After spending the first eight games of the season with the Lakers, Bronny James is heading the G-League to play for the South Bay Lakers, the 17-time NBA champion’s affiliate roster in the developmental league. NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the 19-year-old will make his debut for South Bay against Salt Lake City on Saturday. His demotion prompted questions about whether it would affect his salary and the short answer is it that it won’t.
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Bronny signed a four-year, $7.9 million rookie contract with the Lakers, with $5.4 million guaranteed. The first two years of his deal are fully guaranteed, the third is partially guaranteed, and the franchise can decide whether they want to retain him for the fourth year of his contract. He’s set to earn $1,157,153 this season. Playing in the G-League won’t affect his paycheck unless he’s still in the NBA’s minor league during the 2026-27 season.
The Lakers seemingly don’t plan on leaving him in developmental league for too long. According to Charania, Bronny will only play in the South Bay Lakers’ home games, and go back-and-forth between the two rosters. While the rookie’s contract is pretty modest in NBA terms, he’ll be among the highest-paid players in the G-League.
A look at G-League contracts
A typical G-League season lasts about five months between November to April. Each team plays 48 games, 34 fewer than their NBA equivalent. While contact is the NBA are signed between a franchise and an athlete, a G-League contract is an agreement between a player and the league.
A standard G-League contract is worth $40,000, meaning a player earns $8,000 per month. However, a standout player can get a massive pay raise if they land a two-way contract with an NBA team.
A two-way contract amounts to $578,577 per year, which is half of a rookie minimum deal. Some players sign two-way contracts during the offseason and shuffle between G-League and their NBA franchise.
More than 50% of the teams in the NBA have at least one player with G-League experience, outlining how it can be a great pathway for players who couldn’t get drafted or used the playing time to work on their game.
