What is the incentive for the several hundred players that compete in the NBA Development league? Most people have never even heard of the NBA-DL let alone the DL players and teams. The players are not competing for stardom and fan support. Since working for the Anaheim Arsenal organization I have come to the conclusion that the NBA D-League players compete for three reasons: Playing time, love of the game, and lack of other options.
Playing time is the first incentive for many of these NBA hopefuls. The majority of the players in the DL are athletes who are not quite ready for the NBA at the beginning of the season. Players are sent down to the DL by an NBA team because of roster issues in hopes that the player will receive more playing time and become a more developed basketball player. No matter how the player ends up on a DL team, the player will receive substantially more playing time in the DL. Jawad Williams of the Anaheim Arsenal is a prime example of a good player that is yet to get his chance playing on an NBA team. The former North Carolina player is now competing with the Arsenal’s getting plenty of playing time and leading the D-League in scoring. Williams, 6’9 guard, is having a difficult time getting called up into the NBA simply because his position is not high in demand. After seeing Williams play first hand, he has a legitimate chance in the NBA when he does get called up.
Sheer love of the game is the second reason these players compete. The D-League salary is $30,000 for nine months of playing basketball with some living arrangement expenses paid. The salary of a DL player is not comparable to NBA salary let alone an entry level position in the corporate world. Some of these players love the game of basketball and are giving it one last attempt at going pro. Tyler Smith of the Anaheim Arsenal’s, is a forward who has a degree from Penn State, the brains, and the abilities to make a name for himself wherever he goes. Yet he plays in the minor leagues because he loves competing and playing basketball. Smith is by far one of the hardest working players on the team on and off of the court. Smith spends a good deal of his time working in the community in the surrounding areas of Anaheim.
Lack of other options captures a good amount of players in the NBA development league. The sad truth for some of these players is that this is there only shot at making it. If they do not hear from an NBA team, their career in basketball is over and they have nothing to fall back on. Guys like Majic Dorsey, second string point guard for the Arsenal’s is a D-leaguer who jumps around from one minor league (And-1 basketball) to the next keeping his hopes and dreams alive. Unfortunately for these athletes, poor work ethic, bad attitudes, and lacking athletic abilities eliminate them from a chance at the NBA or anywhere else for that matter. Sour attitudes sometimes ring in the locker room because of poor performers with everything to lose.
The NBA Development League will only see a handful of its players actually make it in the NBA. Those that do love the game of basketball and work hard; Tyler Smith and Jawad Williams of the Anaheim Arsenal do just that.
Playing time is the first incentive for many of these NBA hopefuls. The majority of the players in the DL are athletes who are not quite ready for the NBA at the beginning of the season. Players are sent down to the DL by an NBA team because of roster issues in hopes that the player will receive more playing time and become a more developed basketball player. No matter how the player ends up on a DL team, the player will receive substantially more playing time in the DL. Jawad Williams of the Anaheim Arsenal is a prime example of a good player that is yet to get his chance playing on an NBA team. The former North Carolina player is now competing with the Arsenal’s getting plenty of playing time and leading the D-League in scoring. Williams, 6’9 guard, is having a difficult time getting called up into the NBA simply because his position is not high in demand. After seeing Williams play first hand, he has a legitimate chance in the NBA when he does get called up.
Sheer love of the game is the second reason these players compete. The D-League salary is $30,000 for nine months of playing basketball with some living arrangement expenses paid. The salary of a DL player is not comparable to NBA salary let alone an entry level position in the corporate world. Some of these players love the game of basketball and are giving it one last attempt at going pro. Tyler Smith of the Anaheim Arsenal’s, is a forward who has a degree from Penn State, the brains, and the abilities to make a name for himself wherever he goes. Yet he plays in the minor leagues because he loves competing and playing basketball. Smith is by far one of the hardest working players on the team on and off of the court. Smith spends a good deal of his time working in the community in the surrounding areas of Anaheim.
Lack of other options captures a good amount of players in the NBA development league. The sad truth for some of these players is that this is there only shot at making it. If they do not hear from an NBA team, their career in basketball is over and they have nothing to fall back on. Guys like Majic Dorsey, second string point guard for the Arsenal’s is a D-leaguer who jumps around from one minor league (And-1 basketball) to the next keeping his hopes and dreams alive. Unfortunately for these athletes, poor work ethic, bad attitudes, and lacking athletic abilities eliminate them from a chance at the NBA or anywhere else for that matter. Sour attitudes sometimes ring in the locker room because of poor performers with everything to lose.
The NBA Development League will only see a handful of its players actually make it in the NBA. Those that do love the game of basketball and work hard; Tyler Smith and Jawad Williams of the Anaheim Arsenal do just that.
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