Report: Owners expect G League season to be canceled

NBA teams operating G League franchises expect the rest of the minor-league system’s season to be canceled, ESPN reported early Sunday night.

The regular season was scheduled to conclude March 28, with playoffs running into April. The Atlanta Hawks’ G League affiliate is the College Park Skyhawks.

The G League announced Wednesday night that it was suspending the season because of the coronavirus pandemic, following the NBA making a similar announcement. Earlier Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that gatherings of 50 or more people be canceled or postponed for the next eight weeks.

At the time of ESPN’s report on the G League, no sports leagues or teams had announced any plans based on the CDC’s latest recommendation.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, reporting with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, said that players have been told they will be paid through the end of the schedule, though for now, teams are still hoping the season will resume at some point.

“Beyond obvious calendar issues, the fact G League teams travel on commercial airlines and generally are money-drains for NBA teams make it even harder to move forward for rest of the season,” Wojnarowski tweeted. “No imminent announcement and G-League teams have been told to stay in town for now.”

The G League currently has 28 teams, with the Wisconsin Herd (Bucks affiliate) and Salt Lake City Stars (Jazz) sitting atop the Eastern and Western conferences, respectively.

G League players reportedly earn $7,000 a month, or $35,000 for the season.

–Field Level Media

Ben Ennis