G League Ignite to shut down: Details from Shams Charania
Since NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said during All-Star Weekend that the future of G League Ignite was being assessed, there have been rumors that the program is nearing the end of its lifespan.
On Thursday, Athletic reporter Shams Charania reported that this will be the team’s final season.
The G League Ignite will play its final game on March 28 before shuttering.
“Before, I felt there was a hole in the marketplace we were filling,” Silver said during All-Star Weekend. “Now, my focus is turning to earlier development of those players.”
When Ignite launched in 2020, it served as a pathway for athletes to play a year of professional basketball in the G League post-high school instead of going to college — and get paid to do so without going overseas — before entering the NBA. However, when the NCAA began allowing players to receive pay for name, image and likeness (NIL) in July 2021, the primary attraction of the Ignite team was diminished.
This year, Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland are the most prominent names on the team—two of the top five ranked players in the high school class of 2023, both are projected to be lottery picks in the 2024 draft. However, they haven’t been able to lead Ignite to success, as the team has a 6-28 record this season, according to USA TODAY.
In total, Ignite has produced four top-10 picks and, 10 total draft picks and 12 total players who have entered the league. This list is headlined by 2021 No. 2 pick Jalen Green and No. 7 pick Jonathan Kuminga, along with 2022 No. 8 pick Dyson Daniels and 2023 No. 3 pick Scoot Henderson.
The other former Ignite players who have played in the NBA are, according to Golden State of Mind, MarJon Beauchamp, Jaden Hardy, Isaiah Todd, Leonard Miller, Sidy Cissoko, Mojave King, Daishen Nix and Michael Foster Jr., the final two being undrafted signees.
G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who oversaw the Ignite’s roster and coaching staff, issued a statement to The Athletic:
“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 in a statement. “With the changing environment across youth and collegiate basketball, now is the right time to take this step. I want to extend my sincere gratitude to general manager Anthony McClish, head coach Jason Hart and their staff and to each player who wore an Ignite jersey. As ever, the G League’s commitment to developing top NBA talent and helping players achieve their NBA dreams is unwavering.”
The 18-year-old will remain eligible to play on other G League teams after this season, according to USA TODAY.