N.B.A. hopefuls get their chance as a virus surge sweeps the league.

“It’s every hooper’s dream,” said 26-year-old Zylan Cheatham. “It’s what you work for, especially competing in the G League for multiple years,” he added, referring to the N.B.A.’s minor league.

The players signing 10-day contracts this month have included younger players like Cheatham, who is just a few years out of college; older players who have spent years in the G League hoping for a chance; and N.B.A. veterans who had been out of the league and hoping for a comeback — players like Lance Stephenson, Isaiah Thomas and the 40-year-old Joe Johnson.

This time around, Johnson’s teenage son gets to be part of the fun.

“He asked me about a month ago, ‘Dad, when you was playing, what was I doing?’” Johnson told reporters. “I said, ‘You was in the back playing in the playroom.’”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/30/sports/nba-hopefuls-get-their-chance-as-a-virus-surge-sweeps-the-league.html