Koenig and Hayes await NBA opportunity in NBA G League
By Marlon WhiteEagle
Two former Wisconsin Badgers teammates, Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes, have to “trust the process” and wait for their opportunities to play in the NBA by playing NBA G League basketball.
Both went undrafted in the NBA Draft.
Koenig signed to a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks nearly immediately after the draft. He was waived by the Bucks, and a week later signed by the Chicago Bulls to a training camp contract. The Bulls waived him and signed with the Windy City Bulls.
Former Wisconsin Badger Duje Dukan is also on the Windy City Bulls roster, but is inactive due to a scope on his knee. He will return in a couple of weeks.
Hayes signed with, and later waived, by the New York Knicks. Then joined the Knicks G League team, the Westchester Knicks.
The G League, the NBA’s proving grounds, has prepared players, coaches, and other staff for the NBA since 2001.
This year a major sponsorship from Gatorade will change the NBA Development League to the NBA Gatorade League or G League for short.
The newly rebranded NBA G League will enter its 17th season with 26 teams who will compete in the 50-game.
Halloween 2017 is cold and windy at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, 30 minutes west of downtown Chicago. This is the home arena of Windy City Bulls and the new home court of Bronson Koenig.
Koenig and his teammates prepare for media day. Players took their team photo, did interviews, radio and video spots for news outlets and promotional use for the upcoming season.
Koenig wore a #3 Windy City Bulls jersey. He said he wore #24 for so long and it was time for a new number and new outlook.
“Practice, practice, practice. We’ve had a lot of practices,” Koenig said.
“I’ve been on in practice. I hope coach lets me play as he does in practice. I am free. It’s not like at Wisconsin where I didn’t want to turn over the ball.”
The last time Koenig saw any action was in the Chicago Bulls preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bulls had a commanding lead and in the last minutes, Koenig entered the game.
It has been a turbulent journey for Koenig, who has started much of his high school and college career.
“It’s definitely being a lot of highs and lows, a lot of ups and downs, with injuries, nagging injuries, Summer League, getting waived by the Bucks and everything like that. It has been a tough summer. It’s been full of adversity,” Koenig said.
“Ultimately, adversity is what makes people stronger and I’m thankful for everything that’s happened to me and the opportunity that I’m getting to play for the Windy City Bulls.”
The Windy City Bulls will play 24 home games, and 26 away games. All G League games are viewable on Facebook Live.
The stage was set for Koenig to face off against former teammate Nigel Hayes and the Westchester Knicks for the Windy City Bulls home opener.
The day of the game, the Bulls traded Koenig to the Grand Rapids Drive, the Detroit Pistons G League affiliate.
Hayes came to the game as a starter for the Knicks, and got news of the trade from Koenig via text message.
“He let me know that he got traded. So I was a little hurt that I wouldn’t be playing against my guy,” Hayes said.
“We’ll check in for sure, and see how he’s doing. I don’t know when we play them, but plan is not to be here in the G League too long to see that game.”
Hayes finished with 17 points in the Westchester’s 114 to 102 victory over the Bulls.
Post-game, Hayes and Dukan met at half court for a brief visit.
“Duje, he’s out as well. So both my guys, I’m missing them out there on the court. But at least I got to talk to Duje and check in with him,” Hayes said. “We’re just talking about life. How’s the family. How basketball is going. Just catching up.”
“As everyone knows, the Wisconsin team a few years ago was a close-knit tribe. We try to stick together, check on each other, make sure everything’s good.”
Hayes is also making changes to help adjust to his new basketball journey. He changed his hairstyle.
“I went with the braids, something sleek, stylish. I want to look more rugged out there on the court. I think it will change my demeanor. I look tougher, maybe. Maybe it is a tribute to Allen Iverson. He had braids. My hair is not long enough for the braids he had, but I’m starting off with the baby, two braids. My teammate at Wisconsin, Jordan Hill, he had them.”
With his new braids, Hayes went 3 of 4 from 3-point range, and 6 of 8 from the free throw line.
When asked to describe the game in one word, Hayes replied, “pleasantly frustrating.”
“From a team aspect overall, we played very spotty. We put together some really good stretches. Actually, it was reminiscent of my last year at Wisconsin,” Hayes said.
“We pushed the score up and we got away from what was working for us. We got a little out of character. We’ve only been together 12 days, so that’s expected. But, all in all, I think we did a pretty good job.”
At Wisconsin, Hayes wasn’t known as 3-point shooter.
“I’m just trying to get better at everything. The position I play is this ‘tweener’ spot, so I’m trying to be a well-rounded player,” Hayes said.
Hayes attributes his improvements to working with the coach staff at the New York and Westchester Knicks.
Everyone is helping me. I’m picking up things and trying to include it into my game. I try to be a complete overall player, he said.
“I’m trying to better myself, become a better player and go to the next level. While I’m here, help my teammates, learn from my teammates, learn from my coaches and make this the best experience I can.”
No one said trusting the process is an easy road. Koenig and Hayes both put in hours of individual and team training. Playing on a G League team is a part of their process to make their dream of playing in the NBA a reality.
Last season, 38 G League players called up to the NBA 51 times. Nearly half of all NBA players have G League experience.
Native tribes and casinos have been getting in on the NBA G League action.
The Ague Caliente Band of Cahuilla Tribe of California, located in Palms Springs, are the partnering sponsors of the Los Angeles Clippers affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers, since 2015.
The Menominee Nation secured naming rights for the arena of the Milwaukee Bucks’ G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, in Oshkosh.
With the trade to Grand Rapids, Koenig joined the roster along with another native NBA hopeful, Derek Willis. Willis played college basketball with the Kentucky Wildcats and is Arapaho, Pawnee, and Muscogee.
Koenig is sticking with #3 on the Grand Rapids Drive roster as well. In his debut game, he scored 5 points in 17 minutes of action, while Willis scored 20 points as the Drive improved to 3-0 on the season with a 103 to 96 win over the Windy City Bulls.
Koenig remains determined to reach his goal through all the adversity.
“I just try to keep the faith every single day, no matter how tough it gets, that God’s got my back. I just continue to pray and hope for the best,” Koenig said.
“I just keep that faith and work as hard as I can every single day. If I do that, and I truly believe that, good things will come. That’s my whole approach to this whole thing.”
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