Photo credit: Sportsnet
The NBA has announced the discontinuation of the G League Ignite program for the upcoming season
The NBA has announced the closure of the G League Ignite development team following the 2023-24 season. This decision comes amid the Ignite's difficulties in their second full G League season. Established in 2020, the program offered top prospects an alternative route to the NBA, allowing them to forgo college basketball and join the G League Ignite to earn money while pursuing their professional goals.
Before the NCAA's policy shift permitting players to earn compensation for their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), the Ignite, alongside Overtime Elite, stood as one of the sole pathways in the United States for high school players to earn money while playing basketball. Initially, supporters of the G League Ignite championed it as a viable avenue for player development, offering them the opportunity to compete against professionals while receiving NBA-centric training and coaching. However, after four trial seasons, the NBA has opted to discontinue the development team. Here's the rationale behind this decision.What prompted the NBA's decision to close G League Ignite?
"The decision to end the program comes amid the changing basketball landscape, including the NCAA's Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policy and the advent of collectives and the transfer portal," NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim said in the league's news release Thursday. G League Ignite and similar alternate paths to the NBA were once seen as a potential death knell for men's college basketball. But the NIL policy flipped the script, as the league's statement made clear. Four years ago, we started Ignite to fill a void in the basketball landscape, and I'm proud of the contributions we were able to make to that ecosystem,» Abdur-Rahim said. «With the changing environment across youth and collegiate basketball, now is the right time to take this step.... As ever, the G League's commitment to developing top NBA talent and helping players achieve their NBA dreams is unwavering.»
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The outcome was hardly unexpected, given the hints dropped by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver during NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis.
«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. Now my focus is turning to earlier development of those players," Silver said.
Despite the team's limited success, the Ignite produced more drafted players than any other program globally during its existence. However, despite completing a full professional season, none of the players made an immediate impact.
Among the notable figures from the program are Jalen Green, now a star for the Rockets, Jonathan Kuminga, a rising talent with the Warriors, and Scoot Henderson, a rookie with the Trail Blazers.
Additionally, this season's Ignite roster includes several prospects projected for the 2024 NBA Draft, such as Ron Holland, Matas Buzelis, Tyler Smith, and Izan Almansa.
The Ignite's closure suggests top prospects will likely revert to college basketball. While alternatives like Australia's NBL Next Stars and Overtime Elite remain, the NCAA's new NIL regulations offer players a similar opportunity for compensation while playing college hoops. There have been rumblings about the NBA potentially lowering the minimum age entry back to 18, a rule that was raised to 19 in 2006. However, as per the latest NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, the minimum age remains at 19 for the time being.
Source : Sporting News
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March 21 | 14 answers The NBA has announced the discontinuation of the G League Ignite program for the upcoming season Do you think the G League Ignite was a good idea by the NBA? | ||
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