The G LeagueSelect Team is a developmental basketball team affiliated with the NBA G League. Based in Los Angeles, the team competes in exhibition games outside the G League's traditional team structure and is a part of the league's one-year development program for elite NBA prospects. Its roster will be made up of both prospects and veteran players. The team was created in April 2020 and is touted as an alternative to college basketball, offering prospects salaries of up to $500,000.
History
The NBA G League has been an avenue for high school, college and international prospects to be drafted into the NBA since 2008. On October 18, 2018, the G League introduced Select Contracts of $125,000 for elite prospects, including opportunities for basketball development, life skills mentorship and academic scholarship, starting from the 2019–20 season. However, no players in the 2019 high school class signed a Select Contract. On April 16, 2020, the G League announced a raised salary for elite prospects and a one-year development program outside of its traditional team structure. The prospects will play alongside veteran players on a select team based in Los Angeles that will take part in training and 10 to 12 exhibition games against other G League teams, foreign national teams and NBA academies. Players will earn financial incentives for playing games, participating in community events and attending life skills programs coordinated by the G League. They will also receive a full scholarship to Arizona State University, which has partnered with the NBA. On the same day that the G League's new development program was announced, Jalen Green, the highest ranked player in the 2020 high school class according to ESPN, became the first player to join the G League Select Team, earning $500,000. The G League subsequently drew attention as an alternative to college basketball, with some media outlets speculating that Green's decision would threaten the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Green was soon joined on the team by fellow five-star recruits Isaiah Todd and Daishen Nix, both former college commits, as well as Kai Sotto of the Philippines. On June 9, 2020, former NBA player and coach Brian Shaw was named head coach of the G League Select Team. On July 16, Jonathan Kuminga, the highest ranked player in the 2021 high school class, reclassified to the 2020 class and signed with the Select Team.
