A player who has not yet entered the NBA Draft can still sign a G League contract and enter the league through the NBA G League Draft. That player will maintain his NBA Draft eligibility but will be unable to be called up to the NBA that season.

Seven players have taken this route and later been drafted by an NBA team.

The seven came from three different avenues: P.J. Hairston, Glen Rice Jr. and Mike Taylor were college prospects who had been dismissed from their schools; Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Chu Chu Maduabum and Alen Smailagic were international prospects who gained their first pro experience in the U.S. in the NBA G League; and Latavious Williams was a high school prospect who opted to turn pro rather than attend college.

(Note: The NBA G League's age minimum is 18 years old, not 19 as in the NBA.)

The 2014 NBA Draft marked the first time multiple prospects from the NBA G League were selected. Hairston became the first NBA G League prospect ever selected in the first round when the Miami Heat chose him with the No. 26 pick; they traded him to the Charlotte Hornets on draft night.

NBA G League Ignite In The NBA Draft

NBA G League Ignite is a first-of-its-kind team dedicated to developing top young prospects in preparation for the NBA Draft. Based in Henderson, Nevada, the roster includes elite players who are eligible for the NBA Draft as well as NBA and NBA G League veterans who serve as mentors to the team’s young talent. The program focuses on high-level competition and accelerated on-court development for players who are beginning their professional careers. Additionally, the team provides life skills training that includes financial literacy education, community service involvement and scholarship opportunities. While Ignite is not a traditional NBA G League team, the competition includes games against NBA G League opponents and exhibitions against international teams.

Since its inception ahead of the 2020-21 season, G League Ignite has produced ten NBA Draft picks, more than any program in that same time period.