The Hidden Brotherhood of the G League
In our new film Destination NBA: A G League Odyssey, we explore the multiple paths that players take to get to the NBA
The thing about the NBA’s G League is that, for almost every player, it wasn’t their best offer—at least when considering money. Most players could be making three, four, even times as much if they played in different basketball leagues overseas. But the G League isn’t about a payday. It’s about a dream.
For our latest documentary, made in association with Ringer Films, we followed several G League players throughout the season, focusing on a handful who represent what makes ‘The G’ so compelling. There’s Ryan Turrell, a former D-III scoring champ who is trying to become the first Orthodox Jewish player in the NBA. There’s Gabe York, who’s been in and out of the NBA for the past 9 years. There’s Scoot Henderson, the mega-talented point guard who was just the third pick in the NBA Draft. (Oh, and I’d be remiss not to add that there are just some incredible team names: the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Mexico City Capitanes, and the Capital City Go-Go…I mean, come on! What’s not to love?)
The G League is, essentially, the NBA’s minor league system. Players hope to get called up, and even though there’s better money elsewhere, that small chance is worth the price for many. “No one in the United States picks up a basketball to go play overseas,” says Denzel Valentine, of the Maine Celtics. “You pick up a basketball to play in the NBA.” And as the film explores, those dreams have costs, too.
One of my favorite moments in the film focuses on Eugene “Pooh” Jeter, a 39 year-old point guard who has played on just about every team—in just about every league—that you can imagine: BC Kyiv in Ukraine, Hapoel Jerusalem in Israel, the Tianjin Gold Lions in China. He had a brief taste of the NBA a decade ago, with the Sacramento Kings, but now, he plays on the G League Ignite, a team otherwise made up of players straight out of high school who elected to skip college and go straight to the G League. Pooh is a kind of player-coach for the squad. As he describes, “I’m the oldest player in the G League. The point guard. The veteran. The coach. The connector.”
At one point, we follow Pooh into a restaurant, where a TV plays an NBA game in the corner. Pooh looks up and sees an old teammate check into the game, and just like that, you can sense all of Pooh’s energy shift. He’s locked in, focused. And when the teammate hits a shot, Pooh starts cheering and shouting in the middle of his meal. It’s like he made the shot too.
Maybe that’s what makes leagues like The G so special. It’s easy to watch pro sports and feel like all the players are robots, professionals designed by birth to shoot threes and dunk. You only see the finished product, not the work, and certainly not the community. But in the G League and through these players, it’s clear that it’s not all cutthroat competition. There’s something to be said just for making it, for rising to the top, even if it’s only for one day. Everyone is fighting for a shot. You’ve got to celebrate the ones who make it.
Gabe York, whom we followed with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, played for two games with the Indiana Pacers in 2021. “That shit felt right,” he remembered. The second game was against the Brooklyn Nets and Kevin Durant. “I’m about to come in, at the scorer’s table,” York said. “[Durant] is walking from the free throw line towards the scorer’s table.” York had heard stories of NBA stars trash talking G Leaguers about how they were about to have a field day playing against them, so York hardened himself against any trash talk. Instead, Durant only had words of encouragement. “I see what it took to get here,” Durant told York. “I’ve seen that shit. Congrats.”
York wanted to give Durant a hug. “Getting on that court, playing against those guys, defending those guys, scoring against those guys,” York says looking back. “That shit felt right. And so I just knew, I had to come back and try again.”
That’s as good a motivation as any. And so is this: You’ll have to watch the film to see if York made it.
🎙️ One thing that was really special about Destination NBA: A G League Odyssey was working with the incredible team at The Ringer. Check out Gabe York’s appearance this week on The Bill Simmons Podcast. It’s a must listen after watching the film.
🍷 One of my favorite pieces of sportswriting in the last several years was Baxter Holmes’ epic examination of the NBA’s obsession with wine. This week, Holmes is back with a pseudo-sequel, exploring, “How an ultra-rare, exclusive dessert wine fueled Gregg Popovich and a dynasty in San Antonio.” Yes, please.
👀 You might have missed it, but a major scandal happened in sports this week. I’m talking, of course, about the brouhaha between Seattle Kraken, romance novels, and TikTok. No clue what I’m talking about? Here’s a primer.
🇯🇲 And finally, an update on last week’s story about the incredible Reggae Girlz from Jamaica. Sadly, they lost this week in the knockout round to Columbia, 1-0. But a run it was!
