Think you’re good enough to play in the NBA G League? Well, now is your chance to prove it! G League teams hold open tryouts before the start of every season to give individuals a shot at playing for a professional team. Of the 31 franchises, five have now officially announced their tryouts, and here’s how much they’re charging.
Texas Legends: $300
Motor City Cruise: $250
Windy City Bulls: $250
Raptors 905: $225 Early Bird, $275 Normal
Grand Rapids Gold: $168 Pre-Registered, $200 Walk Ups/Day of
The Texas Legends, affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks, will host tryouts on Sept. 19 and Oct. 3 at Prestonwood Baptist Church. Individuals can attend both if they want, but that will cost them $600.
The Motor City Cruise, affiliate of the Detroit Pistons, will host a one-day, two-session tryout on Sept. 20 at Henry Ford Detroit Pistons Performance Center. The Cruise have set 5 p.m. on Sept. 19 as the deadline to apply.
The Windy City Bulls, affiliate of the Chicago Bulls, will host their tryout on Sept. 26 at Chicago Hope Academy Fieldhouse. While the Legends and Cruise only mentioned that spots are limited, the Bulls have set a limit of 100 participants.
The Raptors 905, affiliate of the Toronto Raptors, will host a one-day, two-session tryout on Sept. 12 at the OVO Athletic Centre. The Raptors have set an early bird price of $225, with a deadline of Aug. 15. After that, participants will have to fork out $275.
Lastly, the Grand Rapids Gold, affiliate of the Denver Nuggets, will host theirs on Aug. 30 at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Those who pre-register have to pay $168, while those who register on the same day as the tryout will have to pay $200.
If you’re wondering what these look like, footage from the Cruise’s 2025 tryout recently went viral.
Footage from the Motor City Cruise’s open tryout 😅
(via @LieOnMyHill) https://t.co/OQB9C6IHeO pic.twitter.com/AFBJnq8v9f
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 5, 2026
That was hilarious. There is actually one very notable success story to come out of these tryouts.
Jonathon Simmons had gone undrafted in the 2012 NBA Draft and ended up in the American Basketball League in 2013. Later that year, Simmons paid $150 to attend a tryout hosted by what was then the Austin Toros (now Austin Spurs), the San Antonio Spurs‘ D-League (became G League in 2017) affiliate. He made their training camp roster and eventually the opening night roster.
Simmons’ first season didn’t particularly catch the eye, but the second did. He averaged 15.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2014-15. His efforts were rewarded with a spot on the NBA D-League All-Defensive Third Team.
Simmons then impressed for the Brooklyn Nets‘ Summer League team in 2015, and the Spurs then invited him to their Summer League squad. He’d help them win the title and was named Championship Game MVP.
The Spurs had seen enough by then and signed Simmons to a two-year, $1.4 million contract. He’d primarily come off the bench for those two seasons and then hit free agency.
Simmons had won over the Orlando Magic with his play, and they signed him to a three-year, $20 million contract in free agency in 2017. The Magic would then trade Simmons to the Philadelphia 76ers in Feb. 2019, and they, in turn, sent him to the Washington Wizards in June later that year.
The Wizards waived Simmons soon after, before his $5.7 million salary for 2019-20 would become fully guaranteed. He’d only make $1 million as a result, and never played in the NBA again.
While that would have been disappointing, Simmons made $14.7 million in salary in the NBA, according to Spotrac, which isn’t too shabby. As for his play, he averaged 8.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game over his four seasons in the league.
Simmons would spend some time in the G League afterward with the Santa Cruz Warriors and then headed overseas, playing in China, the Philippines, and Lebanon. The 36-year-old currently plays for the Houston Rig Hands in the BIG3 and is their co-captain.
It’s been quite a career, and it will be interesting to see if there is a success story like Simmons to come out of the G League tryouts in 2026.
