The NBA Development Alliance has a brace of ancient statesmen in Maurice Baker and Renaldo Major, who accept afraid about to play a accumulated 702 amateur in the basketball accessory league.
“You can say we are the Crash Davises of the D-League, and I adulation that terminology,” Major, 33, said. “Even admitting I am an old bull, I still feel like I can accumulate up with these guys. My time is advancing down to an end, and I ambition to advice as abounding guys as I can afore it’s over with. But I aswell ambition to appearance them I can attempt and play at a top level.”
Baker is accepted to extend his D-League almanac for amateur played to 356 on Friday night, if his Santa Cruz Warriors play the Iowa Energy. Major, who plays for the Bakersfield Jam, has played in 347 D-League amateur and is the league’s best arch scorer. No added amateur in D-League history has played added than 300 games.
“We don’t antic about the amount of amateur we accept played,” Baker, 36, said. “We allocution about how abounding amateur we are traveling to abide to play. … We played calm three or four years [with Dakota]. We accept a band and we’re aggravating to outplay anniversary other.”
The D-League has three tiers of pay: $25,000, $19,000 and $13,000; Major said he was on the low end of the scale.
Each D-League aggregation has a $183,000 bacon cap, and players are afforded accommodation – about with a acquaintance – in a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment, bloom insurance, league-related transportation, and a $50 per day per diem on the road. If an across aggregation wants to assurance a D-League player, it have to pay the alliance a $45,000 buyout.
“It’s a cede league,” Baker said. “The money is not that great, but it pays the bills. During the summer, I try to accomplish that money up that I didn’t accomplish arena in the D-League by arena in the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico. It works for me.”
Said Major: “I’m single. No kids. No worries. I just try to administer my money and in the summertime to try to absorb it wisely.”
Baker went undrafted by the NBA out of Oklahoma State in 2002, arena his aboriginal D-League division in 2006 with Dakota. Major went undrafted out of Fresno State in 2004, authoritative his D-League admission with Sioux Falls in 2005. Both, however, had abrupt stints in the NBA.
Baker played four amateur with the Portland Trail Blazers and one with the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2004-05 season. He recalled that his per diem in the NBA was added than his absolute paycheck in the D-League.
“It’s absolutely altered how guys backpack themselves up there,” Baker said of the NBA. “When we go to a bank out here, guys are like, ‘I can’t absorb this $100.’ But up there, they absorb $100,000. You’re on a [private] plane. It’s crazy.”
Major played in one bold with the Golden State Warriors during the 2006-07 season.
“My dad got to see me play in the NBA afore he died,” Major said. “That was alarming just seeing my name on the aback of an NBA jersey. It was priceless. I absolutely did that advancing out of nowhere.
“I in actuality was traveling to yield my jersey [after getting waived], but I anticipation it was stealing. I larboard the jersey.”
Baker said he knew his NBA window was bankrupt if he didn’t play during a D-League bold two years ago. Major aswell said he has appear to agreement with the actuality that his NBA dreams are acceptable over. But they are still advantageous and achievement to abide to play in the D-League a brace added seasons.
D-League teams ambition them for their mentorship, acquaintance and absolute locker allowance attitude added than their arena ability. And if Major and Baker get their wish, they will abide in the D-League as coaches already their arena canicule are over.
“We’ve been abundant advisers and ambassadors to guys in the D-League,” Major said. “We consistently try to do the appropriate thing. We consistently allege awful of the D-League no amount area I am. I am just animated to be a allotment of it for eight years. …
“I’m not aggravating to get to the NBA. I am aggravating to get these adolescent guys to the NBA.”
