How many players are in the NBA?

During the season, NBA rosters are limited to 15 players, plus two additional spots for players under “two-way contracts.” By comparison, the NHL has 23 roster spots, the NFL 53 and Major League Baseball 25. (MLB rosters can expand to as many as 40 players per team in September.) During the offseason, the NBA may have as many as 600 players (20 per team). During the regular season, the number is cut to 450, plus players who are on "two-way contracts."

What are offseason NBA roster limits?

Before opening night, each team can carry as many as 20 players. Teams must finalize their 15-player season rosters the day before they open the regular season.

What is the G League?

Players who aren’t ready to play in the NBA are often assigned to the league’s developmental league, which since 2017 has been called the NBA G League because of its association with Gatorade. In total, 28 of the 30 NBA teams are associated with the G League, with the New Orleans Pelicans adding an affiliate for the 2019-20 season.

Notable G League alumni who went on to star in the NBA include Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz), Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks) and Clint Capela (Houston Rockets).

Each NBA team is allowed to have two players on “two-way” contracts. Players under these contracts will spend the bulk of the season in the G League and are only allowed to spend 45 days with the NBA team.