had stalked the stands.

On this night, inflatable versions of Skee-Ball and Pop-A-Shot crowded the baseline, alongside a bouncy castle and a drum line. Santa Claus sang the national anthem. Then it was Thabeet's turn to talk. The 2009 No. 2 overall pick was on this team and in this arena for serious business: to launch an improbable NBA comeback. And despite the circus around him, Thabeet thanked the crowd with sincerity.

"Hello, good evening," he said, holding a microphone that looked like a Sharpie in his massive palm. "On behalf of teammates, family and the Pacers organization, we want to wish you a very happy holidays. Thank you for your support."

Then Thabeet returned the mic to the announcer and returned to the huddle. When it broke, he strode to the end of the bench, where he sat on a stool so he could comfortably stretch out his long legs. The Mad Ants wouldn't need him on the court again.

After the game against Erie, Thabeet sat at his locker and thumbed through a few pages of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. He could at least exercise his mind. He changed into a dark gray sweat suit and a pair of velvet Air Force 1s to match. His teammate, Ike Nwamu, teased him, saying, "You gotta have a certain net worth to slip those shoes on!" Thabeet laughed and walked back into the arena. He handed a box of Reese's Pieces to the first young fan he found. And then he sat on the baseline so people could approach him for pictures and autographs.

The last two to come up to him were a man and his four-year-old daughter. At first, she was too shy to say her name to the seated giant before her, but she accepted Thabeet's invitation for a high-five. After the slap, Thabeet waved his hand frantically as if he'd been injured critically. The little girl laughed and hit his hand harder. He feigned even more pain. She laughed even louder. "You gotta go easy on me!" he told her. "I need this hand. I'm not done playing basketball yet."

That would have been news to almost anyone outside of this arena.

When the Memphis Grizzlies selected the 7'3" Thabeet out of UConn in 2009, it was national news. He wore a silver pinstripe suit and shook NBA Commissioner David Stern's hand on TV. When the Mad Ants selected Thabeet with the No. 18 pick in the 2019 G League draft, there was no ceremony. Thabeet didn't even pick up the phone when the team called because he was working out and he didn't recognize the number. But he did recognize the opportunity: He had been drafted again, and this time, he could prove he wasn't a bust.

"The Grizzlies gave up on me," Thabeet said. "You never heard of a No. 2 pick who got as few minutes as I did or as few chances as I did. If I'd been drafted by a different team, it would have been a different story. There's no question in my mind. I wouldn't be playing for the Mad Ants. I might be playing for the Pacers. If I'd been developed, I'd still be in the NBA right now."

In Thabeet's mind, getting back to the NBA from Fort Wayne, Indiana, would be nothing compared to what it took to get to the NBA from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

He discovered basketball by accident when he was 15, crossing a court as a shortcut to the soccer field. When he saw it as an opportunity to go to college, he started hovering behind visitors to his local internet cafe, waiting for them to stand up so he could use their remaining minutes to cold-email D-I schools for scholarships.

Thabeet was an undeniable talent—long, lean and swift—but no one really bothered coaching him until he signed with Jim Calhoun at UConn. "When he came to me, he couldn't play," said Calhoun, who is now the coach at the University of Saint Joseph, a Division III school in Connecticut. "And he left an All-American."

In Memphis, he was weighed down by comparisons to his draft classmates. Tyreke Evans, the city's hometown hero, won Rookie of the Year. Stephen Curry and James Harden were on their way to becoming generational offensive juggernauts. Thabeet's main achievement during his rookie season was becoming the highest-drafted player ever assigned to the D-League. (Anthony Bennett, the 2013 No. 1 pick, would later surpass him.)

"It wasn't Hasheem's fault that the Grizzlies drafted him," Memphis radio host Chris Vernon said. "It was their fault. And I'll kill them forever for it. James Harden and Steph Curry—two of the greatest offensive players in the history of the NBA—were taken in the next five picks."

Memphis traded Thabeet to Houston midway through his sophomore season. Houston traded him to Portland a year after that. Portland released him four months after that. He signed with Oklahoma City in the summer of 2012, and it was there that Thabeet says he finally learned how to be a pro. He raced Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant to see who could get to practice the earliest and hired a personal chef to manage his nutrition. He enjoyed his best two seasons with the Thunder, but it still wasn't enough to stick. In August 2014, they traded him to Philadelphia, and he never appeared in another NBA game.

For the past five years, he's tried everything he could to get back to the league. He played for a year with the Pistons' D-League affiliate in 2015. In 2016, he moved to San Francisco for six months to work with Frank Matrisciano. Better known as "hell's trainer," Matrisciano was the man who helped the player taken ahead of Thabeet in '09, Blake Griffin, prepare for the draft.

The first time Matrisciano met Thabeet, he noticed that Thabeet used his hands to stand up from a table. "What are you, 100 years old?" he asked. By the time Thabeet left San Francisco, he could do stair-jumps for 50 minutes straight.

In 2017, Thabeet signed with a Japanese team just to prove that he could still play. The following year, he moved to Washington, D.C., to train with Keith Williams, who has worked with players like Durant and DeMarcus Cousins. Williams helped prepare Thabeet for tryouts his agent arranged with a half-dozen NBA teams, including multiday stints with the Knicks and the Warriors during their training camps. When no one signed him, Thabeet figured the next-best thing would be to get back into an NBA system by joining what was now called the G League.

"I look at the other players from my draft class," Thabeet said, "and they're in the prime of their careers. And I'm in the best shape of my life. I know what my role is. I'm not trying to score 30 points a game. But I can come in and get rebounds and block shots. If I get another chance in the NBA, even just one more year, I can be Comeback Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. That's the goal."

A few days before the game against the BayHawks, Thabeet was wandering through a Walgreens. He was on his way to the team's holiday party, which included a white elephant gift exchange, and he needed something to give. As he hovered over the shelves, he heard the whispers from gawkers in other aisles and ignored them. He chose a back scratcher, which slid in just under the $20 limit, and then splurged for a nice $5 gift bag to put it in. "Presentation matters," he said.

When he reached the checkout line, a man shopping with his son stared up at him and said, "What's up, brother? I bet you don't even have to jump to dunk!"

"You think?" Thabeet replied.

"You play for the Mad Ants?" the man asked.

"Yes sir," Thabeet said.

"You'll be in the NBA in no time!" the man exclaimed.

Thabeet smiled. But the truth was that his NBA return seemed to be getting less likely with each passing game in Fort Wayne. True, he was averaging 8.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per 36 minutes, but he was only getting 16.5 minutes per night. In the 14 games the Mad Ants had played up to that point, he'd started only two and appeared in only nine.

Two factors had forced Thabeet out of the NBA. One was his reputation. In college and in Memphis, teammates had called him "Hollywood" because of his flashy clothes, and coaches complained that he cared more about the lifestyle than the game.

"I'm not trying to beat the kid down," said Pacific head coach Damon Stoudamire, who was an assistant coach during Thabeet's rookie year in Memphis. "He's a really good kid. But I watched him in our first practice, and it only took 10 minutes to see that this wasn't going to work out. He didn't know how to be a pro."

Playing the G League was helping Thabeet rehabilitate that image. He could have comfortably retired to his homes in Las Vegas and Dar es Salaam. (He also has aspirations to one day be president of Tanzania.) But he didn't want to walk away from the NBA as a bust, and he was willing to prove it by playing in Fort Wayne. Even when he wasn't appearing in games, he was still answering questions during film review, helping younger players in practice and cheering his teammates on from the bench.

But the other factor that forced Thabeet from the NBA was out of his hands. He was drafted into a league where plodding, rim-protecting big men could still be taken with the second overall pick.

The year Thabeet moved to Detroit's D-League team, the Warriors won the NBA Finals with the 6'6" Draymond Green as their starting center. It was no longer enough for big men to live around the rim; they had to switch onto guards and even step outside to shoot threes. If Thabeet had been entered the NBA a decade before, he might have had a long career in the league. If he'd entered this year, he might be more like Tacko Fall, clinging to a two-way deal after going undrafted.

"He is the poster boy for a changing era in basketball," Calhoun said. "He just got left behind."

In the G League, Thabeet's problem was even more pronounced. Whereas players like Fall and Boban Marjanovic still have a limited place in the NBA, 7-footers in the G League are uncommon. On many nights, the Mad Ants face off against a team whose starting center is 6'8". In one game, Thabeet only checked in to defend an inbounds pass during triple overtime.

"The G League, even more than the NBA, is built on smaller athletes," Mad Ants general manager Brian Levy said. "We have lots of nights where we just can't play him. We can't ask him to make those kinds of switches. And that's the struggle he'll face at every level."

A month after that game against the BayHawks, Thabeet walked into the Mad Ants office to meet with Levy. He hadn't appeared in a game since Dec. 10, and the team had decided to release him. He flashed back for a moment to times he'd been cut or traded during his NBA tenure. In Memphis, he'd spent a humiliating day at the practice facility, talking to coaches and executives who knew they were about trade him but didn't tell him. He didn't hear about the deal until his agent called him on his drive home. 

"I don't discount this opportunity," Thabeet said after his release. "Ultimately, though, I want to play, and I wasn't getting the chance. You get irritated. What's the point of all the work in the summer? What's the purpose of all the work you've been doing? When I got in, the numbers spoke for themselves. There's got to be a team out there that wants me."

He left Levy's office and walked next door to talk to assistant GM Chris Taylor, who helps handle travel for the players. He invited Taylor to come visit Tanzania any time. And then Taylor asked Thabeet where he wanted to go from Fort Wayne.

"I'm going back to D.C.," he said. "I've got to keep training. I'm still going to make it back to the NBA."

The NBPA and G League players are slated to meet later this month to discuss unionization, which would make the G League the first minor league sports organization in the United States with a union.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported the talks are expected to ramp up at the G League Showcase in Las Vegas. 

“We support the players’ right to unionize,” G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim said. “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.”

Unionization would be aimed at "increased salaries for players, freedom of player movement, work benefits, and having a voice on their behalf on issues of discipline and contract structures."

G League players currently earn a base salary of $35,000. There are also players on two-way contracts who earn $77,250. Both numbers pale in comparison to the minimums afforded to NBA players, though the salaries compare favorably to other minor league sports, most notably minor league baseball.

The league has attempted to make the G League a more viable league of its own by slowly increasing salaries while nearing one-to-one representation with NBA teams. The NBA also announced a new G League team set to play in Mexico City as the league expands its reach outside the United States.

“Travel, housing, a little more money—it’ll be about small gains,” a G League general manager told The Athletic. “The G League probably doesn’t generate enough revenue for wholesale changes unless we tap into the NBA’s BRI (basketball related income), but unionizing can be a start.”

The NBA and a G League union would have to negotiate their own collective bargaining agreement if they choose to unionize. 

The NBA G League will test a new free-throw system during the upcoming season with the goal of shortening games.

According to ESPN's Zach Lowe, the G League will run a single-foul-shot experiment. Every trip to the line would have a player attempt only one shot. It would be worth two points if fouled on a two-point attempt and three points if fouled on a three-point attempt.

Players who are fouled on made baskets will attempt one free throw worth one point, as is already the case.

While most of the game will be played under those experimental rules, the last two minutes of regulation and overtime will use traditional free-throw procedures.

G League head of basketball operations Brad Walker said officials estimate the new model will eliminate six to eight minutes of game time per game on average, per Lowe.

Walker added that traditional foul rules will be used in the final two minutes of regulation and overtime so that fouling isn't incentivized. That is because the one-shot rule could result in teams coming away with no points at the free-throw line more often, which would increase the likelihood of comebacks.

Starting to foul earlier could also backfire, though, since poor free-throw shooters would only have to make a single shot in order to net two points for their team.

This isn't the first time that the G League has experimented with new rules to reduce game time and improve game flow.

The league shortened the length of timeouts, which Walker said shaved four minutes off the average game time and received no criticism from coaches or players.

As of now, the single-foul-shot rule is a one-year experiment, and it will be evaluated at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season before determining whether it will remain beyond that.