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From rags to riches: D-League’s top earners in 2014-15

By Chris Reichert

Mar 30, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) reacts to his three pointer against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 30, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (33) reacts to his three pointer against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

There are a wide range of opinions regarding the value of the NBA Development League, but the one that comes up in every conversation is the lack of compensation for players. As you may know, salaries in the D-League have three tiers: $13,000, $19,000 or $25,000.

At this point, it’s clear that players come to the D-League for exposure, not pay. The season is six months long and with the recent growth over the last four-to-five seasons, the eyes on players has increased exponentially thanks to the wonders of easier travel and YouTube, among many other things.

Call-ups this season hit an all-time high with 63, which includes 47 different players from the league. With those call-ups come increased money based on the NBA’s minimum contract. Even a 10-day contract was worth close to $30,000 in 2014-15.

What does all of this information mean for players? Money. Lots more money.

The ultimate goal for any player I have spoken to over the past couple seasons is to make a career out of playing a game they love. That’s the benefit of the D-League. Earlier this week, I outlined opportunities not only in the NBA, but also for international exposure, which can lead to increased salary and longevity for many players.

It’s easy to talk about call-ups and increased salaries, but let’s take a real look at the salaries earned by the 2014-15 call-ups in detail.

NBA payouts for 2014-15 D-League call-ups
NBA payouts for 2014-15 D-League call-ups /

The sum of these contracts? Approximately $9.7 million. Let’s go ahead and trash those blanket statements about not being able to make money in the D-League.

While this money was not made in the D-League, the payouts are a direct correlation to their performance prior to call-up. Robert Covington, Ish Smith and Will Cherry never played a single minute in the D-League during the 2014-15 season, however, since they signed contracts with the NBADL prior to their NBA deals, they are still considered call-ups.

The asterisk beside a player’s name means they earned a multi-year contract (23 total) and the highlighted players (21 total) saw their first NBA experience via their call-up.

In all, 62 players earned 10-day contracts from the D-League, and 29 of the 47 call-ups were signed through at least the end of the 2014-15 season.

There are numerous individual stories, examples and comparisons that can be made when you dive deeper into each player’s season, however, the undeniable fact you should pull from this data is the D-League is definitely the land of opportunity.

Even more encouraging is the growth in just the last two seasons. In 2013-14, there were 49 call-ups including 37 different players in the league. As a league, call-ups earned approximately $6.8 million. When compared to the 2014-15 season, players saw a growth of almost 43 percent when it came to payouts for call-ups!

As the league grows into a one-to-one affiliate model, those numbers should only continue to rise. While there are plenty of options for players to play professionally and earn a decent salary, all the metrics show that the quickest — and perhaps most lucrative — path to the NBA can be found right here, in the United States.

Salaries pulled from Basketball Insiders

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