With the growth of the NBA G-league recently, stories of NBA players developing in the minors are becoming a frequent occurrence. Last season's most notable underdog story was Oakland’s own Juan Toscano-Anderson. After spending a couple of seasons with the Santa Cruz Warriors, he eventually got his call up to play for the Golden State Warriors. He made the most out of his time as he played into a guaranteed contract and also became a contributor to a competitive NBA team. This begs the question, who is the next Juan out of NorCal? Below is a list of G-league players with Norcal roots that may be the next local success story. 

Jordan Ford (Agua Caliente Clippers)

Sacramento’s own Jordan Ford had one of the most successful college careers that a point guard could have. In his sophomore to senior season with St.Mary’s he started every game, while also averaging over 21 points in his last two seasons. With numerous awards and accolades it was a no brainer for an NBA team like the Clippers to send him a training camp invite. Today we see him playing in the Clippers organization as he plays with their minor league team.  

Malik Pope (G-League Ignite)

The former San Diego State standout, Malik Pope has found himself playing for the newly formed Ignite team based in Walnut Creek. As a teenager, Malik was referred to as one of the best players in the nation, even drawing comparisons to Kevin Durant for his size and scoring ability. Injuries plagued his early career however, as he suffered numerous leg injuries that caused him to miss a handful of college games. After a couple of years in Europe and the G-League, the now 25 year old is entering his prime and still has a lot of untapped potential waiting to hit an NBA floor. 

Kenny Wooten (Maine Celtics)

Kenny is one of the most freakishly athletic players to have come out of NorCal in recent memory. Standing at 6’8 and possessing out of this world athleticism, Kenny has created his fair share of viral highlights at his young age. Being only 23 and possessing physical gifts anyone would dream about, Kenny is a player that all NBA scouts need to keep an eye on. 

Stephen Domingo (Fort Wayne Mad Ants)

The San Francisco product has played for numerous G-League teams in the past, as well as the San Antonio Spurs Summer League team. The 6’9 forward possesses a skill that has become a necessity for modern day forwards in the NBA, which makes him an even more coveted player. 

DJ Wilson (Oklahoma City Blue)

Dj is different from most of the players on this list because he has 4 years in his career in the NBA. The Sacramento product played most of his games with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he saw himself play around 10 minutes per game. He now finds himself in the G-league perfecting his game as he prepares for his eventual second stint in the league.

Eddie Stansberry (Santa Cruz Warriors)

The newcomer of the bunch, Eddie was just recently drafted 7th in the 2021 NBA G-league draft by the Texas Legends. He now sees himself suiting up for the local team in Santa Cruz for his first year as a pro. Previously, Stansberry spent two years at City College of San Francisco and two more at Hawaii. He gained a reputation of being a sharpshooting point guard that could score with the best of them.

Cameron Oliver (South Bay Lakers)

Cameron Oliver is another freakishly athletic player that is originally from Oakland. In the 16-17 season Cameron helped lead Nevada to a Mountain West Tournament Championship, where he was awarded 1st team and Defensive Player of the Year during that stretch. This in turn helped him make the Rockets summer league roster the following year, and a handful of G-League rosters after that. Cameron caught his big break in 2020 as the Houston Rockets signed him to a 10-day contract, where he averaged 10.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg during that span. This caught the attention of NBA powerhouse, Los Angeles Lakers, as they invited him to training camp. Cameron now sees himself playing for the Lakers G-League team.  

Dakari Allen (G-League Ignite)

The other San Diego State Norcal player on Ignite, Dakari has made a career of playing in the G-League being a contributing player with whatever team he is playing for. He looks to make some noise with the ever-so popular Ignite team.

Christian Terrell (Stockton Kings)

Another Sacramento product in Christian Terrell sees himself as the only NorCal representative on the Stockton Kings. Christian previously played college basketball for Sacramento State and Sacramento High beforehand. It is only fitting that he plays for the Sacramento Kings minor league team, where hopefully one day he can suit up for the hometown NBA team.