The Denver Nuggets’ G-League team, the Grand Rapids Gold allow people to try out for their G-League team for a set price.
Making it to the NBA is by no means a financially affordable endeavour. Even with all the talent in the world, players and families have to invest in equipment, schooling, and health resources from a very early age to get players ready to make it to the league.
And sometimes, even the best preparation doesn’t get you to the NBA. In that case, your best route is through the G-League. And for the Denver Nuggets’ G-League team to give you a tryout, there is a fixed price.
Denver Nuggets’ G-League affiliate Grand Rapids Gold charge $350 for a tryout
According to Denver Nuggets beat reporter Harrison Wind, the Grand Rapids Gold, the G-League affiliate of the Kroenke-owned Mile High City team, allows players to try out for the team at any point.
In fact, these tryouts only cost prospective players $350. Of course, there will be some further restrictions, with players who have some collegiate or organised basketball experience being the only people who can apply.
It’s highly unlikely that someone with no proper organised basketball experience can just pay a fee and get a tryout, as these scouts are busy and need to not waste their time on the hoop dreams of every casual player.
Strangely enough, the Gold seem to be charging slightly above the G-League average for a tryout, with the mean across the league being somewhere in the $150-$200 range.
This might be a mandate from the Denver Nuggets, who want to root out the serious auditioners from the casual players looking for a chance.
Even by making these tryouts publicly accessible, a successful entry into the G-League is just the first step on a very long road to the NBA.
In recent years, very few G-League standouts have been able to make it to the NBA, especially when it comes to undrafted players.
Fred VanVleet and Alex Caruso are perhaps the two most successful examples. VanVleet went undrafted in 2016 and played with the Toronto Raptors’ G-League team before being called up.
Since then, VanVleet has become an NBA champion and an All-Star point guard. As for Alex Caruso, he experienced a similar path with the South Bay Lakers.
Once he was signed full-time by the Los Angeles Lakers, presumably at the behest of LeBron James, who enjoyed playing with him, Caruso played a key role in their run to the 2020 NBA championship.
Since then, Caruso has become one of the most respected role-players in the NBA, especially after he won a second championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2025.
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