BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Former North Dakota State standout Grant Nelson signed a two-way contract with the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, the club announced Friday, Sept. 4.

A two-way contract allows the NBA club to call up a player from its G League affiliate without having the player clear waivers. Players earn a flat-rate salary (equal to 50% of the rookie minimum, or $678,882 for the 2026–27 season) that does not count against the team’s salary cap.

Nelson, of Devils Lake, North Dakota, became the first Bison to play in an NBA regular season game last season when he joined the Nets on Feb. 27. He saw action in four games, recording 17 points, six rebounds, five blocks and five assists.

Nelson averaged 22 points and 11.5 rebounds per 36 minutes for the Long Island Nets in the NBA G League.

Nelson, who played three seasons at NDSU from 2020-23, previously signed an Exhibit-10 contract with the Nets in June 2025. In 2023, Nelson led NDSU in points (19.9 ppg), rebounds (9.8 rpg), assists (2.4 apg), blocks (1.7 bpg) and steals (1.1 spg) — both for Summit League play, and for the entire season.

He transferred to Alabama for his final two college seasons.

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