The craziness of college sports, the transfer portal and NIL has led to many changes and waves of uncertainty and frustration, and now it’s seeped into the pro level.
On Thursday, the NBA announced that it was shutting down the G League Ignite team after this season due to the rapidly evolving college landscape. It was a decision that Adam Silver alluded to last month at the All-Star Game.
“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,” said Silver. “Now my focus is turning to earlier development of those players.”
The team was launched in 2020 to develop elite veterans and draft prospects. Since that time, its produced 10 NBA Draft picks including the Houston Rockets’ Jalen Green (no. 2 pick in 2021), the Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga (no.7 pick in 2021) and the Portland Trailblazers’ Scoot Henderson (no.3 pick in 2023).
But, with the massive utilization of the transfer portal and the 2021 approval of NIL and its subsequent rise, the developmental team would no longer serve its original purpose as players can earn money and valuable experience while in college, so the tough but understandable decision to shut the team down was made.
“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,” said G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim 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.”
