The NBA’s G League players will begin voting Saturday on the creation of a union, sources tell ESPN.
The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) is assisting in the formation of a G League-governed union that would need more than 50 percent of the players to sign an electronic authorization card for passage, sources said.
Among agents and players, there’s been optimism that the vote will render the union’s formation — which would allow the union to collectively bargain issues with the NBA and G League. The NBPA sent G League players a video of veteran player Andre Ingram describing the kinds of issues that a union could assist in collective bargaining with the NBA. Issues for G League players in the past have included housing, salary and travel.
The union would be separate from the NBPA and serve independently with its own constitution, bylaws and leadership structure.
The union membership would not include players on assignment to the G League from NBA teams or those on two-way contracts.
The NBPA Board of Representatives voted in February to support the formation of the union for G League players. The NBPA had representatives at the 2019 and 2018 G League showcases where they discussed the idea with a significant number of the minor-league players.
The G League season was suspended with the NBA’s season on March 11.