The NBA is shutting down the G League Ignite following the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, citing the NCAA’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policy and the advent of collectives and the transfer portal” as its primary reasons, the league announced Thursday.
NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim said in a statement:
“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. With the changing environment across youth and collegiate basketball, now is the right time to take this step.
NBA G League Ignite, the league’s owned-and-operated team focused on developing NBA prospects, is concluding its final season, NBA G League President Shareef Abdur-Rahim announced today.
The decision to end the program comes amid the changing basketball landscape, including the…
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) March 21, 2024
“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.”
Furthermore, NBA commissioner Adam Silver suggested this could happen during last month’s NBA All-Star Weekend, saying then that the league was “reassessing” the Ignite program.
The G League team was established by the NBA to give players who aren’t yet eligible for the draft — and those who didn’t want to go to college — a chance to play professional basketball and prepare for the draft as part of a developmental league.
G League Ignite offered players salaries of up to $500,000, helped develop NBA prospects
At the time the Ignite team was launched in April 2016, college athletes weren’t being paid. According to Spotrac, the team offered prospects salaries of up to $500,000.
Now, the NCAA’s NIL policy has essentially made the G League Ignite not as appealing to the types of high school recruits and young stars the Ignite target each year.
“Some of those same players that didn’t want to be one-and-done players because they felt it was unfair and they wanted the ability to not just earn a living playing basketball but to do commercial deals that weren’t available to them in college … now all those same abilities have become available to them,” Silver said last month.
G League Ignite is finished after this season, the NBA announced. “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.” pic.twitter.com/mJnmtwWPoL
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) March 21, 2024
College athletes were first permitted to earn compensation for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) after the Supreme Court’s decision in NCAA v. Alston (2021).
USC’s Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, is the highest-valued college athlete through NIL at $4.9 million, per On3.com. Kentucky freshman Robert Dillingham has an NIL valuation of $1 million as well.
It didn’t take long for the NCAA’s NIL policy to wreck the Ignite, considering the G League team owns the worst record at 6-40 and has already been eliminated from playoff contention.
This season’s Ignite roster has projected top 2024 NBA Draft picks Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland. There are nine Ignite veterans currently on NBA rosters, including Scoot Henderson (Portland Trail Blazers), Jalen Green (Houston Rockets), Jonathan Kuminga (Golden State Warriors), and Dyson Daniels (New Orleans Pelicans).
The Ignite will play its final game on March 28 against the Ontario Clippers.
