When the upcoming NBA G League season tips off next months, fans can expect to see more familiar faces than they would in a typical year.
The NBA G League is hosting a bubble tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sport Complex in Florida. Once teams are assembled, they will arrive to the location by January 26 for physicals and onboarding. The first game is set for February 8 and teams are expected to play a “12-to-15 game schedule” before their single-elimination playoffs from March 5-March 9.
This offseason, per ESPN, the league also eliminated restrictions for signing players with at least five years of NBA experience. For example, as reported by Adam Johnson, this is how Jeremy Lin was able to sign outright with the Santa Cruz Warriors rather than enter the draft pool. This is reportedly a one-time exception for the G League.
Similarly, others with NBA experience signed outright as veteran mentors for the inaugural G League Ignite squad. Players like Amir Johnson and Bobby Brown will lend a hand for top prospects like Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Green as they transition to the pros.
Otherwise, however, players not already on a roster who are looking to get back on the court and play in the upcoming bubble season will have to hear their names called on Monday. Over the last few days, we have learned about several players (e.g. Michael Beasley and Lance Stephenson) who recently signed NBA G League Standard Player Contracts.
Even those who have been around the league for years have no guarantee of being selected, though. There are only 17 teams playing in the bubble, as 12 have opted out.
While the draft will have a maximum of 26 players selected, teams are allowed to forfeit their picks, so that number could end up even smaller. But that has not swayed the nearly 200 players who are hopeful about suiting up in Florida.
The 2021 G League Draft is scheduled for Monday, January 11, at 1:15 PM EST. Below are some of the most notable candidates, listed in order of how many minutes they have played in the NBA:
Emeka Okafor
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
UPDATE: Emeka Okafor was not selected in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 38
Most Recent NBA Team: New Orleans Pelicans
Most Recent NBA Game: 4/19/2018
Mario Chalmers
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: Mario Chalmers was not selected in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 34
Most Recent NBA Team: Memphis Grizzlies
Most Recent NBA Game: 4/11/2018
Michael Beasley
(Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
UPDATE: Michael Beasley was not selected in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 32
Most Recent NBA Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Most Recent NBA Game: 2/5/2019
Lance Stephenson
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: Lance Stephenson was not selected in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 30
Most Recent NBA Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Most Recent NBA Game: 4/4/2019
Hollis Thompson
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: Hollis Thompson was not selected in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 29
Most Recent NBA Team: New Orleans Pelicans
Most Recent NBA Game: 3/11/2017
Terrence Jones
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: Terrence Jones was not selected in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 29
Most Recent NBA Team: Houston Rockets
Most Recent NBA Game: 3/8/2019
Quincy Pondexter
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: Quincy Pondexter was not selected in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 32
Most Recent NBA Team: San Antonio Spurs
Most Recent NBA Game: 4/25/2019
Shabazz Muhammad
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: Shabazz Muhammad was not selected in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 28
Most Recent NBA Team: Milwaukee Bucks
Most Recent NBA Game: 4/28/2018
Tyler Ulis
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: Tyler Ulis was not selected in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 25
Most Recent NBA Team: Chicago Bulls
Most Recent NBA Game: 10/18/2018
Festus Ezeli
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: Festus Ezeli was not selected in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 31
Most Recent NBA Team: Golden State Warriors
Most Recent NBA Game: 6/19/2016
Allonzo Trier
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: Allonzo Trier was selected No. 4 overall by Iowa in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 24
Most Recent NBA Team: New York Knicks
Most Recent NBA Game: 3/6/2020
Antonio Blakeney
Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: Antonio Blakeney was selected No. 3 overall by Canton in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 24
Most Recent NBA Team: Chicago Bulls
Most Recent NBA Game: 4/10/2019
Marquis Teague
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: Marquis Teague was not selected in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 27
Most Recent NBA Team: Memphis Grizzlies
Most Recent NBA Game: 4/4/2018
CJ Williams
(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
UPDATE: CJ Williams was not selected in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 30
Most Recent NBA Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Most Recent NBA Game: 4/10/2019
Gary Payton II
Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: Gary Payton Jr. was selected at No. 15 overall by Raptors905 in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 28
Most Recent NBA Team: Washington Wizards
Most Recent NBA Game: 3/10/2020
Jacob Evans
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
UPDATE: Jacob Evans was not selected in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 23
Most Recent NBA Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Most Recent NBA Game: 2/24/2020
Cory Jefferson
(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
UPDATE: Cory Jefferson was not selected in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 30
Most Recent NBA Team: Phoenix Suns
Most Recent NBA Game: 1/27/2016
Isaiah Briscoe
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: Isaiah Briscoe was not selected in the 2021 G League Draft
Age: 24
Most Recent NBA Team: Orlando Magic
Most Recent NBA Game: 3/5/2019
Dzanan Musa
(Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
UPDATE: Dzanan Musa withdrew his name from the 2021 G League Draft, per Marc Stein
Age: 21
Most Recent NBA Team: Brooklyn Nets
Most Recent NBA Game: 8/23/2020
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