“I think it’s a waste of time” – Tracy McGrady explains why it’s pointless for young players to play in the G-League originally appeared on Basketball Network.
The G-League is a professional basketball league that serves as the NBA‘s developmental platform for players, coaches, referees, and even front-office personnel. It is basketball’s version of the Minor League in baseball, where players hone their skills and earn experience with the hopes that they will one day get a call-up from the mother teams.
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But while the G-League has helped many players reach their goals and fulfill their dreams, Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady thinks it’s just a waste of time for these youngsters.
“A lot of these guys are spending their time in the G League. For me, I think it’s a waste of time because the G League isn’t really paying money like that,” said McGrady. “I think it’s 30, 25, 35 thousand dollars what they’re paying or something like that, versus overseas where you can make a real good living. You know, hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even some leagues are paying a million dollars.”
Pat Bev signed a two-year $4 million deal to play in Israel
Currently, the standard G-League contract is $40,500.00 for a five-month season. Players drafted and assigned to the G-League on a two-way contract make much more at $578,576, but only 60 players are drafted per class. Still, that’s peanuts compared to the $1.157 million minimum salary a player with zero experience makes if he is signed to the NBA.
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Big man Ariel Hukporti of Germany, the last player taken in the 2024 NBA Draft at No.58, signed a standard contract with the New York Knicks worth $5.7 million for two years with a guarantee of $1.064 million. Hukporti ended up playing 217 minutes across 25 games for the Knicks.
Meanwhile, former L.A. Clippers guard Patrick Beverley signed a two-year $4 million deal with Hapoel Tel Aviv BC of the Israeli Basketball League last year. Pat Bev had a decent season, averaging 10.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. Beverley, however, left Hapoel last February after negotiating a mutual termination of the contract. Still, he easily cleared the $1 million mark playing in Israel.
Most youngsters still trust the G-League process
Despite the disparity in pay, most NBA aspirants still go the G-League route when it comes to fulfilling their dreams, and many have been successful. In the last nine NBA seasons, at least 30 G-Leaguers received a call-up from their mother teams. This number is impressive, considering there are only 60 players picked in the NBA Draft every year. Also, a record 50 percent of players in the NBA during the 2023-24 season had G League experience.
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Most notably, the most successful G-Leaguer in the NBA today is OKC Thunder guard Alex Caruso, who won a championship with the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers. Caruso was named to the All-Defensive first team in 2023 and second team in 2024. AC signed a four-year $81 million extension deal with the Thunder last December. Another successful G-Leaguer in the NBA is Miami Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, who inked a five-year $90 million contract with the Miami Heat in 2021.
T-Mac makes sense from the financial point of view. However, most continue to trust the G-League process, and the success stories of Caruso and Robinson inspire them even more to work harder.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.