Pay Disparity Between the NBA and the NBA G-League

Pay Disparity Between the NBA and the NBA G-League

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and its developmental entity, the NBA G-League, display a significant disparity in player salaries. In 2001, the NBA established a developmental league, and the title NBA G-League was selected in 2017 after a sponsorship deal with Gatorade. As of the 2024-25 season, NBA players receive a minimum salary of $1.2 million, while G League players earn approximately $40,500 for a five-month season (Reeves, 2025). Players on two-way contracts are under jurisdiction of their respective NBA teams who are able to send them back and forth between a franchise and its G-League counterpart. Players under this contract have a minimum salary of $578,576, and each NBA team can have a maximum of three of these players (Rudder et al., 2025). This pay gap is further emphasized by the structure in which players earn money. During instances such as the NBA Cup, 2024 Champions Milwaukee Bucks' two-way contract players received $257,485 each in prize money. Although the G-League is a pipeline to the NBA, players face commercial travel, below-average accommodations, and demanding practice schedules while working towards an NBA call-up (Squadron, 2023). Instances for G-League players to gain recognition are rare, and most players navigate the G League's demanding environment without securing a stable roster spot. In order to combat this pay disparity, the NBA needs to work to increase the minimum base salary for NBA G-League players. Seeing as the minimum contract for two-way players is $578,576, ensuring that “normal” team members make a quarter of this would put the minimum salary at $115,715.20. This near $75,000 increase would allow players to invest more into recovery and lifestyle, combating the lackluster accommodations currently given, taking some pressure off of the organizations to do so on a broader scale.