NBA G League President: Blazers Will Have Team In ‘Very Near Future’

ThePortland Trail BlazersandPhoenix Sunsare the only NBA teams without an affiliation to a G League franchise, butaccording to NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim, that won’t be the case for much longer.

At a recent conference, Abdur-Rahim said all NBA teams will have G League affiliates by the 2024-25 season (H / T AdiJoseph of CBS Sports).

“I think there’s motivation there (with new Suns ownership) to have a G League team. ... By 2024-25, I feel good that we should be in a place where we have all NBA teams represented in the G League.”

“In the very near future, both teams will have G League teams. I feel confident about that.”

Portland hasn’t had a G League affiliate since the franchise had a single-affiliation partnership with the Idaho Stampedethat lasted two seasons from 2012 to 2014. That “hybrid” partnership gave the Blazers control of basketball operations with the Stampede while a separate ownership group controlled the business side.

The NBA G League, formerly known as the D-League, is the NBA’s official minor league used to develop players, coaches, trainers and front office staff. The league began in the 2001-02 season with just eight teams. Today, the league showcases 30 teams which play a 50-game schedule starting in November.