There is a large discrepancy between the salaries of NBA players and their G-League counterparts. According to data pulled from Statista, the average NBA salary for the 2017-18 season is about $7 million.
Contrast that with the average G-League salary being between $19,000 and $26,000 this past season.
This is the major reason why the G-League doesn’t attract the best talent for players who are on the periphery of earning an NBA roster spot and why many choose to play overseas for far more money and in some cases more on par with NBA salaries.
The NBA has decided to increase G-League salaries for the 2018-19 season to be $35,000 for peak salaries.
JUST IN: The NBA announces that G-League players will make $35,000 for five-month season in 2018-19.
The $35,000 now matches what the NBA is paying gamers who got drafted in the first round of the NBA2K League draft.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 17, 2018
Players will still be eligible to sign two-way contracts which began last year and according to Bleacher Report, these players will have a prorated salary of $77,250 while in the G-League if they make the NBA minimum for time spent on an NBA roster.
This is a step in the right direction, but I have a hard time imagining the G-League ever really having many of the top players out of high school who aren’t eligible for the NBA Draft for a year or many top-notch veterans that were unable to get an NBA contract.
