Do NBA Summer League Players Get Paid? Closer Look at Contracts and More
Every year, the NBA Summer League provides rookies, G League stars and other young players a chance to showcase their skills in hopes of earning a standard NBA contract, all the while allowing big league teams to audition players they are not sure about. This year's tournament will be held from July 8 and will have 76 games.
Players in this league receive a ‘per diem’ allowance that goes as high as $1500 for the entire tournament. Additionally, NBA teams pay for player transport, hotel accommodations and two meals per day, which brings the total investment to about $6500 for each player. Teams also pay a $15,000 registration fee to participate in the tournament.
The CBA stipulates specific contracts for Summer League Players
Rather than individual contracts with the familiar skyrocketing amounts, Summer League players receive specific contracts that are a result of The Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NBA and the NBPA. Three different types of contracts are stipulated, which are:
#1. Summer Contract
A summer contract applies to players who do not have a standard, Exhibit 10, or a two-way contract with the team they represent during the tournament. It is a basic payment contract that covers meals, lodging and transportation, amounting to around $6500 in total expense, in addition to the estimated $1500 salary that players typically get paid for the tournament.
#2. Exhibit 10 Contract
A player can also be a part of the league after signing an Exhibit 10 contract, which is a one-year minimum salary deal that can be converted into a two-way contract before the start of the regular season.
These are non-guaranteed contracts that can be waived off without teams suffering a cap hit, and players who remain with the NBA franchise’s G League affiliate can be paid as much as $75,000, along with a stipulated bonus.
#3. Two-Way Contract
A two-way contract allows players to play for both the NBA franchise and its G League affiliate. Each team is allowed to have three two-way players.
These players tend to earn a higher salary compared to those on Summer League or Exhibit 10 contracts. For instance, in the 2022-23 campaign, two-way contracts had a flat salary of $508k, which is half of the rookie minimum deal. However, these players are also ineligible for the postseason and can only play up to 50 regular season games for their NBA team.