2022 Metropolitans 92 vs. NBA G League Ignite series

Metropolitans 92 vs. NBA G League Ignite

Dollar Loan Center, the site of the games
Date	October 4, 2022 October 6, 2022
Venue	Dollar Loan Center
Location	Henderson, Nevada
Participants	Metropolitans 92 NBA G League Ignite
Outcome	Series tied, 1–1

The 2022 Metropolitans 92 vs. NBA G League Ignite series was two exhibition basketball games between Metropolitans 92 and the NBA G League Ignite. It was held at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada on October 4 and October 6, 2022. Featuring the projected top two picks in the 2023 NBA draft, Victor Wembanyama of Metropolitans and Scoot Henderson of the Ignite, the series drew international attention and has been regarded as among the greatest NBA prospect matchups in history. The Ignite won Game 1, 122–115, with strong performances from Wembanyama and Henderson, and Wembanyama led Metropolitans to a 112–106 win in Game 2, as Henderson left with an injury in the first quarter.

Background

Victor Wembanyama in 2022

On September 9, 2022, the NBA announced two exhibition games between the NBA G League Ignite, a developmental team in the NBA G League, and Metropolitans 92 of the LNB Pro A, the top-tier French league. The games were held at the Ignite's home arena, the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada, on October 4 and October 6, 2022. ^[1] Metropolitans played three Pro A games before traveling to the United States on October 1. ^{[2] [3]} Their game against Chorale Roanne was postponed to December 6, in agreement with the league and their opponent, so that they could participate in the series. ^{[3] [4]} The Ignite were scheduled to begin their regular season on November 4. ^[5]

Metropolitans was led by head coach Vincent Collet and power forward Victor Wembanyama, who was widely expected to be the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, with many analysts considering him a once-in-a-generation prospect. ^{[6] [7]} Wembanyama was in his first season with the team, which also included former NBA player Tremont Waters. ^[8] The Ignite, under head coach Jason Hart, were led by point guard Scoot Henderson, the projected second pick in the draft, who was entering his second season with his team. The team had other draft prospects, including Leonard Miller and Sidy Cissoko, as well as veterans like former NBA player John Jenkins. ^{[9] [10]}

The games marked Wembanyama's debut in the United States and the first meeting between him and Henderson. ^{[6] [11]} Sports Illustrated described it as the most anticipated prospect matchup of the season. ^[6] Entering the first game of the series, Wembanyama called it the biggest game of his life. ^[12] Analysts viewed it as Henderson's best opportunity to gain consideration as the top prospect in the draft. ^{[13] [14]}

Game summaries

The series was scheduled for 7 p.m. PST on October 4 and 12 p.m. PST on October 6, 2022. ^[15] Games were broadcast on ESPN2 and the NBA App, with Cory Alexander and John Schriffen as commentators. ^[16] Agon Abazi, Julian McFadden and Catherine Chang served as referees for both games. ^{[17] [18]} The series was attended by more than 200 NBA executives and scouts, with representatives from all 30 NBA teams, ^[19] and journalists from France, Canada and Brazil. ^[20] NBA players Chris Paul, Devin Booker, DeMarcus Cousins, Trevor Ariza, Damion Lee and Duane Washington Jr., and WNBA players A'ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray, were in attendance for Game 1. ^{[21] [22]} NBA players Rudy Gobert and D'Angelo Russell attended Game 2. ^[23]

Game 1

Metropolitans 92 v NBA G League Ignite

October 4, 2022	Metropolitans 92	115–122 (Series: 0–1)	NBA G League Ignite	Henderson, Nevada
7 p.m. PST	Scoring by quarter: 24–30, 28–41, 36–20, 27–31
ESPN2	Pts: Victor Wembanyama 37 Rebs: Lahaou Konaté 7 Asts: Tremont Waters 9	Box score	Pts: Scoot Henderson 28 Rebs: Leonard Miller 8 Asts: Scoot Henderson 9	Arena: Dollar Loan Center Referees: Agon Abazi, Julian McFadden, Catherine Chang

Starters: Pts Reb Ast G 51 Tremont Waters 18 4 9 G 5 Lahaou Konaté 0 7 3 F 11 Aaron Henry 7 3 3 F 28 Ibrahima Fall Faye 11 6 1 C 1 Victor Wembanyama 37 4 0 Reserves: 10 Bandja Sy 10 4 1 3 DeVante' Jones 4 3 6 25 Hugo Besson 18 3 0 15 Steeve Ho You Fat 6 1 0 35 Armel Traoré 4 1 0 0 Bilal Coulibaly 0 0 0 14 Idrissa Ba DNP Head coach: Vincent Collet

Metropolitans 92 NBA G League Ignite 0 Metropolitans Statistics G League Ignite 39/74 (52.7%) Field goals 44/93 (47.3%) 14/30 (46.7%) 3-pt field goals 13/38 (34.2%) 23/31 (74.2%) Free throws 21/26 (80.8%) 6 Offensive rebounds 13 30 Defensive rebounds 22 36 Total rebounds 35 23 Assists 31 18 Turnovers 7 6 Steals 11 8 Blocks 5 20 Personal fouls 25

Starters: Pts Reb Ast G 0 Scoot Henderson 28 5 9 G 23 John Jenkins 21 3 4 F 25 Sidy Cissoko 7 4 2 F 11 Leonard Miller 8 8 2 C 12 Eric Mika 14 6 4 Reserves: 24 Aubrey Dawkins 15 3 2 1 Cameron Young 4 2 1 3 Marcus Graves 3 0 6 7 Mojave King 8 1 0 10 Efe Abogidi 14 3 0 31 James Southerland 0 0 0 5 Pooh Jeter 0 0 1 2 London Johnson DNP 8 Shareef O'Neal DNP Head coach: Jason Hart

Game 2

Metropolitans 92 v NBA G League Ignite

October 6, 2022	Metropolitans 92	112–106 (Series: 1–1)	NBA G League Ignite	Henderson, Nevada
12 p.m. PST	Scoring by quarter:25–21, 30–35, 19–30, 38–20
ESPN2	Pts: Victor Wembanyama 36 Rebs: Victor Wembanyama 11 Asts:4 players tied 4	Box score	Pts: Aubrey Dawkins 19 Rebs: Leonard Miller 9 Asts: Marcus Graves 7	Arena: Dollar Loan Center Referees: Agon Abazi, Julian McFadden, Catherine Chang

Starters: Pts Reb Ast G 51 Tremont Waters 15 3 4 G 5 Lahaou Konaté 2 3 0 F 11 Aaron Henry 24 10 1 F 28 Ibrahima Fall Faye 6 4 4 C 1 Victor Wembanyama 36 11 4 Reserves: 3 DeVante' Jones 4 1 3 10 Bandja Sy 12 4 1 25 Hugo Besson 5 2 4 35 Armel Traoré 2 1 4 15 Steeve Ho You Fat 4 1 0 0 Bilal Coulibaly 2 2 0 14 Idrissa Ba DNP Head coach: Vincent Collet

Metropolitans 92 NBA G League Ignite 0 Metropolitans Statistics G League Ignite 39/81 (48.1%) Field goals 39/87 (44.8%) 6/28 (21.4%) 3-pt field goals 12/34 (35.3%) 28/36 (77.8%) Free throws 16/18 (88.9%) 10 Offensive rebounds 11 32 Defensive rebounds 28 42 Total rebounds 39 21 Assists 28 12 Turnovers 14 12 Steals 6 7 Blocks 2 21 Personal fouls 25

Starters: Pts Reb Ast G 0 Scoot Henderson 0 1 1 G 23 John Jenkins 8 0 4 F 25 Sidy Cissoko 2 1 3 F 11 Leonard Miller 16 9 3 C 12 Eric Mika 6 6 3 Reserves: 5 Pooh Jeter 2 2 2 10 Efe Abogidi 2 1 0 24 Aubrey Dawkins 19 2 2 8 Shareef O'Neal 8 3 0 7 Mojave King 15 5 2 1 Cameron Young 13 3 1 3 Marcus Graves 15 6 7 2 London Johnson DNP 31 James Southerland DNP Head coach: Jason Hart

Reaction

The performances of Wembanyama and Henderson received praise from NBA analysts and players. ^{[24] [25]} Wembanyama was called a "generational talent" by LeBron James and a "2K create a player" by Stephen Curry. ^[26] The Athletic writer Sam Vecenie described Game 1 as the "best NBA draft prospect game of the century." ^[27] The game drew comparisons to matchups between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the 1979 NCAA Division I basketball championship game, and between LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony in high school in 2002. ^{[27] [28] [29]}

Analysts speculated that the success of Wembanyama and Henderson would influence teams to tank for the 2023 NBA draft. Wembanyama was advised by NBA executives to sit out until the draft but his agent said that he would continue playing. ^{[30] [31] [32]}

In December 2022, Game 1 of the series was featured in the first episode of The Break, an eight-part docuseries produced by the NBA G League in partnership with The General. ^[33] The episode was narrated by Shaquille O'Neal and included behind-the-scenes footage of the game. ^{[34] [35]}

Aftermath

Months following the Metropolitans 92 Vs. NBA G League Ignite exhibition series, Metropolitans center Victor Wembanyama would ultimately secure his position as the #1 pick of the 2023 NBA draft, being taken by the San Antonio Spurs that year and later winning the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year Award while also leading the NBA in blocks per game that same season. The G League Ignite's biggest star, Scoot Henderson, on the other hand, would see his draft stock fall from a projected #2 pick to become the #3 pick of the 2023 draft instead, being taken by the Portland Trail Blazers that year. In addition to those two, the Metropolitans would also see forward Bilal Coulibaly be selected as the #7 pick of the 2023 draft by the Indiana Pacers (though being traded to the Washington Wizards in an eventual three-team trade with the Phoenix Suns), while the Ignite would also see Leonard Miller, French player Sidy Cissoko, and Mojave King all get drafted in the second round of the 2023 draft. Metropolitans player Steeve Ho You Fat would also gain notable intrigue by fans outside of France due to his interesting surname. ^[36] Alongside Victor Wembanyama, Steeve Ho You Fat's jersey would also see notable increased sales for the Metropolitans following the exhibition games, with his surname giving off similar vibes to Rod Smart's "He Hate Me" name from the original XFL. ^[37]

The NBA G League Ignite would later play for one more season following these exhibition games before ultimately being shut down on March 28, 2024, due to the changing landscape for student-athletes seeing more favorable results for them via student athlete compensation being more heavily implemented in the NCAA. The NBA G League Ignite would finish their franchise with the worst record in G League history with a 2–32 record, tying the lowest amount of wins with the 2021 Iowa Wolves in a COVID-19 pandemic shortened season (though they also got a 4–12 record in the Showcase Cup that was played earlier in the season). The Metropolitans 92 wouldn't fare much better in their following season without Wembanyama and Coulibaly, as they would finish their 2023–24 season in the since rebranded LNB Élite with the worst record in the league at 4–30. Even worse for them, following their planned relegation to the LNB Pro B, in May 2024, the Metropolitans 92 announced that they were bankrupt due to the Boulogne-Billancourt municipality cutting funding for the team and being unable to find a new owner for the team afterward. However, rather than fold their own squad similar to the Ignite, the Metropolitans 92 decided to further demote their squad down to the Nationale Masculine 1 (the third-best French basketball league) in order to help restructure themselves going forward into the 2024–25 season.

References

1. "Ignite to host Victor Wembanyama and Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 in preseason games". NBA. September 9, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
2. "Direction les US pour les Mets". Metropolitans 92. October 1, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
3. Lesage, Julien (September 9, 2022). "Betclic Elite : Victor Wembanyama et Boulogne-Levallois iront en tournée à Las Vegas... en pleine saison". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved February 5, 2023.
4. "Victor Wembanyama et Boulogne-Levallois en tournée aux États-Unis pendant la saison de Betclic Élite". L'Équipe . September 7, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
5. Taylor, Cody (October 3, 2022). "The complete NBA G League Ignite player roster for the 2022-23 season". Rookie Wire. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
6. Chavkin, Daniel (September 6, 2022). "Top NBA Prospects Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson to Face off in October". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved February 3, 2023.
7. Wood, Trent (July 22, 2022). "Who are the best 2023 NBA draft prospects not named Victor Wembanyama?". Deseret News . Retrieved February 3, 2023.
8. Giberné, Pascal (October 3, 2022). "Meet Victor Wembanyama, the 7-4 French Cheat Code Coming to Shake Up the NBA". Slam . Retrieved February 5, 2023.
9. Gordon, Sam (November 3, 2022). "Development the priority as G League Ignite begins season". Las Vegas Review-Journal . Retrieved February 5, 2023.
10. "Ignite Announces Veteran Roster Additions". NBA G League Ignite. September 28, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
11. Woo, Jeremy (October 5, 2022). "Inside Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson's Thrilling Showdown in Vegas". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved February 2, 2023.
12. Zillgitt, Jeff (October 5, 2022). "Victor Wembanyama, top 2023 NBA draft prospect, scores 37 points in exhibition loss to G League Ignite". USA Today . Retrieved February 5, 2023.
13. Givony, Jonathan (September 6, 2022). "Victor Wembanyama, projected No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft, will match up against another star prospect, Scoot Henderson, in Nevada exhibitions, source says". ESPN . Retrieved February 5, 2023.
14. Sidery, Evan (September 30, 2022). "NBA Teams Already Preparing For Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson In 2023 Draft". Forbes . Retrieved February 5, 2023.
15. "Preseason Games Between Ignite And Metropolitans 92 To Air On ESPN2 And New NBA App". NBA G League Ignite. September 30, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
16. "Game Notes: Ignite vs. Metropolitans 92". NBA G League Ignite. OurSports Central. October 6, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
17. "Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 vs G League Ignite Oct 4, 2022 Game Summary". NBA. October 4, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
18. "Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 vs G League Ignite Oct 6, 2022 Game Summary". NBA. October 6, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
19. Golliver, Ben (October 5, 2022). "Victor Wembanyama, basketball's next big thing, knows no bounds". The Washington Post . Retrieved February 2, 2023.
20. Reynolds, Tim (October 4, 2022). "AP Interview: 1-on-1 with NBA prospect Victor Wembanyama". Associated Press . Retrieved February 2, 2023.
21. Medcalf, Myron (October 5, 2022). "Victor Wembanyama stars, Scoot Henderson leads G League Ignite to victory in No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup of NBA draft prospects". ESPN . Retrieved February 2, 2023.
22. "Victor Wembanyama scores 37 in first battle against Scoot Henderson". Basketnews. October 5, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
23. Reynolds, Tim (October 6, 2022). "Wembanyama's 2-game Las Vegas exhibition stay ends with win". Associated Press . Retrieved February 5, 2023.
24. Peek, Krysten (October 5, 2022). "Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson exceed all expectations in matchup of top 2023 NBA draft prospects". Yahoo! Sports . Retrieved February 3, 2023.
25. Kidane, Benyam (October 5, 2022). "Ja Morant, Donovan Mitchell among players on Twitter in awe of Scoot Henderson-Victor Wembanyama battle between G League Ignite and Metropolitans 92". Sporting News . Retrieved February 3, 2023.
26. Jackson, Wilton (October 6, 2022). "Wembanyama Dazzles After High Praise From LeBron James, Steph Curry". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved February 3, 2023.
27. Vecenie, Sam (October 6, 2022). "Wembanyama vs. Scoot, Game 1 Film Study: Why it was the best NBA Draft prospect game of the century". The Athletic . Retrieved February 2, 2023.
28. Hollinger, John (October 7, 2022). "The Wembanyama Effect: How the buzz about Victor will influence NBA tanking and front office thinking this season". The Athletic . Retrieved February 2, 2023.
29. Givony, Jonathan (October 10, 2022). "NBA draft 2023 - Takeaways from the Victor Wembanyama-Scoot Henderson showcase in Las Vegas". ESPN . Retrieved February 2, 2023.
30. Givony, Jonathan; Wojnarowski, Adrian (October 5, 2022). "Agent says no plan to shut down Victor Wembanyama until draft". ESPN . Retrieved February 3, 2023.
31. "Basketball world reacts to Wembanyama-Henderson: 'Tanking will be glorious'". Basketnews. October 5, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
32. Woo, Jeremy (October 20, 2022). "Tank for Victor: The NBA's Race to the Bottom". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved February 3, 2023.
33. Kalbrosky, Bryan (December 14, 2022). "Wembenyama Wednesday: New footage of Victor and Scoot Henderson is an NBA fan's dream". For The Win. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
34. Davies, Spencer (January 7, 2023). "G League docuseries 'The Break' spotlighting unique paths to NBA". Basketball News. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
35. "The General and the NBA G League are proud to debut multi-episode docuseries featuring the league's rising stars". The General. December 19, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
36. https://www.businessinsider.com/steeve-ho-you-fat-basketball-player-goes-viral-unforgettable-name-2022-10
37. https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2022/10/6/23390243/steeve-ho-you-fat-video-jersey-victor-wembanyama-teammate