The NBA is reportedly shutting down the G League Ignite after the season, per Shams Charania of The Athletic:
“Sources: The NBA is shutting down the G League Ignite team after this season, canceling the development squad of elite draft prospects and veterans that launched in 2020. ”
The NBA launched the Ignite at a point when pre-draft eligible players didn't have another pathway (In America) to earn money through their play before entering the NBA Draft.
With name, image and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal now in place in college basketball, the need for a team like the Ignite to exist has been eliminated. NIL allows players to earn money while going to college.
For example, USC basketball guard Bronny James has deals worth over $5 million.
Another example is Colorado football quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who reportedly has an annual NIL valuation of at least $4 million.
Meanwhile. LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne and LSU women's basketball forward Angel Reese have valuations ranging from $1.5 to 3.5 million.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke at All-Star Weekend last month and said that the Ignite’s future was being evaluated.
“I’m not sure what the future of Team Ignite will be because before I felt there was a hole in the marketplace we were filling,” Silver said. “Now my focus is turning to earlier development of those players.”
The league’s first two signings — the Houston Rockets’ Jalen Green and the Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga were the No. 2 and No. 7 picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, respectively. The two players showed the possibilities of the G League Ignite and represented significant success for the venture right out of the gate.
Last year, Scoot Henderson went No. 3 overall to the Portland Trail Blazers after a standout Ignite season. It’s thought that salaries for the most elite prospects were as high as $1 million per season.
In addition to Green and Kuminga, power forward Isaiah Todd was taken with the 31st pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
2022 saw three more players drafted from the Ignite. Dyson Daniels was selected eighth overall by the New Orleans Pelicans, Marjon Beauchamp was selected 24th by the Bucks, and Jaden Hardy went 37th to the Sacramento Kings.
In 2023, after Henderson went third overall to Portland, the San Antonio Spurs selected Leonard Miller with the 33rd pick and Sidy Cissoko with the 44th pick. Mojave King also went to the Los Angeles Lakers at 47th overall.
Looking ahead to the 2024 NBA Draft, Ignite star Ron Holland is a clear standout.
The six-foot-eight wing has a wiry frame and is currently projected to compete for the number one pick in the class.
Holland can impact the game on both ends of the floor and play with incredible energy. He’s a very fluid athlete for his size and should have no trouble athletically when transitioning to the NBA. Holland’s main swing factors will be his three-point shooting and just how much he can create for himself offensively.
Matas Buzelis is another premiere prospect for the team and slots in as a potential lottery pick after the Ignite's final season.
UPDATE: The NBA has made the news official:
NBA G League Ignite, the league’s owned-and-operated team focused on developing NBA prospects, is concluding its final season, NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced today.
The decision to end the program comes amid the changing basketball landscape, including the…
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) March 21, 2024
Follow Us
Subscribe