NBA G League players are forming a union with assistance from the National Basketball Players Association after approximately 80 per cent of the player pool supported the move in a vote. The G League in turn agreed to voluntarily recognize the union as the players’ representative moving forward.
In a statement, the NBPA says the temporarily named Basketball Players Union (BPU) will give G League players “the benefit of the many protections afforded to union-represented employees and the right to collectively bargain on a variety of matters including, but not limited to, salaries, benefits and other working conditions.”
A union to represent the NBA’s minor-league players has been discussed multiple times in recent years with NBPA leadership meeting with G League players at the league’s annual Winter Showcase in each of the last two seasons. In April, G League players voted on authorizing a union to represent them, the results of which were announced on Tuesday.
“We are extremely pleased that our brothers in the G League elected to form their own union,” Anthony Tolliver, secretary-treasurer of the NBPA’s executive committee, said in a statement. “The many NBA players with prior experience in the G League can personally attest to the value an organized union brings to players’ careers. We would like to especially thank Andre Ingram and John Holland who gave so much of their personal time to the organizing process.”
The BPU will represent all players in the G League not currently represented by the NBPA, including those on the new G League Select Team for draft-eligible players. Players on two-way contracts or on assignment from an NBA club will remain under the representation of the NBPA.
The G League currently consists of 28 teams playing a 50-game schedule. The base salary for G League players was raised to $35,000 for the five-month season in 2018.
“I could not be more excited or impressed with this decision by the G League players,” Michele Roberts, executive director of the NBPA, said in a statement. “Like their brothers in the NBPA, these players work tirelessly to perfect their crafter and will now have a voice in decisions relating to their working conditions, benefits and more.”
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