NBA G League Ignite | |
---|---|
2023–24 NBA G League season | |
Conference | Western |
League | NBA G League |
Founded | 2020 |
Folded | 2024 |
History | NBA G League Ignite 2020–2024 |
Arena | Lee's Family Forum |
Location | Henderson, Nevada |
Team colors | Purple, black, white [1] |
Head coach | Jason Hart [2] |
Website | Official website |
The NBA G League Ignite was a developmental basketball team in the NBA G League. Originally based in Walnut Creek, California with home games planned to have been played at the Ultimate Fieldhouse for their first two seasons, before moving to Henderson, Nevada for their final two seasons of existence, the team was designed to play exhibition games outside the G League's traditional scheduling as part of a one-year development program for elite National Basketball Association (NBA) prospects. Unlike other NBA G League rosters, its roster was primarily made up of both talented young prospects and veteran players meant to guide the younger prospects. The NBA G League Ignite was created on April 16, 2020, and was touted as an alternative to college basketball at the time, offering the young prospects salaries of up to $500,000 for time spent with them at a time when an average G League contract would be of lesser value by comparison.
The NBA G League has been an avenue for high school, college and international prospects to be drafted into the NBA since 2008 back when the league was named the NBA Development League (NBA D-League). [3] On October 18, 2018, the G League introduced Select Contracts of $125,000 for elite prospects, including opportunities for basketball development, life skills, mentorship, and academic scholarships starting from the 2019–20 season. [4] However, no players in the 2019 high school class signed a Select Contract. [5]
On April 16, 2020, the G League announced a raised salary for elite prospects and a one-year development program outside of its traditional team structure. [6] The prospects would play alongside veteran players on a select team that would take part in training and 10 to 12 exhibition games against other G League teams, foreign national teams, and NBA academies. [6] [7] [8] Under this select team that later became the NBA G League Ignite, younger players would have earned financial incentives for playing games, participating in community events, and attending life skills programs coordinated by the G League. They would also receive a full scholarship to Arizona State University, which was partnered with the NBA during that period of time. [9]
On the same day that the G League's new development program was announced, Jalen Green, the highest ranked player in the 2020 high school class according to ESPN, became the first player to join the NBA G League Ignite, earning $500,000. [6] [10] The G League subsequently drew attention as an alternative to college basketball, with some media outlets speculating that Green's decision would threaten the National Collegiate Athletic Association. [11] [12] [13] Green was soon joined on the team by fellow five-star recruits Isaiah Todd and Daishen Nix, both former college commits, as well as Kai Sotto of the Philippines. [14] On June 9, 2020, former NBA player and coach Brian Shaw was named head coach of the Ignite. [15] On July 16, Jonathan Kuminga, the highest ranked player in the 2021 high school class, reclassified to the 2020 class and signed with the Ignite. [16] [17] The name of the team, previously referred to as the G League Select Team, was announced as the NBA G League Ignite on September 2. [18] On November 12, the Ignite signed veteran players Brandon Ashley, Bobby Brown, Cody Demps, Reggie Hearn, and Amir Johnson to play alongside and mentor the team's prospects. [19] On January 14, 2021, the Ignite signed Donta Hall and Jarrett Jack. [20]
The Ignite joined the 2020–21 season playing a full 15-game schedule in the single-site bubble tournament in Orlando, Florida, with 11 teams opting not to participate. [21] [22] In their first season, they put up an 8-7 record and entered the G League Playoffs in their first season, but they lost in the quarterfinal round to the Raptors 905.
In the Ignite's second season, they were only allowed to play in the Winter Showcase, an early-season tournament that allowed them and the Capitanes de Ciudad de México an opportunity to compete with other G League teams due to the reeling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This season was primarily led by new prospects Dyson Daniels from Australia, former Yakima Valley College student MarJon Beauchamp, and 5-star recruit Jaden Hardy. In the 12 games they were allowed to play in, the Ignite held a 6-6 record, which gave them a 4th place finish in the West Division but did not give them qualifications to compete any further in the Winter Showcase.
For their third season, the NBA G League Ignite moved from Walnut Creek, California to the Las Vegas Valley to play their home games at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada going forward. [23]
Commissioner Adam Silver indicated in a press conference on February 17, 2024 that the NBA would reassess the future of the Ignite. Silver noted that the implementation of name, image, and likeness rights in college basketball had diminished the need for an official feeder program. [24] [25] In addition to collegiate and even high school student athlete compensation being fully adopted by the early 2020s, the increasing growth of the competitive Overtime Elite youth basketball league being an alternative to not just the Ignite, but also collegiate and even professional basketball for younger prospects also became a factor in reassessing the Ignite's future in the NBA G League. [26] On March 21, 2024, it was announced that the NBA would be shutting down the franchise after the end of the 2023–24 NBA G League season. [27] Their final game as a franchise came on March 28, 2024, losing 113-102 to the Ontario Clippers. They lost 32 games in their 34-game season to set a mark for most losses in the history of the G League for one season to go with the lowest winning percentage ever, while their two wins tied the Iowa Wolves of the pandemic-shortened 2020–21 NBA G League season for the least wins ever in a season.
Season | Division | Regular Season | Post Season Results | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Finish | Wins | Losses | Pct. | ||||||
NBA G League Ignite | |||||||||
2020–21 | — | 8th | 8 | 7 | .533 | Lost quarterfinal (Raptors 905) 127–102 | |||
2021–22 | West | 4th | 6 | 6 | .500 | did not qualify | |||
2022–23 | West | 11th | 11 | 21 | .344 | did not qualify | |||
2023–24 | West | 15th | 2 | 32 | .059 | did not qualify | |||
Regular Season Record | 27 | 66 | .290 | ||||||
Playoff Record | 0 | 1 | .000 |
Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Roster |
Draft | Player | Nationality | Pick no. | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Jalen Green | United States | 2 | Houston Rockets |
Jonathan Kuminga | DR Congo | 7 | Golden State Warriors | |
Isaiah Todd | United States | 31 | Milwaukee Bucks | |
2022 | Dyson Daniels | Australia | 8 | New Orleans Pelicans |
MarJon Beauchamp | United States | 24 | Milwaukee Bucks | |
Jaden Hardy | United States | 37 | Sacramento Kings | |
2023 | Scoot Henderson | United States | 3 | Portland Trail Blazers |
Leonard Miller | Canada | 33 | San Antonio Spurs | |
Sidy Cissoko | France | 44 | San Antonio Spurs | |
Mojave King | New Zealand | 47 | Los Angeles Lakers |
Draft | Player | Nationality |
---|---|---|
2021 | Daishen Nix | United States |
2022 | Michael Foster Jr. | United States |
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the official minor league organization of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA Development League from 2005 until 2017. The league started with eight teams until NBA commissioner David Stern announced a plan to expand the NBA D-League to 15 teams and develop it into a true minor league farm system, with each NBA D-League team affiliated with one or more NBA teams in March 2005. At the conclusion of the 2013–14 NBA season, 33% of NBA players had spent time in the NBA D-League, up from 23% in 2011. As of the 2023–24 season, the league consists of 31 teams, 29 of which are either single-affiliated or owned by an NBA team, along with the NBA G League Ignite exhibition team. Within the G League, players have the chance to get a contract from a current NBA team, and can land themselves a spot on an official roster.
The Rising Stars Challenge is a basketball exhibition game held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) on the Friday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend and is intended to showcase young and rising players in the league. Being sponsored by Panini Group, the event is also known as Panini Rising Stars.
Amir Jalla Johnson is an American former professional basketball player and coach who last served as an assistant coach for the NBA G League Ignite of the NBA G League. He has previously played for the Detroit Pistons, the team that selected Johnson in the second round of the 2005 NBA draft, as well as the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.
Jalen Marquis Brunson is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted with the 33rd overall selection of the 2018 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks and played his first four seasons in the NBA with them. He played college basketball for Villanova University, where he was the National Player of the Year as a junior and won two national championships.
Gabe York is an American professional basketball player for Bàsquet Girona of the Spanish Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats, earning second-team all-conference honors in the Pac-12 as a senior in 2015–16.
Reggie Christian Hearn is an American former professional basketball player and current scout for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Northwestern Wildcats.
Jalen Rasheed Smith is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association. Nicknamed "Stix", he played college basketball for the Maryland Terrapins.
Jalen Romande Green is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a consensus five-star recruit and the best shooting guard in the 2020 class, with ESPN ranking him number one overall. He finished his high school career at Prolific Prep in Napa, California, and he chose to forgo college basketball to join the NBA G League Ignite team in its inaugural season. Green has won three gold medals with the United States at the junior level and was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup. Green was selected by the Houston Rockets with the second overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. He is the third player in the NBA of Filipino descent, following Raymond Townsend and Jordan Clarkson.
Jaden McDaniels is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies. He attended Federal Way High School in Federal Way, Washington, where he was named a McDonald's All-American and Washington Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. McDaniels was a five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2019 class.
Cody Cooper Demps is an American professional basketball player for the New Taipei CTBC DEA of the T1 League. He played college basketball for the Sacramento State Hornets.
Jonathan Malangu Kuminga is a Congolese professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A consensus five-star recruit and the top small forward in the 2021 class, he chose to forgo his college eligibility and reclassify to the 2020 class to join the NBA G League Ignite. Kuminga finished his high school career at The Patrick School in Hillside, New Jersey.
Isaiah Todd is an American professional basketball player who last played for the NBA G League Ignite of the NBA G League. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the best power forwards in the 2020 class. A former Michigan commit, Todd chose to forgo his college eligibility to become the first player in history to sign with NBA G League Ignite. He finished his high school career at the Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Jalen Harris is an American professional basketball player for the Leones de Ponce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and the Nevada Wolf Pack. Harris was suspended from the National Basketball Association for the 2021–22 season due to a drug violation.
Chet Thomas Holmgren is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drafted 2nd overall in the 2022 NBA draft, he played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. A consensus five-star recruit and the number-one player in the 2021 class, he stands 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) and plays the center and power forward positions.
Mojave King is a New Zealand-American professional basketball player for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He began his career in the Australian NBL in 2020, playing his first season for the Cairns Taipans. After a season with the Adelaide 36ers, he joined the NBA G League Ignite in 2022. He was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 47th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft.
Ousmane Dieng is a French professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
The 2020–21 NBA G League season was the 20th season of the NBA G League, the official minor league basketball organization owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season was indefinitely postponed following the previous season's cessation amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The league used the same type of isolation season as the 2020 NBA Bubble with all games at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Bay Lake, Florida. Only 17 of the 28 teams from the previous season, plus the new NBA G League Ignite development team, chose to participate.
Jalen Montez Duren is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Memphis Tigers. A center, he stands 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m) and weighs 250 pounds (113 kg). He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2021 class. Duren was ranked as the top player in the 2022 class before reclassifying.
The January 2021 NBA G League draft was the 20th draft of the NBA G League. The draft, originally scheduled to be held in October 2020 prior to the 2020–21 G League season, was postponed until January 11, 2021 due to concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020–21 season was also delayed, instead starting in February 2021.
Overtime Elite is a basketball league for 16–20-year-olds, based in Atlanta, Georgia. The league is owned and operated by Overtime and was founded by Dan Porter and Zack Weiner.
The updated color palette features Ignite Purple, an electric shade fit for the ethos of the team, while maintaining the legacy of the NBA G League's black and white colors.