Best Success Stories From The NBA G League
Who are the biggest success stories to come out of the NBA G League? Experts from past and present weigh in with their thoughts and favorite memories.
With the NBA G League season set to get underway on Wednesday, February 10, this is the perfect time to check in with some G League writers of past and present — those who have followed the league most intently and for the longest time.
Most Underrated Players In The NBA G League: click here
(Best) Players To Watch In The NBA G League: click here
Finding success and rising up as a diamond in the rough is what the minor league is all about. Jeremy Lin splashed onto the scene with Linsanity. Andre Ingram inspired millions as the true underdog who was rewarded after more than a decade of hard work. The G League is also where we get a preview of what’s to come. Before the Houston Rockets were truly running and gunning, the affiliated RGV Vipers were known to hoist up the long ball at a historic rate.
With an alum like Christian Wood experiencing a breakout season, this aforementioned trend is only continuing. Who are the best success stories to come out of the league, and what makes the G League so memorable? Read on to see who comes to mind for myself, Dakota Schmidt of RidiculousUpside.com, Scott Rafferty of NBA Canada, Chris Priczak of SB Nation, and longtime NBA G League writer Gino Pilato.
Keith Schlosser (@KeithBSchlosser): First and foremost, it was always interesting seeing a Hall of Famer like Jerry West show up to a G League game. Sure, it must have been a thrill for fans and players, but it’s also worth noting that someone in that position (and of his notoriety) valued the kind of talent in the league, and how useful of a development tool that it was. His appearances also demonstrated synergy between the NBA and G League affiliates, and it’s important to be supportive of such a pipeline.
As far as player success, it’s a cool part of their stories that Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet toughed it out to become G League champions in 2017 with the Raptors 905, duplicated that success with Toronto in 2019, and are now rising up as NBA stars — all while doing it side by side.
Dakota Schmidt (@Dakota_Schmidt): My favorite success story has to be Christian Wood. Whether he was with the Delaware 87ers or Wisconsin Herd, Wood was a very skilled offensive big. He was a constant 20 point, 10 rebound threat whenever he was on the court. Unfortunately, that didn't lead to him getting playing time for a bit as he spent a lot of the 2018-19 campaign lost on the end of Milwaukee's rotation. For him to go from that to a possible NBA All-Star this season is absolutely unbelievable.
Scott Rafferty (@crabdribbles): Robert Covington comes to mind. Based on the player he’s become, it’s easy to forget that he went undrafted in 2013. While he signed a contract with the Houston Rockets shortly thereafter, he spent basically his entire rookie season playing for the franchise’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, where he proved himself to be a knockdown shooter and versatile defender. It didn’t lead to a future with the Rockets — they waived him prior to the 2014-15 season — but it paved the way for him to become one of the NBA’s more valuable role players.
Favorite moment? I’ll never forget Chris Roberts dunking on Will Foster, who stands at a whopping 7-foot-5. I remember jumping out of my seat the first time seeing it.
Chris Priczak (@ChrisPriczak): When it comes to success stories, I will stay recent with Fred VanVleet. He signed with the Toronto Raptors as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and played a huge role with the Raptors 905 when that team won the G League championship. He made a great impact with the Toronto Raptors in their run to the Larry O'Brien Trophy. VanVleet signed a four-year, $85 million contract nearly four years after his first G League game. He is coming off a 54-point performance against the Orlando Magic, which is the most in Raptors’ history and most for an undrafted player.
Favorite memory would be the 2017-18 season. That Westchester Knicks roster was talented, leading to five total NBA call-ups. Each player from the team’s opening night starting five later went on to be on an NBA roster, all at the same time. Billy Garrett and Paul Watson both earned NBA promotions; Garrett in 2019 and Watson in 2020. Head coach Mike Miller was named Coach of the Year that season. The Knicks finished with a franchise-best 32-18 record.
Gino Pilato (@GinoPilato): My favorite G/D League memory is the time I went down to an exhibition game to watch the very first rendition of "The System." It was in a junior college gym in southeast Idaho with little to no fans between the Idaho Stampede and Reno Bighorns. There weren't even stats available to the public, but I knew I had to make the couple hour trek down to witness it. I got to meet then-first year head coach of the Reno Bighorns, David Arsenault Jr and his staff, to pick their brains on what I was about to see before the contest. Once the game was underway, I felt like I was getting a sneak peek of a film or something. The substitutions, emphasis on three pointers, and uptempo pace was so fun to watch. Truly memorable.